After her parents enrolled her in a ballet and tap class when she was three years old, senior Joy Hsieh found a love and passion for dance and decided to join the competition team two years later to elevate her training at Dance Academy USA, a local studio in Cupertino, CA.
In her youth, Hsieh’s older sister introduced her to Kirsten Dodgen, a well-known dancer, choreographer and instructor from New Zealand. Right off the bat, Hsieh admired her dedication and movement quality, something that Hsieh has remembered throughout her journey with dance.
“I started watching her a lot when she joined Jam Republic and competed on a Korean dance show,” Hsieh said. “She was a dancer that really stood out, and her confidence and leadership was really enjoyable to watch.”
As Hsieh grew older and became a dancer on one of the better teams at her studio, her coach emphasized the importance of texturizing the moves in her and her teammates’ dances, an element of dance that reflects the feeling of the music. Her immediate source of inspiration was Dodgen, who inspired Hsieh to incorporate a more facially expressive side to her routines.
“Specifically for hip-hop, I really liked how she attacked all of the moves and wasn’t afraid to express herself in front of an audience,” Hsieh said. “ That's a part of what helped me perform more at competitions.”
Hsieh further adds that attending dance conventions and competitions in the spring exposes her to only a small handful of styles, getting extensive training in the traditional styles like jazz, ballet and hip-hop. However, Hsieh emphasizes how watching videos of Dodgen online exposed her to new dance styles and allowed her to gain more knowledge to hone her own style.
“She made me start to have an interest in afro movement and seeing her talent made me really want to get into Afro Hip Hop style dance,” Hsieh said. “In dance, it’s easy to draw inspiration from other people and use it to create your own style.”
