Nationality: Australian Course: Bachelor of Science, University of Melbourne Email: [email protected]
Daniel was first introduced to dance when a Salsa teacher visited his school at the age of 11. Following this he attended Salsa and Latin classes till he was 16, and learnt hip hop and popping both from classes and Youtube from 13 till present. Daniel seeks to grow in all genres, but is based primarily in hip hop and popping, with an emphasis on freestyle, and occasionally busks with a group of poppers in the city. Joining Flare in 2012, Daniel has both danced and choreographed in Flare’s gigs and production. At first Flare was primarily a place to improve his dancing skills, however it has since become a irreplaceable component of his life, and considers the people in it his family and friends.
Daniel draws inspiration from crews such as Shit Kingz, Kinjaz, pre-2008 Jabbawockeez and Prepix, as well as solo/duo dancers including Les Twins, Majid, Greenteck, Cloud and Emilio Dosal. If you interested in hiphop freestyle or battling let him know! As president for 2014, Daniel seeks to promote a higher level of technical skill in all genres in addition to encouraging dancers to participate in jams and battles to have fun and improve their confidence.
Nationality: Singaporean Course: Bachelor of Arts, University of Melbourne Email: [email protected]
As a child, Deborah had always desired to dance, but she never knew where to start. It wasn’t until the end of high school where she found the courage to audition for her church’s dance group. This brought her opportunities to explore various dance styles like jazz and contemporary, but she instantaneously felt inclined towards Hip Hop and fell in love with its high-energy movements. Ever since, she continued to pursue this genre with great passion and joined her local street dance crew, Sunday Avenue Crew, two years ago, where she trained under an O School instructor to perform in various showcases and explore other styles of Hip Hop.
Through joining Flare Dance Ensemble (FDE), her dance vocabulary has been vastly widened, and she has been given valuable exposure to the local dance scene. Above all, she found an international family whose heartbeat moves with the same rhythm, and she hopes that all current and future FDE members will find their love for dance deepen through the lessons and bonds that are forged with one another. She draws inspiration from many Japanese dancers like BASE and Wrecking Crew Orchestra. Her dance instructor’s motto resonates deep within her – “Always be a student. This way, you won’t stop learning”.
Nationality: Malaysian Course: Bachelor of Commerce, University of Melbourne Email: [email protected]
Tira started performing at a young age of 4, doing dance routines, school plays and numerous other acts which enabled her to further explore her talents in performing arts. As a toddler, she was always looking forward to the annual school plays, to perform on stage and to not slip and fall. Since then, she started taking classes of various dance genres from hip hop to latin to ballroom and even popping.
Competing in ballroom competitions, performing in numerous events allow her talent to grow. With much training and private classes, Tira was determined to be the best she can be in whatever she pursues. Achieving excellent results in her dance exams and being a student teacher at the dance studio, she was more passionate than ever about dancing. Then came Flare Dance Ensemble (FDE) as she continues her studies in Melbourne, a community of amazing dancers with different backgrounds and styles were an inspiration to her. There, she experienced different dance genres and grew in versatility with the help and encouragement of many talented choreographers. She wishes to uphold Flare’s legacy to be a platform where anyone and everyone can have fun and express freely through the art of dance.
Nationality: Malaysian Course: Bachelor of Commerce (Economics and Finance), University of Melbourne Email: [email protected]
Yik Surn started dancing in 2011 doing a few k-pop covers with friends in a casual manner. The moment he started, he fell in love with dance. He wanted to learn all the genres of dance and is particularly interested in hip-hop. However, he didn’t know where to start as there wasn’t much exposure to dance in his hometown and dance classes were expensive.
When he went overseas to further his undergraduate studies in 2013, he had high hopes to be able to pursue this passion to dance and sure enough, he found it – Flare Dance Ensemble. It’s like a dream come true. Flare comprises of a variety of dance genres, which makes it even more special as it joins dancers together irrespective of their dance backgrounds. To Yik Surn, a good dancer is a versatile dancer and so he did as many styles as he could fit into his leisure time including partaking in various gig pieces and a number of pieces in the annual end-of-year production.
He had learnt so much from the dancers and choreographers in Flare that he wonders if he could ever repay them. Flare had also become his second family in Melbourne making him feel extremely comfortable almost as if he was at home, not in a foreign country. Without Flare, he would probably not have the chance to follow this passion and things wouldn’t have been the same. He looks forward to another great year in Flare and is very keen to venture into the art of freestyle dance and choreography.
Nationality: Chinese Course: Bachelor of Commerce, University of Melbourne Email: [email protected]
Three-and-a-half, Michelle was led by her mother and stepped into a dance studio four times as big as her room. “Too young” was not enough to stop her curiosity to venture into a world of pink leotards and elegant dance fans offered by the local Youth Palace back in her hometown Guangzhou, China. There was no particular genre to which the class taught, hence to date she can only answer “Chinese kiddies’ dance” whenever someone asks Oh what kind of dance did you do. Seven years of weekly classes stopped when Michelle followed her dad and moved overseas to Indonesia. Her parents called it "broadening her horizons". Unable to cope with so much new changes in her life, Michelle made the first biggest mistake— she stopped dancing. When she again moved to Perth, somewhere in between the moving, the adapting, school work and exams, dancing became the last thing on her mind.
Attending the opening week classes Flare offered in her first year of Uni reminded Michelle what it felt like learning choreography and routines in a big class of keen dancers. And she remembered why she persevered for seven years. Danced for seven and stopped for eight, Michelle was a beginner in dance once again at the age of nineteen. Flare attracted Michelle with its vibrant dancers, easy-going atmosphere and the wide range of dance genres. The inspiration and talent Flare embodies was just the right push Michelle needed whilst finding a way to put dance back in her life after eight years.
FDE was the only club Michelle stuck with after spending 50+ bucks wandering around in O-Week, and she would do that all over again.
Nationality: Singaporean Course: Bachelor Of Business (Marketing), RMIT Email: [email protected]
Sarah joined Flare in 2012 after watching many dance pieces choreographed by her sister who used to be in Flare and a few Flare Annual Productions. Having grown up with two older sisters who have a great passion for dance, she constantly watched ballet shows and anything that is dance-related. Sarah started training artistic gymnastics at the age of four and stopped at the age of twelve due to an injury. As she continued to watch her sisters’ dance, she tried taking up ballet classes during her kindergarden years, but stopped because she did not enjoy that particular genre. By joining Flare in 2012, it has allowed Sarah to experience different types of genres and was given many performance opportunities. With the hopes of being a better dancer, Sarah wishes to continue to broaden her range of genres and to keep refining her techniques. As a charity officer, Sarah hopes to show people how we can help the less fortunate through what Flare loves doing, by using the talents we have been blessed with to help others, aiming to bring both charity and dance together.
‘It is not how much we give but how much love we put into giving’- Mother Teresa
Nationality: Singaporean Course: Bachelor of Commerce, University of Melbourne Email: [email protected]
‘Chinese’ and ‘ballet’, two words that Grace does not ever see herself being passionate about. Having to go for Chinese ballet classes did not help in this matter either, but instead lead Grace to the conclusion that she disliked dance. Despite boldly claiming that she hated dance, having to attend compulsory dance classes throughout her primary and secondary school life, of which she enjoyed, made her realize that something was wrong. It was not until she came to Melbourne and decided that she should do something outside of school that she first started learning dance again. Passion Studio gave her that push to start learning dance, but Flare Dance Ensemble gave her a community that she could immerse herself in and unveiled her hidden passion for dance. It wasn’t the technical bits of dance that she enjoyed, but the expression that she could see and portray through movements of the body. This was the passion that she never could have found if not for Flare.
Nationality: Filipino-Canadian Course: Bachelor of Arts, University of Melbourne Email: [email protected]
Nadine's first taste of dance was through compulsory school productions. However, it only developed into a passion after joining Flare Dance Ensemble. Although, this is technically Nadine's first foray into the world of dance, she has a background in theatre, gymnastics, and competitive cheerleading.
Nadine joined the "flaremily" in 2013, and has had no regrets. Through the support of her fellow dancers and choreographers, she feels that she has grown not only as a dancer but also as a person. Flare Dance Ensemble has continuously opened opportunities for growth such as recruiting Nadine to become a co-choreographer/understudy in a recent video project. And while Nadine has primarily focused on contemporary and jazz styles, she hopes to branch out and try other genres of dance.
Nationality: Australian Course: Bachelor of Science (Psychology), Diploma of Music (Practical), University of Melbourne Email: [email protected]
From a very young age, Melody was immersed in the world of the arts. Unable to commit to both music and dance, she decided to focus solely on music believing that it was her calling. Through music, she was able to express her deepest emotions, thoughts and desires. Without any formal training, she felt inexperienced and lack the courage to express herself through dance the way it was interpreted in music. Over the years, her passion for dance remained stagnant and she decided to reunite herself with dance. After joining Flare Dance Ensemble, her interest was reignited and she became increasingly fond of the art. Flare provided a new platform that allowed her to express herself in a whole new way. It became an outlet where she could learn, grow and improve as a dancer. She hopes that through her growth and time in flare, she might encourage others to step out of their own boundaries and motivate other beginners who are afraid to try to just go for it.
Nationality: Indonesian Course: Bachelor of Communication (Advertising), RMIT University Email: [email protected]
Dancing in little pink ballet slippers and leotards was how Dara was introduced to the world of dance back when she was in kindergarten. She continued to do and love ballet up until she was in year 10 but had to stop because school life was getting in her way and she felt that she needed a little change, so she turned to jazz. Jazz only lasted a little while for her because not long after that she discovered the awesome world hip hop, after that she realized that hip hop is the genre she truly enjoys doing and she’s not going anywhere. There are a ton of different style in hip hop and although Dara isn’t quite sure which one suits her best yet, she is still very determined to learn as much as possible by taking classes and watching videos from YouTube. Dara first joined Flare on her 2nd year of university and was mainly interested because Flare offered urban and k-pop classes (which she loves a LOT), but she looks forward to expand and explore the other genres.
One of Dara’s biggest inspiration is dancer/choreographer Ellen Kim, fascinated by her choreographies and how she is so flexible and adaptable to different choreographies of different genres, Dara hopes to become a better dancer (and hopefully choreographer) by learning more and doing more.
You can never know what you’re capable of unless you try, that’s the motto Dara stands by in dancing and that’s why she thinks that dance is a huge thing that she will never stop learning how to and enjoy doing.
Nationality: Australian Course: Bachelor of Science, University of Melbourne Email: [email protected]
Nicole has always been a dreamer. As a young girl in a dim-lit, spacious ballet classroom, she dreamt of becoming a dancer, moving with such grace and poise, it fit that of a princess'. But being the meek and shy girl that she was, she dismissed the thought, thinking it wasn't for her. She quit ballet after one year. Throughout her high school years, the interest remained constant, but it was only shown discreetly. She joined dance clubs, dance group and cheer dance competitions for fun, but it was never taken seriously. It wasn't until she was in University, when she joined Flare, that she discovered a true passion that inspires her keep going and keep getting better. Flare provided opportunities to learn, grow and even to perform. No longer the shy girl she once was, she now aspires to pursue that dream, alongside other Flarians, and hopes she can inspire other dreamers too.
Nationality: Australian Course: Bachelor of Science, University of Melbourne Email: [email protected]
Naomi was no stranger to dance when she joined Flare. She began dancing at the age of 6 and had done ballet, jazz, tap, acrobatics and funk as well as completed many CSTD exams. As a first year at Oweek last year, her main aim was to find an awesome dance club to join and it didn’t take long! Being rather picky, she actually spent quite a while at the Flare booth trying to decide if she wanted to join them, with things such as ‘I wonder if these guys are any good’ and ‘OMG KPOP’ going through her head. But eventually the ‘tall white guy’ convinced her to sign up and it was probably the best decision she made the whole year! (Thank you tall white guy!)
Since becoming a ‘Flarian,’ Naomi has explored many new dance styles such as latin, urban, breaking and contemporary. She found that the ‘old Flarians’ were very welcoming and made many new friends. She especially loves that everyone comes from such a diverse range of dance backgrounds and that Flare is like one huge family.
Naomi is very excited to be part of the committee this year. She hopes to encourage people of all ages and skill levels to join our amazing family and take advantage of the many opportunities available at Flare.
Nationality: Singaporean Course: Bachelor of Arts (Sociology & International Studies), Monash University Email: [email protected]
Although she began dancing as soon as she started walking, Natasya only developed a serious passion for dance in 2004, at the age of fourteen, when she took dance as an academic elective. Over the years, Natasya has found comfort in hip-hop, which has enabled her self-expression, through emotions and movement. Natasya believes that ‘certain dancers’ cannot justify her inspiration in dance. Instead, she finds her catalyst in the movements that are expressed, the emotions that are felt and the silent poetry that is the dance, whether by a professional or a beginner.
Natasya has been an active member in Flare since 2009, and has participated in five annual productions since, as well as undertaking Flare’s Publicity Officer in 2012. To Natasya, Flare is not just a club in which the members all share their love for dance, but a second family. It is here in which friendships are born, abilities are strengthened, and fears are set aside, as well where moments are cherished, be they good, bad, happy or sad. All in all, she believes that Flare has become an integral part in everyone’s life.
Nationality: AustralianCourse: Bachelor of Commerce, Diploma of Languages (Japanese), University of Melbourne Email: [email protected]
Dom was first introduced to breaking at a young age of 11 through his older brother. Inspired by Run DMC's music video for "It's Like That," Dom learned his first and only move of windmills. He then took a break from breaking (ha) and took up karate instead. Upon entering Melbourne High School, he was able to join Soul Power, the school's Breakdancing club. After attaining his black belt in karate, Dom started to focus on dancing once again in year 11. In year 12, Dom took up a leadership role in the club and used dance as his solace from studying.
In University, Dom joined the committee of the Melbourne Uni Bboys and in third year, entered Flare Dance Ensemble. Dom is currently working part time with the Australian Sports Commission and enjoys teaching younger children hip hop. Dom has recently taken an interest in film and enjoys editing after creating a trailer for the Melbourne Uni Bboys. Dom draws inspiration from Bboy Blond, JuBaFilms, Quest Crew, Hong 10, Issei, YoonA and many more.
Nationality: Australian Course: Doctor of Medicine, University of Melbourne Email: [email protected]
Janaka’s passion for the art of dance was first ignited during a bout of YouTube induced procrastination where he watched a performance by the world famous dance crew, The Jabbawockeez in 2009. Following this, he tried his hand at several different styles of urban dance styles including break-dancing, hip-hop and popping. For many years he was taught by teachers from Dance United, Monash Dance Sport and friends. However, it was not enough. Janaka yearned for a dance community that would facilitate his learning and progression in urban dancing.
This all changed when he joined the Flare Dance Ensemble in 2013. Performing at several gigs, taking part in classes, learning choreography for promotional videos, getting taught and watching the highly skilled FDE choreographers really allowed him to grow as dancer in the urban forms. Janaka looks forward to attempting different styles of dance while further developing the styles he has learnt in the past. Importantly, he is eager to meet new FDE members and build on the friendships he has made in 2013 year within the ensemble. 2014 is sure to be an amazing year for Flare and he is excited to be part of this truly unique, warm and passionate dance community.
Nationality: Australian Course: Doctor of Medicine, University of Melbourne Email: [email protected]
Throughout his youth, Simon showed a keen interest in dance. He watched many dance videos and shows on Youtube, but never took the opportunity to attend a class. Everything changed when he decided to participate in a “flash-mob” style dance performance for the university’s orientation week. Although Simon felt lost and out of his depth, the ‘Flarians’ made sure he transitioned comfortably into this new world of dance. Soon enough, Simon was attending regular classes, becoming a part of the family and experiencing many unique and exciting things, perhaps the most memorable of which was dancing blind and topless in front of a full crowd.
Having only started dancing last year, Simon hopes beginners will likewise take the first step and try a class, and also encourages dancers to step out of their comfort zone and try different genres of dance. Currently, Simon is most passionate about urban-style dance and draws inspiration from choreographers such as Shaun Evaristo, Brian Puspos and S**t Kingz.