Biggest passion. “I’ve always loved moving and being on a big stage. From a very young age, I loved watching and recording music videos and practising the movements I saw. But in the small town where I grew up, an hour to the north of Prague, there weren’t many dance opportunities and I was one of the few kids at the dance school who regarded it more than just a hobby. I made lots of friends there and it definitely gave me a great deal of basic knowledge and skills, but I didn’t see myself growing there.
When I had a chance, I went to dance summer camps to learn more, but that was only for a short period in the summer. The breakthrough happened at the age of 19 when I moved to the capital to study for my Bachelor degree and also applied to do an audition at the Dance Academy Prague, eventually becoming part of the leading competition team. I was ‘hungry’ for new experiences and opportunities in a big city, so I joined all kinds of classes, from ballet to street dance. So people started noticing me and inviting me to do some dance, fashion, and later even TV shows and music videos. And that’s how I became part of the professional dance team “JAD Dance Company”.
Student, teacher and a dancer. “At the same time, I was also studying for a Bachelor of International Studies, which is similar to International Relations and Diplomacy. Although, I managed to graduate successfully, I didn’t really like the university. It was a really broad and mass-oriented programme and my focus was mostly on dance. The reason I still decided to pursue a Master’s degree was to get a better study experience, with a more personalised approach. Moreover, I was always interested in media, the industry I already worked in because of dance. During the master programme, I’ve learned to organise my time efficiently, combine and prioritise different jobs and studies. Although it was difficult at the beginning because before coming Rotterdam, I lived in Taiwan for three months. The country’s mentality is very calm and peaceful, so the first month in the Netherlands required some adapting to a more stressful and competitive society.
Back at home, I am a tutor of the junior team at Dance Academy Prague. Training mostly for competitions, we had a big success last year winning the National Dance Championship. But I also try to facilitate their own personal development and individual dance style. As part of JAD Dance Company, I also do commercial gigs.”
Dance in Rotterdam. “There’s a really good dance studio called ‘Hip Hop Huis’ and some of the best street dancers in Europe teach there, which fascinates me. Besides going to events there, I also enjoy the club scene in Rotterdam. Since I arrived in January, I’ve been to dance-able cafe MONO and jazz bar BIRD, where they play really good house and funk music. Also, the rooftop bar called Suicide Club is great, even though it is a little more fancy.”
