Who Am I As A Dancer?

Most of you know me as that asian chick who takes a lot of photos on Instagram on @candytong12. But really behind the lens I am just an ordinary human being who enjoys so much more than capturing the perfect snapshot for social media. This is my life candy coated...

As you are reading my very first blog post, I thought it'd be nice to give you an introduction of who you are going to be reading and hopefully continue to follow reading for as long as this blog lasts. My name is Candy Tong (yes, Candy is my legal name) and I have been dancing since I was a tiny, chubby, and very shy 3 year old. Frankly, I wish I had a more exciting story on how I got involved in dance, but like any other girl, I was put into dance class as just another activity to keep me busy while my parents were working. Besides dance, I was also highly involved in choir, drawing class, soccer, and even basketball. Ironically, many people who see me today think I am a volleyball or basketball player because of my sky scraping height of 5'10. But boy, do I fool y'all!! I didn't get a growth spurt until I was 13 aka a freshman in High school. So until then I was actually your typical average asian girl, meaning short and petite. My extreme obsession for dance started when I was 9 years old. I knew exactly at that age, that I wanted to be a ballerina for the rest of my life. I was privileged enough to receive a full scholarship from San Francisco Ballet (SFB) for 6 life changing years where I received the best training that has scultped me to the dancer that I am today. I began at SFBallet School at age 10 and was placed in Level 4 (out of 8 levels) where most dancers ranged from age 13-14. There were so many memorable moments in this beautiful 3 story building on Van Ness Ave such as getting my first large role in a big production like "Clara" in the Nutcracker to taking company class with some of my absolute role models such as Sofiane Sylve and Yuan Yuan Tan. My ambitious and hardworking teenage self didn't just participate at SFB, but she also was enrolled in a local competition studio in Menlo Park, CA where she was able to achieve more performing and onstage experience than most students at SFB. Here I was able to learn and experience more styles of dance such as lyrical, contemporary, jazz, tap, and acro. Oh, I also was learning Chinese dance too besides all of this by a few private instructors from China that I am ever so thankful for. You are probably thinking, what child would enjoy all of this and with no social life?!?! Crazy, right? Well, it is safe to say that I absolutely enjoyed it and couldn't imagine a second without dance. Throughout my journey I was able to hold many regional and national titles such as Miss Dance of California in 2013, attend many prestigious schools on full scholarship, and even participate in commercial and video shoots such as my ad for THINX UNDERWEAR.

My parents have always been so supportive of this career and I am eternally grateful for that. Here's my sappy line of "I wouldn't be where I am today, if it weren't for them" post. Although that phrase is cliché, it is seriously so true. Even though my whole description above seems like I was a total dance freak (which I still am btw), I also was very focused in school. My parents strongly believe in education and so do I. I'm not only competitive in dance, but also in school. Dance is both a discipline for the body and the mind. With that self-discipline and determination, I decided to get a head of my education. In 8th grade, I already had a jumpstart into high school classes. Starting off with Biology and Algebra 3-4 during my last year of middle school, I was able to have more time to spend in the studio. I knew that going into the pre-professional stage the following here (Lvl 8 at SFB) I would be starting in the early morning. That shy 3 year old I mentioned early on grew into a teenage social butterfly who didn't want to exempt a "normal" life just yet. Therefore, I was able to do both public high school as well as independent learning simultaneously. This way I had the freedom to plan when I wanted to graduate with the ability to be in the dance studio when I desired. Some of the best years of my childhood happened during this time where I was able to create life lasting friendships and memories! I graduated high school a year and a half early and was able to then make my first official move away from home at the young age of 15. From then on I traveled to New York City, Finland, Seattle, and then later London all to just pursue my passion.

London is a whole other post I will eventually talk about, but let's just say that was one heck of a turning point in my dance career! I got invited to join the 3rd year graduate program (equivalent to a trainee position at SFB) at English National Ballet School where I was working with world renowned choreographers and performing a long side the ENB company. Who knew that after all this beautiful madness, I would be taking a break from the dance world and instead attend college, right? Well... that happened... and I will also be saving my college life for another intriguing post to follow. Let's just say a pattern occurred and that I also graduated in just 2 1/2 years with a BFA in Dance Performance. Call me an over achiever, I don't mind because all I want to do is dance, dance, and dance...

Youth America Grand Prix 3rd Place - Age 14

Behind the scenes action for THINX UNDERWEAR Commercial

Photo by Peter Tiegen for English National Ballet School

Photo taken by Omar Z Rombles for #OZR_Dance

Candy TongJuly 25, 2017