Hello, my name is Phuong. Nickname Fufe. I am a curious dancer at heart. Here's a story of my journey as a dance teacher.
It all started with my first days at ballet class. I was 5. All I wanted was to wear the cute pink tutu skirt. But instead, I was taught to stretch in pain, to split and do back bend. I remember how every other kid was able to do a full middle split. I couldn't do it, no matter how hard I tried. Apparently, I was too stiff for a 5 year old. I was terrified to go back there. My first impression of dancing was "I'm not built for it, I'm not a natural dancer." So I gave up. But deep inside, I knew I still wanted to dance.
Fast forward to 5 years later, my mum encouraged me to try some new hobbies during summer holiday. I signed up for a dance sport course. I can't remember the moves I learned, but I remember the fun I had! I got to dance with other kids, wear sparkly costumes and perform on stage. When I got back to school, I was encouraged and trained by a teacher to perform at some school events. I felt so happy to be on stage. I rekindled the love for dance, after gaining that validation from that one teacher. Even after decades, I revisited the school and can still see a photo of a teenager me dancing, framed and hung in the school hall.
After that, I got into serious academic studying for high school and then applied to study abroad. I completely forgot about dancing. Not until my third year in the UK, I saw a group of students performing Salsa at the University of Huddersfield. They were so magnetic, inspiring and full of joy. Thanks to them, I got motivated to learn to dance again. In 2018, dancing has become an essential part of my life. I haven't stopped exploring the world of dance since.
Besides social dances (Salsa, Bachata, Kizomba, Zouk), I also fell in love with pole dance and hip hop. I liked to venture out of my comfort zone and try as many dance styles as possible. I loved how each dance and music style brings out different colours of me. For example, heels dancing made me feel fierce and sexy. Social dance helped me become attentive, caring and present. Pole dance taught me strength and flexibility. Twerk and Vogue encouraged me to be unapologetically authentic. Contemporary connected me with my breath and natural flow. Hip hop taught me grooves and a lot of creativity. As a curious learner, I never want to limit myself to only one lane. Since I started teaching Bachata professionally, I still found myself thirsty for new "dance languages", new ways to connect with others and express myself.
It wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. Some days, I felt inadequate and doubtful of myself. What if I'm not good enough as a dance teacher? What if I'm too shallow because I don't invest deeply enough and dedicated to one style? Who do I think am I to teach others? What if I don't work hard enough? Perhaps I can't handle pain and hardwork, so that's why I couldn't keep up doing ballet when I was 5! The critical voice tried so hard to stop me from doing what I love: to dance and to spread the joy of dancing.
Despite my self-critical voice, I didn't quit this time. The joy that I experienced in classes (as both teacher and learner), in dance battles, showcases, social parties, festivals…was simply enormous. I felt so alive and authentic when I danced. Watching my students progress and become confident dancers was insanely satisfying. I couldn't help but feel like a little tree growing thriving in the right soil. If I stop learning and growing altogether, how can I better myself as a teacher and a dancer? Practicing various dance styles also allowed me to understand dancers through several lenses, connect similarities and see things beyond movements: psychology, socio-cultural influences, relationship with oneself and others, and so on.
This journey brought me to FufeFlow, an online space for me to connect with curious dancers all over the world. It's not just a library of on-demand videos and live classes. It's a continuous documentation of my growth and transformation as a dance teacher.
If you like to support and/or be a part of my journey, come join my Patreon and Whatsapp is in the links on my profile. I will keep creating and sharing all the things I've learned.