HIS biography reads: world acclaimed Salsa dancer, winner of the People’s Choice Award at the recent Sydney Latin Fiesta, represented Australia in the 2002 and 2003 LA Salsa Congress and the 2003 Zurich Salsa Congress. I was very surprised, therefore, when I came face-to-face with this accomplished lad who was being accompanied by his mother!
Though aged 24, Gavin Chan could pass off as much younger. But start talking with him and you realise you are dealing with someone mature, purposeful, articulate and extremely clear thinking.
With a Bachelors degree in Commerce from the University of Sydney and a Masters degree in Commerce from the University of New South Wales, dancing is not exactly what you would expect him to be pursuing.
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Gavin Chan |
But there’s nothing else he’d rather be doing, because as Gavin puts it, “When I am not dancing, I am thinking about it all the time – creating moves, visualising numbers, watching dance videos or reading about dance.”
Performing is his other big passion. Though his mother, Esther Tan, kids him for being an exhibitionist, he says, “I love to perform.
“When you perform you give your audience 110% and all those months of practice are well worth it. It feels so right, you want to go on stage again and again. It’s spiritual almost.”
Gavin’s mother is waiting for the day when he will return and take over her accounting business. But she is also the first to admit that “it will probably be a long time before that happens and I am certainly not counting on it. As long as he is passionate and successful at what he does, I am happy.”
So how did it all begin for Gavin?
He grew up in Kuala Lumpur and attended Sekolah Sri Petaling before enrolling in Garden International School. Then he went to Taylor’s College for his South Australia Matriculation programme. Though he did a stint of singing and dancing when he was young, he was more involved in martial arts. He is a taekwando black belt and knows kungfu.
While at the University of Sydney, Gavin started taking jazz, funk and hip hop classes. It was his mother who urged him to take up Latin ballroom dancing. Coincidentally, a friend also invited him to a Latin dance party at the University of New South Wales, and that – he says – was the beginning of his intense affair with salsa.
Gavin was fascinated with what he saw there. What was most interesting was that fact that, “the male partner could decidewhether he wanted to be in the background or take the lead.”
He went back to Sydney and started taking salsa classes and six month later, he found himself teaching in the very same school. After a year, he left for a dance school in Miami where he was exposed to more styles and more teachers. On his return to Sydney, he resumed teaching.
Gavin was later selected to perform at the LA Salsa Congress as well as the Zurich Salsa Congress, together with Oliver Pineda, who went on to become the IDO World Salsa Champion in 2001.
He was also invited to perform at the Paris Salsa Congress. At last year’s Sydney Latin Fiesta, Gavin gathered a group of freelancers and choreographed a number called X Men. It was very well received. As a result he has been invited to the LA Salsa Congress again this year. His team was bestowed the People’s Choice Award, something that he truly cherishes.
These days, Gavin no longer depends on classes and materials from overseas to provide him with fresh ideas and inspiration. “I just allow my creativity to flow and find inspiration from within myself. As a result I have even choreographed a number that combines hip hop and salsa!”
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Gavin conducting a class. |
So what does the future look like?
“Ideally, I would like to divide my time between Malaysia and Australia. But for now, I live in Sydney and I have plans to set up my own dance centre on my return. I am also keen on entering the many dance congresses held across Europe and the US, and performing in as many parts of the world as possible. I am also working on bringing my troupe from Sydney to perform here in Malaysia.”
“The scene here (in Malaysia) is still very new. With more people being exposed to it, with videos being made available, shows coming into town, etc, the local scene is going through a process of consolidation, of finding out what the Malaysian style of salsa is. It will be very interesting when it finally evolves. Different people interpret the dance differently and then proceed to teach in their own styles.”
In December, when he was back here, Gavin did his bit by holding a series of workshops at The Dance Space, Sri Hartamas for the beginner and intermediate levels.
When I asked what he missed most about Malaysia, Esther replied, “Food.”
“No,” he said, “I miss mum . . . But yes, I do miss the mamak food here.”
“The passion for dance was ignited when my mother suggested I enrol in Latin ballroom dance classes. So mum really can’t complain now.”
Esther, herself very passionate about dance, quips, “My friends believe that I am a good dancer because I get extra classes from Gavin at home. But seriously, the only time I get any tips at all is when I attend his classes, like any of his students. When he’s at home, we’re too busy chatting and catching up or eating.”
So with Gavin explaining the rudiments of salsa music, and his students tapping their feet to the beat, gamely attempting to follow his instructions, I left with the impression of someone following his passion, with dreams in his heart and stars in his eyes. W
Gavin will be conducting more workshops at The Dance Space. For enquiries, call Lavini Thiruchelvam at 013-3880821 or Peter Ong at 016-3332288.
