Age?
20
What’s your favourite song to dance to right now?
‘Type a way’ by Eric Bellinger and Chris Brown
How long have you danced for?
12 years now which is scary!
How did you get into dance?
When I was about 8 my dad showed me a performance Michael Jackson did on stage to Stranger in Moscow and I was actually speechless watching the movement through his body and I said I want to be able to do that and tried to copy movements that he has done, haha! When I was 9 my best friend at the time called me one evening and said she attended a street dance class and asked me if I wanted to join and I loved dancing already so off I went. I have competed for about 6 years in IDTA competitions, I have done many performances and dance exams too. The past year and a half I have stopped competing and shows and exams to focus on mindset, training in other styles and teacher training which I’m absolutely loving and it just makes me excited to see what comes from teaching with THE ARMY DC.
What is your favourite style of dance and why?
My favourites are hip hop and contemporary. Contemporary allows me to express through movement. Whether it’s happiness, sadness or anger. Each move can be extended and tell a story to how you feel. Hip-Hop has been my passion for a very long time and I’m continuously trying to challenge myself and find new ways to move, groove and isolate my body which I work on daily, hip-hop is fun and a real feel-good style and the more I challenge myself the more my love grows for it.
What do you enjoy most about dance?
The thing I most enjoy about dance is the feeling when I’m dancing nobody else will have the exact same feeling as you and I get so excited to know what the next move is and what song was dancing to. I used to be quite shy at one point and dancing has brought out my confidence so much as you are continuously meeting new people learning and growing and watching others grow that you really get along with is one feeling nobody can take from you. It’s a freedom to express and be yourself where no one can judge you.
What big name dancers inspire you the most and why?
Jojo Gomez not only inspires me as a dancer but as a person, her mind is crazy and she knows so much! To think she was bullied and that strived her to be where she is now is so inspiring to me! Sean Lew, he is only 16 it’s actually crazy how his body moves. He choreographs to real life situations and makes the choreo fit so perfectly like the song was made for his body. Jade Chynoweth is also another because she is all about teaching self-worth, self-respect and teaches you to feel your absolute best always. She is only 20 and the only person she ever tries to better than is herself and the person she was yesterday which is so inspiring to me.
What are you most excited about with THE ARMY DC?
I am so excited to see the army dc grow and flourish I’ve only been in the army dc 8 months now and watching people grow as dancers and people is so inspiring and lovely to watch week on week, we have so much drive as dancers to be the best we can possibly be and I’m so excited to teach and showcase what I have to offer now I’ve finally got the chance to I cannot wait to see what this year holds for us.
What can our dancers expect from your classes?
My classes will be different as I will show you things which helped me in my dance journey such as how to gain musicality, how to do what the music tells you to do rather than telling you what move to do, I want you to be individual and be yourself as no one will ever be you and that’s something great you have. We are so lucky to be able to learn such a great talent so why not put that to your full potential and use it as a strength. My classes are going to be mainly enjoying yourself and remembering why you started and why you are here in the first place and reminding yourself you are good enough to achieve anything.
What advice can you give to new dancers who are worried about attending classes?
The best advice I can give to people who are worried about is there are so many people in the same boat as you. You will not be chucked in at the deep end with really hard choreography. I will teach at the pace of my students and if we have to work on one move for 10 minutes until everybody gets it then so be it. Everything will be broken down we will settle you in you will meet new people every week and everybody will support each other 100%. A strength you have when you come to class never thinks you won’t be able to do it because you have instantly defeated yourself I know from past experience and then your mind will tell you that you automatically can’t! Just be yourself and you will be perfect. We will work together to get there!
Favourite routine with THE ARMY DC so far?
My favourite routine with the army dc so far is probably Nobody has to know because it was such an uplifting vibe and felt like my confidence really boosted from that routine from the support from everyone
Skip to 10 min 19 seconds to see Chels killing it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6V787m8P0k