It’s all about people – Brenda Liew

First up in our new rubric is Brenda Liew. She is one of the most accomplished and popular Salsa and Bachata dancers in Asia. Renowned for her dynamic and compelling choreographies, she has captivated and inspired audiences world-wide. She is also acclaimed for her dance style that features slick body movement, explosive presence and attuned musicality. Brenda is the director of her dance company, BLDC and they currently have teams in Singapore, Taiwan and China. 

foto: Riga Salsa Festival

WSF: Hi Brenda, what gives you power for being so positive, always inspired and embracing people?
Brenda: First of all, thank you! I am honoured to answer this question. My students inspire me the most. The joy and respect (for them) I gain from watching them work so hard to achieve their dance goals pushes me to be my best for them. It empowers me to know that my passion helps my students to achieve progress and happiness in their lives through dance.

As for myself, I’m extremely grateful to be able to blend my passion with my career because I know that not everyone gets to do it. I also gain a lot of power and positivity from learning. So, I make the effort to constantly achieve progress in any areas of my life, e.g. dance, teaching, my knowledge, poetry etc. Lastly, I believe you become like the people you spend time with. So, I’m very picky and make sure that I surround myself with friends who inspire me to be better.

WSF: We are very keen to know how a day of Brenda looks like when not at a Festival.
Brenda: My every day can be quite different! I’m quite a workaholic but also know how important it is to not burn myself out. When I’m back in Singapore, I make sure to recharge by keeping a balance between work, fun and rest as I also have weekly ongoing classes and team trainings to conduct. Aside teaching/dancing, I spend my days planning class syllabus, choreographing, writing poetry, reading, spending time with loved ones, and indulging in Netflix.

WSF: Do you have any rituals that you do before going on the stage?
Brenda:It is super important for me to warm up and get into the emotions of the dance. I focus my thoughts on how I want to portray each moment on stage and finally say a prayer before I step up on stage.

WSF: Share with us what you are looking for when choosing a scene costume, anything that needs to be always taking into account?
Brenda:First thing- colors. The colors I choose must match the emotion of the dance. Like for example, I wouldn’t use bright warm colors for a sad piece, or dark colors for an energetic piece. I also consider the range of movements of the choreography when I pick the costume, it should complement the moves, not hide them.

WSF: What do you prefer to eat, your favourite food?
Brenda:I loveeeeee Asian food. Thai, Japanese, Korean… and also a platter of Salumi and Formaggi.

foto: Mikhail Kargapoltsev

WSF: When you fly what do you do up there?
Brenda:Unfortunately, I’m not a very good sleeper in planes or in general. It really depends on my mood! Lately, I love to practice writing poems when I’m flying (Yes I LOVE poetry) – especially when I have the inspiration. Otherwise, I read books or watch series and movies. Or try to sleep…

WSF: What makes you happy?
Brenda: Many things make me happy. Making progress in my life gives me a lot of great positive vibes, small or big, in every area, because the enrichment in my skills makes me better and wiser person, but at the same time reminds me that there is so much more to learn or to achieve. Also, I enjoy spending quality time with my loved ones, and adding value to their lives makes me super happy. For example, when I see the growth of my students- it is one greatest rewards of my career as an instructor.

WSF: Favorite or most inspirational place?
Brenda: Hmmmmm. I don’t really have one… My favorite place is when I’m with people I love. It’s not the place, for me it is the people that makes the place. But, anywhere with a beautiful sunset is a bonus.

WSF: What is your dream project?
Brenda:My dream project… Hmmmm, I think it will be something along the lines of building an accessible platform to share all my knowledge of dance techniques with everyone in the world because I believe my mission in this life is to share all the skills that I’ve been blessed to acquire from my experience in dance!

Brenda will have three workshops and a show this year. You can buy your pass here