Everything I know, I learned FROM HKD
A very 1998 photo
Riding in the car with my parents when I was a kid, I can almost guarantee that the Oldies station was playing. The airwaves were thick with classic '50s rock & roll and '60s soul tunes. They even owned a vintage neon light-up jukebox that played 45s (my favorite song as a six-year-old was Purple People Eater). While I might not be able to name many of the artists behind those songs, the lyrics are buried deep in the folds of my brain - it’s a secret talent of mine that I can sing along to pretty much any mid-century pop song. Now, the sounds of my high school years are finding their place on Oldies radio (even typing the word radio makes me feel ancient. What I really mean is that the Spice Girls are popping up on corporate Spotify playlists at the mall). The era, with its low-rise denim, butterfly clips, and boy bands, has been back with a vengeance for some time now. Pretty much every time a song from the late ‘90s comes on, my body does tiny little involuntary twitches as I silently count five, six, seven, eight.
Hong Kong Dancers (HKD) was the heartbeat of my high school years. Our student-run dance company wasn't just about moves; it was a whole vibe. Clad in crop tops and cargo pants, we'd groove hard to the sounds of Jennifer Lopez, Will Smith, Michael Jackson (whoops 😬) and other chart-toppers. Despite being miles away from the American teen scene, the infectious pop rhythms reverberated through the five-disk CD player in our rehearsal room. HKD was way more than a justifiable reason to bare our midriffs; it was a force for good. I swear! With every performance ticket sold, we raised funds for charity, leaving a lasting impact on our community while tearing up the dance floor.
Remember being in school thinking, “I’m never gonna use this when I'm an adult”? That still holds for me in terms of balancing chemical equations and memorizing esoteric US History factoids. Some of the biggest lessons I've learned didn't come from my academic classes but from my extracurricular activities — specifically, my stint as the administrative leader of this student-run dance troupe. In those jam-packed days of learning routines and corralling performers, I was unknowingly building the skills that would later prove invaluable in the world of entrepreneurship. As it turns out, navigating dance team drama was the perfect warm-up for managing the ups and downs of small business ownership.
Entrepreneurship tends to attract a certain breed of people - creative types with a restless spirit. You know the type: the ones who can't help but see opportunity everywhere they look, who thrive on taking risks and forging their own path. Opening a business feels like the ultimate creative pursuit. It's a chance to bring ideas to life, to build something from nothing, and to leave a mark on the world in a way that's uniquely one's own. As an owner, I get to be in charge of every aspect of the business, from picking colors and fonts to designing the interior of the space, creating a mood with music and lighting, and writing lots and lots of words to try to convince you guys to partake in this journey with me. I did most of those things for the first time as a fifteen-year-old - organizing rehearsal schedules, collaborating with other students to create the logo and graphic design of the programs, writing letters to corporate sponsors asking for money, selling tickets to performances, liaising with costume designers and lighting people and stage managers.
Sports and extracurricular activities have a special power that contributes to well-rounded development. They’re a source of intangible lessons that shape character and build self-esteem. These activities teach valuable life skills such as collaboration, facing challenges head-on, and stepping out of one's comfort zone. From team sports to pursuits like dance and theatre, they are incredibly beneficial for children and teenagers.
I was never particularly sporty (why wouldn’t anyone pass me the ball?), but dance was the antidote to my otherwise sedentary lifestyle hunched over the computer doing homework or more likely, messaging on ICQ. HKD kept my body moving, my muscles pumping, and my heart racing. There was an important social aspect too. Bonding over shared goals, cheering each other on, and learning to work together as a team was a crash course in communication, cooperation, and conflict resolution - wrapped up in a super cool performance.
Tbh, I am not and never was a great dancer. I eeked my way through the auditions, but I was always a half-step behind everyone else, following along from the corner of my eye. I got a huge confidence boost though when we handed over a giant Publishers Clearing House-style check I made out of cardboard and construction paper for over $100,000 Hong Kong Dollars (13,000 USD!) to Caritas Lok Yi School, a school for students with diverse learning needs and cognitive challenges. Accomplishing victories, regardless of how big or small they are, can make a huge difference. Whether it's scoring a goal, nailing a dance routine, or mastering a new skill, the sense of accomplishment that comes with it is priceless. In sports and other activities, we learn resilience, which means that it's okay to fail as long as we stand back up and keep going. We learn from our mistakes, bounce back from setbacks, and come back stronger than ever.
HKD taught me discipline and time management. Between dance rehearsals, play rehearsals, clubs, homework, friends, boys, and God knows what else, I had to figure out how to juggle it all. It was like getting a crash course in adulting, but where missing a deadline didn’t have any dire consequence. Plus, there's the leadership and responsibility angle. Whether it’s leading a team, organizing an event, or just being a good sport, activities like dance give kids the chance to step up and show what they're made of.
Dance instilled in me a lasting joy of movement and ignited a spark of creativity. By introducing kids to the exhilaration of dance and other physical activities early on, we're not just keeping them active but also nurturing a lifelong connection with their bodies and unlocking their creative potential. Who knows, the little girl mastering her demi-plié today might just become the next Misty Copeland or Martha Graham tomorrow, expressing herself through movement in countless ways.
As I embark on the adventure of opening The Pearl, I’ve been thinking a lot about what I learned from HKD. Entrepreneurship isn’t balance sheets and business plans - it's practicing resilience, creativity, and the ability to roll with the punches. Performing showed me the freedom that comes with not being afraid to make mistakes. Whether on stage or in life, the ability to dance through challenges with confidence and authenticity paves the way for success. Sometimes, the biggest lessons come not from textbooks, but from the dance floor, the sports field, or the stage. So, let's put on our crop tops, turn up the Britney, and zig-a-zig-ah!