Learn about voguing, waacking, and dance videos from Ryan Ho, a young creative waiting for his next big project.
“I went just for fun…. but then I got into it.”
Tell me about yourself!
My name is Ryan Ho, and I am 18. I was born in Australia but grew up in Hong Kong, and I’m here in America now. I edit pictures and videos, draw, play the piano, dance, and do basically anything but studying until the very last minute. I am at a community college and looking to transfer next year to a University of California to study psychology.
What got you into dance, and when did you start?
I started to get back into K-Pop again in my freshman year of high school, so my friends convinced me to go to our school’s K-Pop dance team KDT. I had no prior dance experience, so I went just for fun, but then I got into it. I also took the dance class at high school, and my interest in dance just continued to grow after that. At first, I just practiced and performed with KDT. Then I started to form my own groups for performances and filming projects because I always have specific things I want to create, so it is a lot easier to have my own group to direct everything.
Is there anyone you specifically look to for inspiration?
Dance-wise, I watch many 1MILLION Dance Studio videos, especially choreographies from Tina Boo and Lia Kim. Works from other choreographers like Mina Myoung and Gosh also influence my style. In terms of the overall concept for projects or performances, LOOΠΔ is a major inspiration for me. Besides releasing music, they have created a huge fictional universe with an incredible aesthetic. I also look to PC Music associated acts like Charli XCX and SOPHIE’s futuristic and unique visuals for inspiration sometimes.
It all depends on the songs and the choreography.
What is your general process for planning a performance?
I start by brainstorming and decide on songs to do with my group. Based on these songs, we come up with a general concept and outfit. I then edit together the performance audio mix, usually going through multiple edits before the final one. I draw out the formations and plan the dates for practices, and sometimes we go right into dancing.
I usually have a general plan of what we’ll get done at practice, but sometimes just cram in as much as possible because it is difficult to get everyone to show up, especially with bigger projects.
How would you describe your dance style?
I never really thought about this and didn’t really know how to describe it, but according to my friends, it’s “graceful hand movements mixed in with extreme popping.”
A lot of my moves are based on waacking with some aspects of voguing. Any type of quick arm movement just makes me really happy.
I also like doing floorwork and intricate formation-based choreographies, like a ripple through a line or forming a circular shape with the dancers.
Can you tell me about one of your favorite performances/projects?
One of my favorite performances has to be the “au revoir” set performed at Milpitas High School for Lunar Show 2020 with my group IRYS43. The set was half dance covers and half my original choreography, and it was made to build up more and more with each song until a climax near the end of the performance. LOOΠΔ’s aesthetic was a huge inspiration for this set, and I edited all our promotional teasers and photoshoots with that in mind. This whole set is my favorite because it truly turned out exactly as I envisioned despite the audio mix’s necessary editing due to some issues. This was for a high school show, and I have already graduated at that point, so I only joined in near the end as a surprise, so it was my first time creating a set mostly for someone else. I directed and helped with most of the set, and it was such an amazing feeling to watch from the side of the stage as my underclassmen friends performed my choreography. I literally rewatch this performance every other week, and I could go on and on about it.
Tell me about one of your most difficult projects (What made it so difficult? Would you do it again?)
The most difficult project was my dance cover of Ailee’s Room Shaker. The dance had a lot of people, so it was already hard to get everyone together for practices. For filming, I rented out a white cyclorama wall studio for the first time, so it was super messy trying to get everything set up within the time limit and get all the shots. It was also hot on filming day, and most of my group had an outfit change. I wore three outfits in total, and the heat made everything feel gross. The post-production was also super difficult, but that was because I’m just really extra for no reason. I decided to go frame by frame and draw in animation for the last part of the dance, which took hours. However, I would definitely do it again. Maybe not the drawing of 500+ frames, but definitely the cyclorama wall studio part. It was fun to shoot with a completely blank space, and I have so many lighting ideas and set designs I want to try.
Why are you passionate about dance? What gives you that drive to keep creating?
I have also always liked to express my creativity through songs. I choreograph and dance to my favorite songs the same way I play my favorite songs on the piano. The things that motivate me the most to keep creating are the support I get from my friends when I release something and the interactions I have with the choreographers that I look up to.
It’s that feeling of freedom and release that is so satisfying at practices or performances.
Do you have any other projects planned for your future?
Well, with COVID-19 going around, I have just been filming dance projects in my garage, playing around with colored lighting and fog machines. However, before all that went down, I had been saving up for a bigger budget project, so hopefully, I will get to create something with that and showcase a new original choreography in the future!
Ryan’s Socials: @ryasiren on instagram
Our Socials: @swayemedia on instagram