“Being able to move is similar to having the ability to speak,” declares pole practitioner and instructor Vanda Seetoh who graced the pages of our July 2021 Dance edition in a fashion editorial and an accompanying dance film. “It’s a language I’m privileged to use and embody to communicate when no words are available in articulating a deeply dug down emotion.”
READ MORE: A Stunning Video Of Three Singapore Dancers Expressing The Beauty Of Movement
While the ability to translate dance as a tool to communicate may not be unique to the 33-year-old’s dance form, the personal tale of how this magnetic and graceful artist cultivated her “voice” is one that’s unique.
Besides the formal training at dance school – of which she attended at age 18 – her days partying in the club served to develop an acute awareness of her body and movement.
“I’m able to truly listen to my body and how it wants to move in response to any beats or music, to feel it internally, the pulsating of your heart and your breathing pattern,” she reveals.
Curious to know more about her journey? Scroll ahead for our Q&A.
How did you get started on your dance journey?
“I started training professionally when I was 18 and attending school at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts. It involved a lot of theoretical studies and training mainly in ballet and contemporary dance.
I can’t recall at which point I fell in love with dance but there was one occasion where I saw an elderly woman dancing freely just for an instance. I got so moved and intrigued that it brought tears to my eyes to see how she enjoyed herself very much at that very moment.
Subconsciously, every decision I made had drawn me closer to explore dance and eventually got me more exposed to it. I’ve grown to enjoy moving more as it became a new language for my body and myself. I love how it is so electrifying and liberating and how I can be so in touch with my feelings that I often find hard to express.”
Before you ventured into pole dancing, you trained in contemporary dance. To the layman, can you explain what makes contemporary dance is?
“To me, contemporary dance is essentially giving space for body movement exploration; it is a language the body uses to express the condition one is in mentally, emotionally and spiritually, together with the space the body is in. It is free form as much as it is also restrictive; it redefines the rules of dance and beauty. For example, it may break the lines and the laws of ballet and what is deemed pretty and accepted.
The boundaries are constantly pushed for the environment and situation to which we respond to. It is sometimes a dance style that urges one to feel than to be seen. It recognises that even the simplest of movements like waving, walking or blinking could connect to a deeper sense of feeling, a story or a memory from within.”
Having pole-danced for the last 10 years, can you share what about pole do you love?
“I started pole dancing in 2012 and began training professionally in 2014.
I liked how singular the pole looks because in actual fact it reveals the many possibilities on what can be done on it. It makes me feel whole and one with myself; a combination of strength, grace, flow, stops, light, weight, dance, tricks. It connects people together, teaches me to trust myself and others (especially when spotting each other which plays a huge part in our practice).
Being able to dance many feet off the ground and to defy gravity feels pretty dope too. The quietness up above the ground brings so much calmness to me. I’m definitely also intrigued by the technicality and physical aspects of it – there are new discoveries every day.”
Is it fair you spend more time on the pole than you do dance? And is there one that you prefer to the other? Tell me more.
“I do my dance practice mostly with the pole as a tool. I do not prefer one over the other. To me, they are not two separate genres, rather, pole dancing is a genre under the umbrella of dance.”
What are some of the misconceptions about pole dancing?
“The common misconception usually goes along the lines of ‘I can’t do pole because I am not strong enough.’ Presently, I do get this response more than what we usually have in the past which is the stigma of the pole being sleazy and ‘slutty’.
Usually, I will respond by saying that no one started strong, we only get stronger after we start. It’s always a realisation after overcoming this fear that pole dancing is a personal journey of discovery. Just like any sport, we don’t get right overnight.
For the misconception of pole dancing being sleazy and slutty, I don’t think I would deliberately try to change that or react defensively to that. It is just how different people perceive it differently according to what they are exposed to. As long as we believe in the things we do – how pole dancing empowers us, how it gives us confidence in a community that uplifts one another – they will radiate through us when we dance or express ourselves and during moments when we share this art form to those open to listening. People will see the authenticity of it; I believe their perceptions will shift. It all takes time.
I think the misconceptions does help too. Prior to my dance training in contemporary dance, I have taken a specific interest in exploring and developing the genre of a contemporary pole and that opens up people’s minds. It made others aware that there are other dance styles in pole dancing and we embraced them all as one.”
It’s clear from your practice that you have a very acute awareness of your body and movement. Which came first: dance or this awareness/interest in your body and movement?
“Dance definitely ignited that interest I have towards my body and the mechanism of how my body works in order to achieve a move – like a pirouette or how to fall without injuring my body and how to achieve aesthetically beauty lines.
In all honesty, being in a dance academy taught me different techniques from different modern dance masters, choreographers and teachers. But it was a form that I was constantly trying to mould myself into. On top of it, I was trying to understand what they were breaking out from and how they refined dance all over again, but I have never had experienced my own capability of moving when all techniques and all that I’ve leant were to be stripped away.
What I found truly liberating and what gave me a heightened sense of moving was to integrate ‘clubbing’ as my ‘after-school-hours curriculum’. It does sound absurd and it was mindless at first but through time I realised it was an important part of my journey. Being in a space where I’m able to free my body from all constraints and form, with no judgements and to let go.
I’m able to truly listen to my body and how it wants to move in response to any beats or music, to feel it internally, the pulsating of your heart and your breathing pattern. It definitely helped me develop and heighten a sense of awareness towards my body. Now in a way, I recognise this as a new language for myself as it further influences my creative process and allows me to freestyle mindfully.
To this day, I still believe we should all hit up a beat anytime to dance and wake our bodies up. This awareness extends out into my practice on the pole as well. It helps me to discover new movement vocabularies, to also react quicker to what my body needs to do to achieve a trick or to make a transition seamless.
Of course, I do believe being hung up many feet above the ground does give you a sharper focus and keeps you attentive to your engagements. When you are going against gravity, finding efficiency to save energy and respond quickly if anything goes wrong will come quite intuitively.”
What is your take on the rising public interest in movement and the ability to move better?
“I always believe innately everyone wants to dance and can dance. There are more people getting into it I think because it is more available to us, we are less intimidated as we are more exposed to it through social media, advertisements and commercials.
Things have shifted from excelling just academically to also excel artistically or creatively where having an outlet to express ourselves is essential to our well-being and mental health. It is a form of fitness, stress release and self-care for the betterment of ourselves.
Amid the Covid situation, people are definitely more open to try new things and activities to curb the restrictions of travelling abroad during this present time.”
Who are your heroes in the industry?
“My heroes are definitely my students. Being able to witness the confidence, courage, strength, grace, and trust they build within themselves over time through much patience, dedication, sweat and love for the things they enjoy doing most push me on each day despite the fatigue and burnt outs.
I love listening to their stories, struggles, fears and how healing it can be for some. I’m inspired by them every day and have learnt, unlearnt and relearnt so much from them.”
What excites and inspires you most in your work as an artist/dancer?
“Many things really. The smell of rainy weather, being under the sun, a good song that comes on, a quote from a book, watching nostalgic films, the woman who cheerfully greets everyone every day without fail at my favourite yong tau foo stall, a simple kind gesture…
I think anything – as long as I am present in that moment – are inspiring. I feel inspirations are little moments that reflect everyday life – even death is inspiring.”
How much of your work as a dancer is influenced by music and fashion?
“I’m pretty influenced by music as choreographing plays a huge part in my work and creations. I work with quite a diverse range of music to explore how I respond to different types of music that might help me in expanding my movement vocabularies and expressions. Interestingly, as much as I really enjoy music with dance, to let the movement sing and dance with no music complete the piece better sometimes.
I do pick my attire mindfully whenever I train or teach. Comfort is key, but of course, it needs to look flattering and pleasant visually. When I create my outfit, it influences the way I move as well. For example, when I’m wearing pants to dance, it definitely limits my skin contact on the pole and so it pushes me to explore other possibilities of moving around the pole. But it expands and makes sliding on the ground more accessible.”
Dancers are known to put their bodies through a lot of torture, even damage. What are some of the downsides of your practice?
“More often than not in pole dancing, we arrive at a point that we train on our dominant side most of the time. As much as we are all aware of this truth, we usually fall back to doing more advanced sequences on our better side for security and ease reasons.
Muscle engagement and body coordination imbalances might cause chronic aches or injuries so this is why we also focus on practising less difficult moves on our less dominant side to make up for such imbalances.
Also, one should not forget the discipline of getting rest. Without it, we expose our bodies to injuries.”
What would you like people to know about your discipline as a dancer?
“Being able to move is similar to having the ability to speak. It’s a language I’m privileged to use and embody to communicate when no words are available in articulating a deeply dug down emotion.”
What’s one song or musician that will never fail to get you on your feet and moving?
“Too many! Right now, I’d say The Trip by Still Corners.”
How can the type of movement/dance that you specialise in improve one’s life?
“Taking time out to exercise is always good for the body and mind. Dance gives people an outlet to express themselves through non-verbal language. It practices gentleness, love and acceptance for one’s strength and weaknesses.”
What’s one thing about this art form that you think everyone and anyone can relate to?
“The yearning to connect to the self and life.”