meet the talented dancer Zealand Yancy. you can follow her on ig @zealandyancy check her out and support her.
We were kind of shocked to find out your so young how old are you? , you move very fluid and each move looks very planned and executed well when did you start dancing?
I am 14 years old. I just started dancing on my own. I just loved to dance from the time I was literally a baby.
What got you interested in dancing? Is there anyone in particular who inspired you?
My two older sisters were very into dancing at the same time that I was beginning to get really into it. They definitely had an impact on my dancing because I looked up to them a lot and to see them dancing it made me want to become good so I could like be on their level
Did it come easy to you or is it something you developed over time?
Dancing came very easy to me because I grew up in a house hold that appreciates music and the arts. So I naturally learned musicality at a young age. And I was a very hyper kid so I was pretty much unable to be still when music came on.
When did you attend your first dance class/studio? How did you know what studio was the best for you?
My parents signed me up for ballet when I was four years old but I didn’t want to go into the studio until the third class. Then I sat in the class and just observed. During the same time period I would sneak into my older sisters bboy class and be extremely full out in the front! For the age and level I was at the studio I was going to at the time was great for me. By applying myself I have grown so much as a dancer that I now need to go to more challenging levels of classes. I find industry choreographers at a variety of studios but my two favorite dance studios are Millennium and Movement Lifestyle.
How much of what you do is choreographed and/or pre-planned compared to the amount of it that is purely freestyled self-expression? Which from is more fulfilling for you?
I would say I about 50 percent of what I do is pre-planned or choreographer and the rest is freestyle. Freestyle is definitely more fuffilling to me because it feels and looks so organic, even if it doesn’t look clean or sharply executed like practiced choreo may look, you can just tell the difference when someone is just having fun and living.
There seems to be a never-ending amount of songs and new dances appearing on social media daily. How often do you check on the new dances? And do you learn them so you can implement them in your own routine?
I don’t necessarily check on new dances but when I scroll thru Social media or hang with my dance friends I notice them. I don’t study them I just have fun with the different moves and maybe incorporate here or there.
It appears that dancers have good memories to learn different choreography so fast, how hard is it to learn a new routine?
It can be pretty challenging at the level I have been training at. In Los Angeles most dance classes are only an hour and a half, which seems like a lot of time but is a struggle learning 1 minute pieces lol. But it mainly takes consistency, confidence, and conditioning it into your body to make it feel right.
What type of music do you have the most fun dancing to?
I have the most fun dancing to hip hop music for sure.
Has your talent helped you get involved with any movies, commercials or music videos? If so which can we see you in?
I just recently shot a episode for this show called Dance Off Juniors that premiered about three weeks ago on this app that Verizon Wireless recently put out called Go90. My episode is airing on June 22. But my main focus the past year was YouTube, and just growing the brand
What goals, dreams, and or interest do you have for yourself in the future?
My goals for the future is to for one start high school, then graduate haha. I also have a major interest in apps and tech, so it is a dream of mine to branch out into the app development and tech world and just learn and see what happens! And then just focus on creating something respectable that everyone can appreciate and relate to.
For the young girls and boys that may be interested in dancing what advice would you give them?
My advice would be to just to not compare yourself to other dancers because where you’re at is where you’re at, and there is always room to grow, especially now in 2016 because there are so many resources to learn any style that you want. So just focus on your growth and building your brand!