SINGAPORE, Feb 1 — A love for Latin dance, and his girlfriend, has kept undergraduate Lum Soon Keong on his weeknight routine over the last four years.
Most evenings, the 22-year-old takes the last train departing from Outram Park MRT station at 11:59pm to Sengkang, where he lives. He accompanies his girlfriend, Sun Wen, from Clementi to her home near Commonwealth MRT, before continuing on his journey to Outram Park to transfer lines and catch the last North-East Line train back home.
This has been his routine since Lum, a Business Information Systems student at SIM Global Education, first started dancing four years ago. He sets aside at least three to four evenings a week to perfect his Latin dance moves with Sun, 24, who is also his dance partner.
As most professional Latin dancers start young at the age of 10, Lum knows he needs to put in more hours on the dance floor, and train harder, in order to catch up.
“This is a sport, when you get older, you won’t be as fast or powerful as the younger ones,” he said.
“I definitely have to use the time properly to improve really fast… that’s why I practise (almost) every day.”
Lighting the spark
Surprisingly, Latin dance was not Lum’s first choice when it came to school activities. He had initially auditioned for Singapore Polytechnic’s hip-hop dance group during his second year of studies, but joined the Latin dance club after failing to make the cut.
His romance with Latin dance, however, was almost a non-starter.
“I thought I looked stupid (dancing) initially,” said Lum, of his first outing on the dance floor.
However, he was inspired to continue after watching videos of other skilled dancers. Three months later, he joined his first dance competition but was eliminated in the first round. Competitive Latin dance in Singapore consists of different categories: Beginner, novice, pre-amateur, amateur rising star, amateur, and professional. Participants have to perform a different number of dances for each category, which range from cha cha, samba, rumba, paso doble, to jive.
Lum said, with a laugh: “My first thought was: ‘Did I dance that badly?’ I didn’t think it was that bad, but the results said so.”
Despite the set-back and disappointment, he was determined to prove to himself that he could be good at it. Apart from the school’s twice weekly dance classes, he dedicated another two nights every week to practise on his own.
The Latin dance club at SP was also where he met Sun, a finance student at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS). She became his dance partner a year later, after they became a couple.
Unsurprisingly, dance is a big part of their relationship, and they usually spend their after school hours from 7pm till 10pm practising at SUSS. They will head for supper nearby before taking the train home at 11pm. They repeat this routine at least four times a week or more in the lead up to competitions.
Private dance lessons are costly, as the couple has to fork out S$125 (RM370) for a 45-minute session. Working with a limited budget, the undergraduate pair take four lessons a month, and spend the remaining time practising on their own.
Striking it out on their own means coming up with their own choreography, practising their footwork, video-recording their practice sessions and reviewing them after that.
Their hard work paid off at the 6th Singapore Open Dance Championships in December 2016, when they clinched top spot in the novice and pre-amateur categories. A year later, they were first in the amateur rising star category at the Orchid Open Dance Championships.
They have a dream
The success spurred the couple on to work even harder towards their goal of achieving a world ranking at international competitions. Attaining their dream of competing internationally in the amateur category, however, will take at least three more years of practice, said Sun.
Despite the tough slog and long hours, Lum’s ambition and passion have not dimmed, and he told TODAY that he never once thought of giving up as he “feels good” whenever he dances.
When asked what he liked about it, the lanky dancer said: “Looking at yourself in the mirror and (realising that) you look good dancing.”
He added that he feels proud when he is able to execute different dance moves.
The couple’s relationship has also helped their dancing, as they are more comfortable communicating their views to each other while performing and training together. While they have had their fair share of quarrels — both on and off the dance floor — the couple said they have been able to set that aside to continue dancing.
Lum’s dedication to their dance practice also extends to how he insists on sending Sun home after every session before catching the last train home alone. He also did so while serving National Service, despite having to wake up at 5:30am every morning.
Over the last four years, he has only missed the last train about two to three times. His journey is usually smooth-sailing, as there are always seats on the last train, and he has never experienced a train breakdown, said Lum. He spends his 30-minute commute listening to music or reviewing his own dance videos on his mobile phone.
He added: “There are also times I think… (if only) I have a car, so that we can practise much longer and I don’t need to worry about catching the last train.”
While Sun said she feels guilty at times, especially when he has morning classes the next day, the couple did not consider cutting back on their dance practise to catch an earlier train home.
Sun said: “We have a common goal and we both want to achieve it. Because we can’t afford to spend on lessons, the only thing we can do is to practise harder.”
Until they find success on the dance floor, the couple plan to stick to their routine, even if it means spending the next few years catching the last train in order to clock more hours of practice. “I think it’s worth it,” said Lum. — TODAY
