[#JobBeacon] Step Up! Street Dance!

Dancing from the Street to the World Stage

Street Dance, originated in the 70's and 80's, is a combination of sports and street performances. By following the flow of music with unique body movements, a great variety of dancing steps is created. Beginners can also express themselves through unrestrained and free-style movements!

The most common styles of street dance include “Breaking”,“Popping”and“Hip-hop” among others. Among them, the most popular one is “Breaking”! This dancing style is easy to recognise due to a series of signature moves, including headspins and rolling on the ground with one hand as a supporting point.

Nowadays, street dance culture has spread all over the world. Street dancers can be found in all 18 districts of Hong Kong. Dancers would compete at any time and wherever there is a space, leading to a common phenomenon: "where there are streets, there is street dance." Many young people around the world regard street dance as their dream and are eager to go professional with their supreme dancing skills! The 2024 Paris Olympics will include one of the street dancing styles, “Breaking”, as a new sports item. Young people who are passionate about “Breaking” will then have the opportunity to battle with dancers from other countries and regions on the Olympic stage!

 

 

Dancing from Stage to the Workplace

If you love street dance, have you ever thought about becoming a professional dancer? After gaining ample performance experience, have you considered transitioning to a role behind the scenes, supporting other performers as a dance instructor or choreographer?

Although these positions differ from traditional dancers, professional street dancers still require extensive training and long-term practice to be fully prepared to shine on stage.

Becoming a street dance instructor or choreographer can be seen as a "promotion opportunity" for dancers. If you are a former street dancer, you may have the chance to become a choreographer by accumulating enough performance experience. With a solid foundation, choreographers can create dance performances and oversee the dancers’ execution. They also need execellent communication skills to collaborate with various stakeholders, ensuring an unforgettable visual feast for the audience! As the mastermind behind the scenes, a choreographer's dancing skills must reach a professional level, preferably in two or more dancing styles. They should be able to view a performance from a macro perspective and assign dancers to perform their roles well at different shows, providing memorable moments for each scene.

 

Career Path Planning - Professional Dancer/ Dance Instructor/ Choreographer

Even if you are still new to the workplace, there is no need to worry! If you are interested in pursuing a career in the dancing industry, you can refer to the following course information to plan ahead for your upcoming training and future career!

 

Dance related Courses from Talent.gov.hk

Course Provider	Course	Learning Mode	QF Level
The University of Hong Kong	Foundation Certificate in Dance	Part-time	QF Level 2
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts	Certificate in Taking a Chance on Dance (Senior Secondary Applied Learning)	Full-time	QF Level 3
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts	Diploma in Dance Foundations	Full-time	QF Level 4
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts	Professional Diploma in Dance	Full-time	QF Level 4
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts	Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) in Dance	Full-time	QF Level 5
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts	Master of Fine Arts in Dance	Full-time / Part-time	QF Level 6

*Source: Talent.gov.hk

 

Other Useful Links

• Dance-related careers information on the Life Planning Information website of the Education Bureau
• Search for Vacancies for Dancer / Dance Instructor / Choreographer on Talent.gov.hk
• Break dance events / courses provided by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department
• "Move Beyond" - Online programme of the Cultural Presentations Section of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department