by Doris Lee
Established in 1996, TBC (The Best Crew) Dance Center is the very first professional dance studio in Taiwan. They are the very first dance crew to be invited to perform on National Day and the very first to win the Southeast region championship in Battle Of The Year, also known as “the street dance Olympics,” winning eighth place in a worldwide competition in 2004.
In 1997, L.A. Boyz, the viral boy group that introduced hip-hop to Taiwan, had disbanded. Many experienced street dance performers, faced with the first five-year transition phase, decided to leave Taiwan; for those still interested in hip-hop dance, they were left in Taiwan to wonder how to pass on the tradition of the culture of street dancing. That same year, TBC was established, becoming the very first dance studio to teach street dance in Taiwan. TBC started on the intersection of Chung Hsiao and Yan Ji Road (忠孝延吉路口) and by systematically arranging courses, it successfully brought the subculture to the public eye. |
TBC dance center, photograph by Brynn Sun
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The main founder of TBC, Yun Pin Chou (周允斌), explains his experience in dance, the start of the company, and the ways that he overcame the difficulties, including coping with the pandemic.
Why did you start dancing? How did you meet the other members?
During our high school years, people from my generation were mostly inspired by pop music in Taiwan. For me, it was the hip-hop group L.A. Boyz that affected me the most. They are the first group I know that released tutorials, so I started to dig into dancing at that time. I actually met with several partners at around that age, too. We shared the same manager so even though they were in Taipei, we got to know each other very quickly after a couple of collaborations.
How did you handle difficulties when you were starting TBC or when you were dancing? How did the difficulties change you?
After TBC settled down, we started to work with singers. Nearly twenty years ago, we were working with a boy band called Energy, who were famous for their choreography. Hence, TBC became somewhat popular at the time; sometimes there would be over ninety students per class. We were all around twenty years old then, so we all got a bit arrogant. In 2004, the band’s popularity started to diminish, and we had just finished our investment expansion, so we started to turn a total loss.
Fortunately, when we had no idea what to do, we decided to go to church. We actually did feel more peaceful and calm afterwards and noticed that we needed to reflect on ourselves more. Eventually, we adjusted our management style and moved on. After a month or so, we turned loss into gain.
You learned dancing under the guidance of Greg Campbellock Jr. Did you discover any differences between Taiwanese and Americans when learning dancing?
Campbellock Jr’s style of teaching is much more theory-based, thus many students or other colleagues question him from time to time. They don’t understand why he must teach such basic skills. He has this whole book of lesson plans since his ultimate goal is to raise street dance to the same status as ballet. So, students need to go through several strict examinations in order to get to the next level in his system. My foundation is built from the techniques he passed down. They are modules because they stand the test of time.
Why did you start dancing? How did you meet the other members?
During our high school years, people from my generation were mostly inspired by pop music in Taiwan. For me, it was the hip-hop group L.A. Boyz that affected me the most. They are the first group I know that released tutorials, so I started to dig into dancing at that time. I actually met with several partners at around that age, too. We shared the same manager so even though they were in Taipei, we got to know each other very quickly after a couple of collaborations.
How did you handle difficulties when you were starting TBC or when you were dancing? How did the difficulties change you?
After TBC settled down, we started to work with singers. Nearly twenty years ago, we were working with a boy band called Energy, who were famous for their choreography. Hence, TBC became somewhat popular at the time; sometimes there would be over ninety students per class. We were all around twenty years old then, so we all got a bit arrogant. In 2004, the band’s popularity started to diminish, and we had just finished our investment expansion, so we started to turn a total loss.
Fortunately, when we had no idea what to do, we decided to go to church. We actually did feel more peaceful and calm afterwards and noticed that we needed to reflect on ourselves more. Eventually, we adjusted our management style and moved on. After a month or so, we turned loss into gain.
You learned dancing under the guidance of Greg Campbellock Jr. Did you discover any differences between Taiwanese and Americans when learning dancing?
Campbellock Jr’s style of teaching is much more theory-based, thus many students or other colleagues question him from time to time. They don’t understand why he must teach such basic skills. He has this whole book of lesson plans since his ultimate goal is to raise street dance to the same status as ballet. So, students need to go through several strict examinations in order to get to the next level in his system. My foundation is built from the techniques he passed down. They are modules because they stand the test of time.
TBC founder Chou and me, photograph by Jennifer Hu
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In 2016, TBC held a play entitled “Dreamer” that merges acting with dancing. What was the creation process?
We cooperated with many well-known producers at the time for the event and composed many original scores. The team used many traditional Taiwanese music elements and combined them with street dance, so it was rather challenging when we were trying to arrange the choreography. Starting last year, the pandemic has affected many countries and families. How did it affect TBC and you? In my opinion, Taiwan did a good job on prevention. People actually started to care more about their own health and realized that they need to exercise and try to enjoy what they have. The pandemic affects many people; there are too many external factors constraining us. This is the same when it comes to pursuing what you want. There will be many challenges and voices out there. Just believe in yourself, and continue to walk forward. There is nothing that cannot be conquered by a blazing heart. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. |