Hope Patterson in #ArtsinthePark

Next up in our #ArtsinthePark dancer series we have Hope Patterson who performed in Anca Chung’s To Infinity and Beyond! 

I really loved...the auditioning process, it was challenging, a little confronting but I had such a fun time and made some new friends too! I also loved our rehearsal day, which was Thursdays. Usually by the end of the week you find your attention and energy levels pretty zapped, but Thursdays with Anca and the girls infused so much fun, laughter and inspiration into me! This was a memorable first time YAF experience for me!

I learned…so much overall, but if I were to choose one thing, it would definitely be how to work within such a large group of dancers, each coming from with all different dance backgrounds. We had traditional Chinese dancers, ballet dancers, hip hop, contemporary, jazz and not forgetting the incredible gymnasts! 

I am going to miss… I think everyone would say this in their own words, that the overwhelming sense that you feel being part of the YAF family is something that each of us miss in our own ways. For me, this was my first experience at YAF and I felt immediately loved and welcomed :) Most of us were meeting for the first time, and yet, very early on we bonded and became a tight group of friends, and we are still in touch which is amazing!

I still laugh to myself... at the memory of us all "attempting" the lifts that Ms. Ho and Takao taught us, I can still hear the laughter of each of us when it was time for the spotlight to be turned on our group. Happy days :) 

Tell us something we don’t know… In the mornings before the performances at Victoria Park, there would be hundreds of bobby pins scattered over the tables, that could have been a work of art itself! And also the fact that the air was so infused with hairspray, it could have burnt an (additional) hole in the ozone layer! 

Challenges? This may seem silly, but one of the challenges for me was actually keeping my hair secure and in place during rehearsals as well as the during the shows at Victoria Park! For those of you that know me, I have an awful lot of hair! :) 

What’s next…? My love of dance is stronger than ever, thank you YAF and Anca :) So now I'm going to focus on throwing myself into the pieces that are coming up, and to keep auditioning for any experience that YAF may offer! 

My dream superpower… isn’t really a superpower, it's more of a wish - To have more hours in the day, more days in the week so that I can spend more time in dance environments and to have more learning experiences. 

If I could meet an artist for a day, it would… either be Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly - you can't help but smile and tap your feet when you watch them! :)