By Alexis Ong
“Let what you love be the only thing to kill you.”
By now, you have probably heard of Jeffrey Deng. Ever since grade eight, he has been known as Collingwood’s foremost breakdancer and hip hop dancer. I have had the pleasure of personally knowing Jeffrey since grade eight, and I can confidently say that he is one of the best performers for his age. Like any artist, he had be inspired from somewhere, from someone. In this case, the Jinjo Crew is where it all started. Jeffrey said that he would watch them dance online and see the audience’s reactions: the screams, the chanting, the bright lights and the cheers. From then on, he knew he wanted to experience the same exhilaration. The roaring admiration of the people watching the Jinjo Crew perform was something that he wanted to achieve one day. Specifically, his dream is to one day perform on the Redbull BC ONE stage, competing against some of the world’s best b-boys.
“Let what you love be the only thing to kill you.”
By now, you have probably heard of Jeffrey Deng. Ever since grade eight, he has been known as Collingwood’s foremost breakdancer and hip hop dancer. I have had the pleasure of personally knowing Jeffrey since grade eight, and I can confidently say that he is one of the best performers for his age. Like any artist, he had be inspired from somewhere, from someone. In this case, the Jinjo Crew is where it all started. Jeffrey said that he would watch them dance online and see the audience’s reactions: the screams, the chanting, the bright lights and the cheers. From then on, he knew he wanted to experience the same exhilaration. The roaring admiration of the people watching the Jinjo Crew perform was something that he wanted to achieve one day. Specifically, his dream is to one day perform on the Redbull BC ONE stage, competing against some of the world’s best b-boys.
Jeffrey has, however, already done amazingly well. In 2014, he competed in the Shine Dance Competition here in Vancouver, and was awarded gold. In 2015, he looks forward to again participating in the Shine Dance Competition, but is also going to push himself further and compete in the Surrey Festival of Dance, one of the largest amateur dance competitions in North America. He is also currently crafting several pieces for the Student Choreography Show in December.
Jeffrey’s advice to beginning breakdancers, or anyone really, is to “[not] care about what other people say about you; just worry about your own thing.” Dance is an expression of yourself, so you can’t have outsiders telling you what to express.
There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Jeffrey will go far in the world of professional dance, but he will always remember his time at Collingwood and the experiences that shaped and influenced his dance style and himself. All we can say to him is good luck as we remember his favourite quote: “Let what you love be the only thing to kill you.”
Jeffrey’s advice to beginning breakdancers, or anyone really, is to “[not] care about what other people say about you; just worry about your own thing.” Dance is an expression of yourself, so you can’t have outsiders telling you what to express.
There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Jeffrey will go far in the world of professional dance, but he will always remember his time at Collingwood and the experiences that shaped and influenced his dance style and himself. All we can say to him is good luck as we remember his favourite quote: “Let what you love be the only thing to kill you.”