Singaporean finance manager wins Red Bull dance competition
Last Saturday (25 April), Aaron Tan Jian Yong made history by becoming the first-ever Red Bull Dance Your Style Southeast Asia Regional Champion.
The 32-year-old financial wealth manager clinched the title by beating over 200 other dancers from across the region.
He will go on to represent Singapore against some of the world’s best dancers at the World Finals in Zurich, Switzerland, this October.
An intense physical final
A week before, Aaron won the Red Bull Dance Your Style Singapore Qualifiers at Singapore Management University (SMU).
200 dancers from across the region competed in qualifiers to find the competition’s top 16.
At *SCAPE Ground Theatre, 1,000 attendees were also sole judges as they voted for their favourite dancers.
Courtesy of Centaur Marketing
The crowd especially enjoyed Aaron’s moves during the rock round, even though rock is “not something [I] usually dance to”.
He added: “I just had to channel my inner rock spirit and go all out.”
In the final round, Aaron faced off against 22-year-old Mikey B from Vietnam. Unfortunately, the tense final was derailed when his fellow competitor suffered cramps. He earned the respect and applause from the crowd when he powered through to finish his performance.
Aaron expressed nothing but respect for his rival.
Courtesy of Centaur Marketing
“Even though he was injured and cramping up, he still did his best,” the champion said.
“At the end of the day, this is a sport, and it’s not easy to continue dancing under that pressure. Even though we don’t speak the same language, I felt that mutual respect on the floor.”
Courtesy of Centaur Marketing
Finance manager makes his own time, finds his own way
Being a self-employed financial wealth manager, Aaron makes sure that he schedules his work around his passion.
“Since I’m self-employed, I can schedule appointments around my dance commitments and workshops, which is a huge advantage compared to a normal nine-to-five,” he said.
His dedication to his craft will now send him to Zurich in October, where he’ll be competing against the best in the world at the World Finals.
“It’s not every day you represent Singapore on a global scale,” Aaron said. “I want to show the world that we have a dance scene here and we are not to be messed with.”
Also read: SMRT opens ‘MirrorMoves’ dance space at Marina South Pier MRT station, no bookings or fees required
SMRT opens ‘MirrorMoves’ dance space at Marina South Pier MRT station, no bookings or fees required
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Featured image courtesy of Centaur Marketing.
