Beyond the Moves: A Conversation with Una
Written by Daphne Bryant
Meet Una, an 18-year old dancer from Taiwan, now based in New York City. The first-time competitor is wildly versatile with a high-energy dance style rooted in both popping and locking foundations. Last month, Una competed at the Red Bull Dance Your Style National Final in Tampa, Florida, and Dreamworldgirl Zine sat down to chat with her about all things freestyle, K-pop and fashion!
Daphne: I like your nails!
Una: Thank you!
Daphne: I heard you like doing nails so I was going to ask you about that. But first things first: do you know your zodiac sign?
Una: Wait, what is that?
Daphne: It’s like your sun sign, for astrology. Pisces, Aries, have you heard of those? I bet I can figure yours out. When’s your birthday?
Una: October.
Daphne: October, you’re probably a Libra. But I’ll check…wait OMG you are?
Una: Yeah!
Daphne: I love Libras! So, I heard this is your first year competing in Red Bull Dance Your Style. Congratulations! What are you most excited about?
Una: The exchange[s] with [everyone] on stage. I’m really grateful [to] be here [and] have this chance to battle with them.
Daphne: And you’ve been training in hip hop, locking and popping for almost ten years. How has your dancing evolved over time, especially after moving to New York?
Una: I feel like after I moved to New York, I [stopped] taking [as many] classes. So most of the time, I just like training by myself in my house. I think that’s the biggest difference.
Daphne: How cool! A lot of your inspiration comes from K-pop music videos and performances. I like K-pop too! Who are some of your favorite artists and then what do you like about them?
Una: Okay, so I really like CORTIS.
Daphne: Period, yes, I think I saw them on your Instagram.
Una: Yes, and also it’s my phone [lock screen] right now.
Daphne: Actually? You have to show me!
Una: *shows the cutest photo ever*
Daphne: I love it!
Una: [With] CORTIS, I really like their energy. They’re also really young, my age, you know? And they’re really, really good at dancing. There’s, I would say, a choreographer in that group.
Daphne: James, right?
Una: Yeah James, oh my gosh, he’s so good. I really like the way they dance.
Daphne: So, you enjoy both battling and choreography. How does your mindset change when you’re freestyling versus when you’re doing choreo?
Una: When I do freestyle, I don’t need to think that much. I just do whatever the music is giving. And for choreo, I need to use a lot of brain [power] because I need to remember the steps, the moves. Not gonna lie, sometimes, if I do too much choreo, my freestyling sucks. And when I do too much freestyling, my choreo sucks. So, I’m still trying to balance that because it’s so different for me. It’s like two different parts of my brain.
Daphne: Real, that's so interesting. Like, when you get really honed in on a certain thing, then your brain kind of forgets how to do the other. But that's so cool that you like both. Time for some lightning round questions?
Una: Yeah!
Daphne: Where’s your favorite place to shop in New York?
Una: Urban Outfitters. I literally just went shopping on Thursday, I was just there.
Daphne: And then I know we talked about this a little bit earlier, but you like doing your own nails. What’s your favorite set that you’ve done?
Una: The set [I did] for the last qualifier! I did a little diamond, [and it was] red and blue, and I also did cat eyes on it.
Daphne: Cute! Okay, and last question: what doors do you want to open for yourself within the dance community? What do you want to accomplish?
Una: Oh that’s a good question. I want to become a dancer that can inspire other dancers. That’s my goal. I don’t really care about winning or losing. Like, I don’t care about that.
Daphne: It’s so sweet that you want to inspire people, and I feel like you already are! You’re already there, girl <3
