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This fierce visionary is tons of talent in a small package! A business owner, international choreographer, dancer, encourager, leader, outreach organizer, opinionated female, and so much more … all rolled into one! Linda Kuo is a woman you will not soon forget when you meet her. With her radiant energy and infectious CAN-DO attitude, I wanted to find out more about this woman who founded the local dance company, Dancers Unlimited (DU), around traveling between New York, LA and China to train and teach.
On a warm, sunny day, we sat down to chat in the DU headquarters at a collaborative loft space known as The ARTSmith, in the heart of the Chinatown art district. Linda came rolling in on her eco-friendly choice of transportation that day, instead of the car she usually drives. She parked her bike against the vintage, 100+ year old brick wall in the studio, and we began talking about her vision, her background and her plans for the future…
AD: As long as I have known you, I’ve seen you are a woman who wears many hats, and wears them well!! You are the owner of DU (Dancers Unlimited), you’re a choreographer, a dancer as well, and you also travel a lot. What do you do out there… especially in China?
LK: [In China,] I do Choreography and training. We do special training for their professional training program. It’s a bilingual program under the TV network. So, think like a “Mickey Mouse Club”, but they do it in English and in Chinese. You have to audition to be in the, it’s called the “Kid’s Club” — they do actual TV episodes, and they have competitions and all that stuff!
AD: Wow! Is it mostly young people?
LK: Yeah, well like from 5 to 13. Once they hit the teenage years, they go into the Company. So, it depends on where they want to go into — like, the professional training route, or the dance training route, or singing, like a lot of them become singers anyway, so you have to sing and dance. So, it’s like Christina Aguilera when she was 16 and they first come out. So, that’s what I’m doing there… just Choreographing for them.
AD: So you teach them all the different dance styles?
LK: Mmm hmm… So, there’s the education side and the tv side [which I choreograph for]. The education side is more like the elite dancers, the Triple Threat people. And under them, they have regular dance classes that anyone can take. So, the people who take those classes are usually the ones who will eventually audition for the Kids Club. And for the TV side, it would be for whatever TV show they are doing. So, they’re putting on almost like a “GLEE” show, but on a Mickey Mouse Club level… a show inspired by High School Musical. I also do that too. So, we have to do Jazz and Hip Hop… they are just so into Hip Hop right now. Really, anything street.
AD: That’s amazing. So, you bring your influences from here and from New York? I know you travel a lot to New York too, right?
LK: nods mmm hmm. Yeah, New York is where I get inspiration and my training too. Like here [in Hawaii], this is my base. I have a crew, I have the ARTSmith, this is where I can kind of just, do what I want! (laughs) Yeah, and China is where I make money… like, whatever ideas I formulate here, I can actually do it out there. So, [Hawaii] is more like the Outreach training ground. By starting the partnership with China, I can start sending Choreographers out. So, like in January, I’m really hoping to send out one of my Choreographers to China.
AD: Wow! That’s great!!
LK: Yeah, so that’s cool! So that’s something like, for Hawaii dancers too — to have more options. So, you can always go to like, LA or New York, but you can also experience the other side of the world too.
AD: That’s something amazing that your company offers to dancers. I’ll bet they can learn a lot from an experience like that! What’s something you’ve been able to take away from your time in Shanghai?
LK: I mean, business aside, it’s like, working with different personalities… like, you have the TV producers, and the TV producers in China, they are all Government Officials. All the TV networks are owned by the Government. Like here we have networks like CNN or ABC, and they’re owned by different companies, but over there, no matter what network it is, they are all Government owned.
AD: Really? Wow.
LK: Yeah, so they will actually assign the Producers, the Executive Directors to each network. So, it’s all liked to the Government. So, they have a different personality, right… I mean, they’re all politicians basically. And they are trying to deal with Entertainers, and Entertainers are trying to deal with them! And then you have the sponsors who are business people and then when you work with kids, you have the parents! And it’s like Woah! Woah! Woah!
Linda teaching in Shanghai
AD: That’s great though! I think that’s what makes someone a successful business person, is being able to deal with all types of personalities too.
LK: Yeah, hopefully I’ll figure that out… someday!
AD: (laughs) You’re pretty good with it, though!!
LK: Thanks! It’s a learning process…
AD: Tell me more about your company, Dancers Unlimited. When did you guys start?
LK: November 2009. So, we are barely almost two years old. We started when I first moved back from New York. It was between me, Brent Koki and Jacob Himoto, they’re all from 24/7… and also Emily, my friend. We talked about things, and we were like, hey, let’s do something. I went back to studios to take class, and you know, everyone’s like, 16. Not that anything’s wrong with that, but I’m like, 10 years older, and I just felt really silly being there. Yeah, and then Furlough Friday happened, so, we actually just got together and taught a lot of workshops for free at some of the high schools. We were like, hey, if you wanna dance, just come! I never imagined doing everything that we’re doing right now. I just wanted to dance.
AD: Wow!
LK: Yeah, it just kind of took off. And when Anthony joined us, he moved here from Las Vegas… and that’s when Tim Bostock hit me up, and he said, “Hey, I saw your guys’ video, can you guys do a show?” So, that’s the first street show (for Mardi Gras) that we did. And from there, we just started booking, and then Shanghai happened that same year and it was like, Woah! You know!
AD: Wow!
LK: Yeah, so that’s what DU is about! We started out as an outreach program. We’re not a non-profit ourselves, but we have a fiscal sponsor, and that gives us the non-profit status.
AD: That’s awesome!!
LK: Yeah, like when we started I just wanted to dance. You know, and I feel like when we do outreaches, that’s cool. And I don’t want to be a dance studio in a way — there are a lot of studios. And the dance environment here, you know, could be competitive, and I want to be more inclusive. All the studios are doing their own thing, but I really want to just, bring everyone together. I feel like that is more fun.
AD: That’s a great thing, with your intent — like with National Dance Week. You know, it’s something to bring everyone together.
LK: Yeah, when DU started, our main focus was the outreach program, and that’s something I feel we kind of neglected because of all the performances.
AD: Yeah, It’s hard to balance.
LK: It is. Especially when everything happens so fast. And we were so understaffed. Before, it was just me and Anthony and the crew. And then, when Sky came on board, I was like, “Oh, good! Finally I can have somebody else who can do the organization stuff!” Before, it was just like, Oh My God! And then, Jermaine’s been helping, and then when the ARTSmith happened, it was like, this is great, because we can finally get back to doing the outreach programs. ‘Cause we’ll have a space, and it’s close to Kalihi, because we work with dancers like with New Hope Church and maybe they can start coming here.
Yeah, so that’s some info on DU. Hoping to promote the whole professional side for dancers. ‘Cause we don’t have really have an industry here in Hawaii.
AD: No, we don’t.
LK: Mmm hmm. With the shows, with the resources and partners we’ve met… we can provide the dancers and help create platforms for dancers to get paid and at least get some sort of stipend, you know. Like, for all last year, we always pay our dancers a stipend. Even if we don’t get paid ourselves, we try to pay our dancers. ‘Cause it’s like, you can get your training in the studios, but growing up in the studio, I had to pay for my costumes, I had to pay to be in the shows, and at a point, it was like, if you want to be a professional dancer, what defines you as being professional is being paid for it. You’re being paid for your time, your talent, your commitment. That’s kind of like what we’re trying to do, in addition to the outreach programs.
Dancers Unlimited
AD: Do you think it will grow from Shanghai to New York and LA?
LK: Eventually… we already have the network in both LA and New York, it’s just whenever we are financially capable to send our dancers over there. Our five year goal is to have a legit show where we can bring our dancers on tour to showcase. That’s what we’re trying to do with National Dance Week for next year. To have a show that tells people about Hawaii — what Hawaii is about and why are our dancers different? You know, to tell the story of our community and maybe bring it on tour. Eventually, our five year goal is to have a show like that, and to find sponsors or grants that will help us to do this.
AD: That would be cool. I think that’s like, the dream of every dancer, is to be able to make money in dancing.
LK: Yeah, definitely. Being a dancer, you have to be multi-talented. It’s really hard to survive being only a dancer. Like, you look at my friends in LA and New York, they’re dancers, Choreographers, and they teach. You have to teach classes because you’re not always performing all the time, you’re not always on tour all the time, and when you come back home and have two months of … nothing. You have to be able to, “Okay, what am I doing for those two months?” So, a lot of them, they learn to put on their own show, they DJ, they do graphic design, build websites so that they can still design websites on the road, and I have a friend who actually put himself through college just performing on tour with Britney Spears. So, he started saving money and took online classes while on tour to learn how to do graphic design, and when he’s not on tour or choreographing, he’s doing web design — for dancers. He understands what the dancers are looking for. So, in a way, as a dancer, you have to be able to do everything.
AD: That’s awesome! What obstacles have you had to overcome in what you do?
LK: Um…. I think, as a dancer, you have to define what you want. When I was working in the industry… granted I was in New York so I wasn’t really in the commercial thing — that’s more LA, but when you work for a commercial gig, women are kinda you know, objectified. You have to look a certain way… and in a way, it’s fun for a little while, but… I mean, I would still love to work in a commercial gig in the future, but I think, the last straw for me was when I went to Ashanti’s audition. It was a seven hour long audition, and there were like fifty or something dancers that got called in. The first thing they did to us was they lined us up. They didn’t even see us dance. They didn’t see us walk. They lined us up against the wall. They just kind of look you up and down and are like, scanning her eyes back and forth and pointing with her fingers “You… You… You… You… You…” Right? And these are all men. The choreographer was a guy. The manager was a guy.
AD: Oh my gosh. They didn’t even look at your dance experience or anything?
LK: Mmm, no. You’re required to wear heels. They didn’t do that for the guys at all. They didn’t line them up or look them up and down… ‘Cause there are male dancers being auditioned too. Female dancers had to dress in a certain way — they said you have to show your midriff and you have to wear at least 3″ heels, tight form-fitting clothes… in a way, since you’re a back up dancer, you have to look good. And that was just the first round… you just stand there and let people look at you up and down. So, in a way, it’s like, I wouldn’t do that in everyday life, like when I walk in the streets of New York and people holler at me, I get pissed and I’m like, “Yo, don’t be hollering at me.” But, at auditions you have to let them do that.
And the second round, they just make you walk across the room — which is normal. They want to see how you freestyle, how your personality is and whatever. But then, the assistant choreographer, or whoever he was — he was with the choreographer. He was like, “Oh yeah baby.” And I was thinking like, “Really?! You don’t have to be making those comments like that. That’s so unprofessional.” And this is the choreographer for Ashanti, right? So, during the audition, after the walk, the choreographer is like, “Okay, so you pair with this guy,” — you know, the one that was saying, Oh yeah, baby… “And just grind on him.” And I’m just thinking, What?! Am I being paid for this right now? (laughs) ‘Cause obviously he’s having fun!
And then finally, it was like four rounds, and we got to the last round — it was between me and four other girls — they were choosing three girls. At that point, the choreographer had already finished half a bottle of Absolut…
AD: What the heck is he doing even drinking at an audition?!
LK: Yeah, and they were just there looking at us dance, and the dance he choreographed for us was very, very sexy. And, we’re pretty much wearing nothing in heels and he’s half drunk… or probably plastered. So, anyway, after that audition, my mom got sick and I got injured, so I came home, and I had a good half a year to really evaluate what is it that I really want as a dancer. I used to dance a lot, but I shouldn’t have to feel a certain way… I felt like they weren’t looking at me for my dancing. I don’t need years of training to be grinding on a guy during an audition and deal with those comments.
AD: Yeah, totally.
LK: So, that was definitely an obstacle. I still want to work in the industry, and there are a lot of great choreographers out there, but before you can get there, you have to decide what is your own value? Are you willing to give up those values so you can get there? Or, can you do a little more? So, for me as a dancer, I miss being challenged. I kind of miss going to a class and getting my ass kicked.
I think my challenge as a dancer is how do I stay motivated and inspired. Business wise, it’s just being able to work with different personalities and people from different backgrounds. Like, there’s a way to talk to business people, and there’s a different way to talk to dancers. And different kinds of dancers need to be talked to differently too. You don’t talk to a ballerina the same way as you would talk to a B-Boy. Totally different mindsets. So, being able to do all of that and not being too tired to dance myself. It can be a challenge. Sometimes, I can get so swamped with Admin work, I feel like I’m not being creative anymore to come up with a dance, or I’ll come up with something I’m not really happy with.
AD: So, how old are you now?
LK: 29. I turn 30 next year in June.
AD: Wow!
LK: Yeah, I don’t really want to think about it yet! It’s kind of scary… 30. I feel like when I’m 30, I should have my life figured out somehow.
AD: Yeah, but you know, you never quite figure life out.
LK: Yeah, I guess so. I feel like 30 is kind of like the check-point. You know, like, what am I doing? But I still have a few more months to figure it out!
Yeah, and my parents are always asking me like, What are you doing? When are you gonna get married? Do you have a boyfriend yet? And I’m like, Don’t ask me that! I just wanna dance, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be traveling for like, the next 10 years. So, I’m gonna have to find someone who likes to travel with me.
AD: That would be cool!
LK: Yeah. But, yeah, I’m definitely thinking a little more about what I’m doing with Dancers Unlimited — why do I even have Dancers Unlimited? And what about myself as a dancer? Like, right now I have a company… and what else? So this is my five year goal … I know I want National Dance Week to be International, and I want a touring company, then it’s like.
AD: Where do you see yourself as a dancer? It seems like you’ve kind of put that on hold to pursue your company, Dancers Unlimited.
LK: As a dancer, I definitely want to continue dancing. Still be able to go to New York and LA to train. And I feel like, I want to be dancing as long as I can. And if I can do choreography, sure! But as a dancer, if I can always be learning and dancing, I’ll be happy.
AD: Yeah, I think you gotta.
LK: Yeah, I did dance for Faith Hill. In New York, we don’t have a lot of Commercial auditions. It’s mostly for like, Saturday Night Live shows or David Letterman or The View. I also danced for the opening of Mariah Carey’s summer concert. But, in New York, we don’t have a lot of Commercial work… not like LA. In LA, everyday’s an audition. In New York, I did a lot of Contemporary company stuff — which is actually my background. It’s kind of funny, ’cause everyone knows DU as the Street company, but my background is actually in Contemporary and Modern. I just happened to do hip hop also.
AD: Did you think you would be doing Dancers Unlimited with more of a hip hop focus?
LK: No… not really. But I think when Anthony came on board, you know, he was our main choreographer, the artistic director, and his background is Street. So, what we’re known for is the Street Shows. But, we’ve also done quite a lot of Contemporary shows. So, when most people are like, “Dancers Unlimited, you guys are the Hip Hop crew.” I’m like, “Nahhhh… we actually do a little more than that.” (laughs)
AD: Which do you like better — Hip Hop or Contemporary?
LK: That’s hard. I like Hip Hop. I definitely appreciate the culture, and having been in New York — that’s where Hip Hop started. And every Sunday you just go out, and you’re partying with the Rock Steady guys — and they’re like 50 and still b-boying! I really appreciate the community side of hip hop. And with Contemporary, I feel like I can really express my emotions. I mean, you can do that with hip hop too, but I think I just relate a lot more to Contemporary. If I have something to say, I would probably say it through Contemporary dance. But, I like both! I think for me, since I’ve been doing Hip Hop for the whole year, I’m kind of missing Contemporary… I need to do my turns and leaps and stuff! Yeah, but when I was in New York doing only Contemporary, every Hip Hop show I was like, “I’m in!”
AD: I know you do a lot of the outreaches… what exactly do you do with the outreaches?
LK: Right now, we do classes with the Boys and Girls Club of Hawaii. Tyler “Funky T” is one of the teachers, so he teaches on Wednesdays for 1 hour, and it’s a non-paid position [from the Boys & Girls Club, but] we reimburse him for his travel, and so… we are able to that because of our fiscal sponsor, so we can get grants and donations. We would like to get a little more grants! So we can start doing more outreach programs. We’re working with Ulupono/Surfing the Nations, in Wahiawa. Yeah, it’s fun! The location they’re in right now used to be a porn arcade.
AD: Yeah, I heard about that!
LK: Yeah, but they did a really good job! They re-did everything. It actually reminds me of the ARTSmith a little bit — they have a lot of art, music and everything going on, and they throw events most of the time. Yeah, so Bam’s actually teaching out there.
AD: Really?! Wow! What does he teach out there? Dance?
LK: Yeah! So, that’s what we’re trying to do… partner up with different organizations right now, especially since we don’t have the staff to run our own non-profit program, or the money really. So, we just kind of send teachers out that way for now.
AD: Is that ultimately what you want to do? Have your own program?
LK: Yeah, that’s what I’m trying to do with the ARTSmith right now, and creating an after school program. Or if not, definitely a summer program.
AD: That would be neat!
LK: Yeah! Let’s do it! Yeah, when I was in New York, I actually was the program coordinator for an inner city school program. So, it was a summer program and after-school. It was in places that you have to walk through metal detectors before you go in… yeah, so… you know, you can see the impact the program had on the kids. The reward [for the kids] was that if they come to practice regularly, because you can’t really force them to come — especially since it’s not paid, so our way of motivating them, it was a group of choreographers, like Hollywood, you met him — he was choreographing for Chris Brown at the time, and he was like, hey if you guys come here all the time, your reward will be to come to one of the rehearsals with Chris Brown. We would pick like, 3 or 4 students. Or, they could perform at the Choreographer’s Showcase, which is gonna be like, Justin Timberlake was actually there one day, and like, Lil Mama and Nicki Minaj was there once. And we brought them to like, MTV backstage once, you know, to hang out with the MTV crew. To them, it’s like, Oh My God! You know, to kinda just keep them out of trouble.
And when you work in inner-city schools, the parents are like, working 3 jobs, so they can’t really make sure if their kids are doing anything after school anyway.
AD: Do you think that’s where your desire to do the outreaches here came from?
LK: I guess so. I think it just kind of became, it became natural. I’ve always been involved in things like that. Even when I was dancing in high school, like, our studio did a lot of outreach stuff — we performed at Shriner’s and different non-profit events and stuff. And when I moved to New York, I just ended up getting into it somehow. It was fun. And the kids are really, really talented… they’re from the streets and they give you the freshest style. Sometimes they’d be like, “Pssh, I can do that… that’s wack!” (laughs) you know… they’ll tell you that, and they’d give you like, mad attitude all the time. (laughs) But then, I was like, well, I always gotta be a little more fresher than you, and I had to learn how to be like, a little more street. Yeah, it was like, this little Asian girl from Hawaii. (laughs) But, yeah, it was cool. It was rewarding. I like working with kids. Yeah, it was cool. Definitely.
AD: Yeah, I totally believe that you gotta balance your business with something that gives back. If you just spend all your time chasing after your business, it becomes like a rat race after a while.
LK: Yeah, I feel especially for dancers, entertainers, and artists in general. If you think about street dance, it came from the community. So, you have to have that foundation before you can do anything professional out of it.
AD: That’s true.
LK: And I think that’s one of the reasons why Anthony and I are working together. When I invited him to join DU, especially with the non-profit part — is that when he was in Vegas, he was involved in Future Shock, which is the youth program of Culture Shock. Then he became the Director of Future Shock and went to LA. So for him, that’s what dance also means to him too. ‘Cause without dance, he was one of the kids on the streets. So, that’s where we came together.
I wouldn’t say DU started off to give back to the community, ’cause that’s a big thing to claim. It just kind of happened. It worked. And hopefully we can continue to do it.
AD: That’s cool. I know you are a non-profit. How do people contribute or donate to help you do what you do, and when they do donate, where does the money go?
LK: Well, we have a link on our website that goes directly to our page on our fiscal sponsor’s website, where you can pay with a credit card. You can also pay with a check and just mail it to us. You can also donate physical goods for auctions or whenever we do raffle prizes and stuff. And whatever is donated, you can write it off for tax. The only thing that’s not tax-deductible are like, services. And with National Dance Week, it’s just our volunteers. Like with any festival, we depend largely on volunteers to help make it happen.
Most of our money right now goes to National Dance Week. Right now, we spend about $5,000 – $6,000 for the whole week, and that’s with our teachers donating their time. Melanie (Aguirre) flew herself out [to National Dance Week 2011] and actually donated a class…. yeah, it’s cool because people in the industry are always willing to help.
The way I got to know Melanie, Neo and Hollywood was really through all these outreach programs [in New York]. They’re also really involved in New York and LA. In a way, the people we bring out have the same values, so it helps. But then, we also have to pay for the [teachers] accommodations and flights. So, that’s where a lot of our money goes.
So, we’re hoping our fundraiser in December will raise at least $10,000 — so that $6,000 can go to NDW and $4,000 can go towards the ARTSmith so we can have outreaches and can pay the dancers some sort of stipend when they teach.
AD: That’s really good. Because when people give up their time, it’s great to be able to give them something for it. About National Dance Week, what is the purpose of that? What is it for? Tell me a little more…
LK: The purpose is to showcase the different dancers [in Hawaii]. Most people know about the major dance studios here, like 24/7, Hypersquad, 808 — but there are also a lot of smaller studios that only have classes on the weekends, or dance groups, like the African Dance Group, Cherry Blossom Cabaret, and other cultural dance groups. Hawaii is a small island, but we have so many dance groups. Our first year, we had like 50 dance groups performing. And I feel like that’s not even 20% of the groups [in Hawaii]. So it’s just a week where dancers get a chance to perform and see what other people are about. So, we offer the stage for people to perform, and a stage for people to come together and learn. We offer [a day of] free classes and different cultural classes, movement classes (like yoga, pilates, zumba). You should check it out! And every year, it’s like a fundraiser too. The first year, we held a fundraiser for the Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation at Aloha Tower Marketplace. It was a lot of fun. We had all the merchants there donate and help!
AD: Yeah, that’s great! There’s really nothing out here that just celebrates dance.
LK: Yeah, I know! We have the film festival. We have surf competitions, and the ironman. But there’s nothing for dance!
AD: When did you know you wanted to be a dancer?
LK: Mmm… when I watched Madonna’s Vogue video.
AD: Really?!
LK: When I was little I used to watch MTV, and I remember watching that and I was like, Oh My God! I wanna be a back up dancer. I actually wrote it on my elementary school paper. You know where you have to write about what you want to be when you grow up? And other people wrote President or Fire Fighter and stuff… I wrote that I want to be a back up dancer. Yeah, so … for our National Dance Week Fundraiser in December, our opening song will actually be “Vogue”!
AD: (laughs) Oh my gosh, I think Madonna inspired sooooo many girls our age!
LK: Yeah, and like all the guys wanted to be like Michael Jackson…
AD: … and all the girls wanted to be Madonna!
LK: (laughs) oh, MTV! Yeah, so that’s when I knew. I never really thought I would actually be doing it. I mean, I come from a Chinese family, so it’s like, you should be an Accountant, or something with job stability. And when I went to college, Dance wasn’t even my major either. I studied Economics and Communications. Which has definitely helped… but yeah, so…. I just kinda got into it!
AD: Isn’t it interesting how life can take you in one direction when you had planned to go into another?
LK: Yeah, to me, dance was always fun. It gives me some kind of discipline, you know. I mean, when you’re a teenager, you always wanna do all kinds of crazy things and dance was the one thing that’s always been consistent for me. And then when I went to college, I started the hip hop crew since my college didn’t have a hip hop crew. So, me and my friends from New York started the hip hop crew and we started competing with the other colleges.
AD: What college did you go to?
LK: Boston College. So, it was like BU, Harvard, Northeastern, and we started like, winning! And we got hired to choreograph car shows and stuff! So, that was when I was like “Ho! I can choreograph and get paid!”
AD: I’m sure you find some sort of fulfilment in what you do.
LK: Yeah, dancing is where I spent all my time in college. I started getting involved in the different cultural clubs. I became like, the honorary Filipino! I started choreographing for all the Filipino cultural shows, and was like, “How do I know Singkil better than all the Filipinos?!” Linda’s eyes lit up as she laughed remembering those times. Yeah, and then when I was a Senior, people were like, “Wait… your choreographer is Chinese. From Hawaii.” I was the Singkil Princess. By this time, we were rolling… my sides hurt and my cheeks were plastered into a smile. Yeah, but that really exposed me to a lot of different dances and genres.
AD: It must be awesome to look back and think to the time you saw Madonna on MTV and said, I want to be a back up dancer… and look at what you’re doing today.
LK: Yeah! But I still have to be Madonna’s back up dancer!
AD: Using one-word descriptions, how would you describe yourself?
LK: Myself? Hmmmm… I guess, I would say that I’m driven. I’m friendly. With a thoughtful look on her face… I’m emotional. I think maybe that’s a dancer thing.
AD: What’s something that most people don’t know about you?
LK: Wow…………….. ummm. I was born in Taiwan. My family moved back and forth when I was little. My dad, they had a business and their office was in New York. So, Hawaii was like the mid-point between New York and Taiwan. And back then, I think all the manufacturers were in the Philippines. So, we ended up settling in Hawaii because my mom didn’t like the cold in New York, and my grandma decided she really liked it here too. But we went back and forth a lot when I was young. It wasn’t until I was 14 and I told my mom that I was sick of moving. So, I was sent to a Taiwan boarding school. It was tough because it wasn’t like an American school. It was a lot of pressure academically and I really wanted to be back in Hawaii. So, then I came back to Hawaii and went to school here for four years then to Boston for college. But, I think that all that moving has helped me to be more flexible when things come up, and has taught me to deal with different cultures.
AD: I know another project you’re working on right now is OWWL.
LK: Yeah! It’s a lifestyle brand called “OWWL” which stands for One World With Love. The idea came up between [Alex and me] because between the two of us, with his artist company and for me with DU, we don’t sleep! With the rehearsals that sometimes end at like 2am and then coming home and working some more… but we don’t get tired of it because we love what we do. That’s what drives us. It’s our passion. So, that’s like an owl… like, literally owls… ’cause they don’t sleep at night! (laughs) So, that’s where the “Love” came from in our name One World With Love. So, in the future, we want to create a blog and feature people who love what they do, and hopefully through the blog we can sell merchandise.
AD: So, are you hoping to bring it to China too?
LK: Yeah, because we’re involved in the whole Kid’s Club thing, so we can get our name out there too.
AD: You guys are going to launch that soon, right?
LK: That’s in December with the [National Dance Week Fundraiser]. So, it will be a part of the Fashion Show!
AD: That’s awesome! It’s great that you have the vision to do these amazing things! I think that’s like, the bloodline of any business. You can always hire someone to do the admin stuff. But ideas are what make your business successful or not.
LK: You have to think outside of the box. Like, dare to dream. Being able to be like, I want to do something different. After that, it’s just like, hard work! I think right now, what I’m learning, is that once you have the vision, not to like, grow it too fast and make everyone else tired! (laughs) I can keep going…. but I have to remember everyone else’s schedules too!
AD: Yes, you can have all the crazy ideas and vision, but an important aspect to running a successful business is knowing how to distribute responsibility as well.
LK: Yeah, that’s one of the hardest parts for me. But, I’m learning!
AD: What is one piece of advice, looking back on everything, would you give to someone who wants to be a choreographer or business owner?
LK: I think um, not doubting yourself or letting anyone doubt you. Like, especially for dancers when you go to auditions and don’t get the gig, you know that’s when you start doubting. I mean, granted I have thick skin, so I don’t really care. Um, but when things don’t go your way… especially if you want to go into business, and as a dancer, you are your own business, it’s like, what do you do? And before you even get started, you need to think of that. Think of the attitude you need to have. You know, ’cause not everything will go the way as planned. But, I’ve had to reassess my attitude and values a lot. What do I want as a dancer? What do I want as the director of my company? How do I react when things don’t go the way it should be? And how do I adjust my own attitude when those things happen? How do you manage your emotions and still be professional at the same time?
AD: What is your motto for your life?
LK: Oh! Linda smiles as she points to the beautiful lettering that’s been tattooed on her forearm to remind her of her own life’s creed. “Live. Laugh. Love.” I feel that’s so true. I mean, we don’t know when our last days are. Might as well do something you want to do. And recently I just saw a quote from Steve Jobs that was like, everyday when you wake up, you want to look in the mirror and ask yourself if you’re happy about what you’re doing? And if you’re not, then you need to do something different. If you’re not doing what you want to do, then make it happen. Make your life worth living.
AD: Who are some women you look up to and why?
LK: I think, the women I look up to, would be my family. My family we have a group of very strong, very opinionated, very outspoken women. It’s funny, ’cause we’re like the opposite of your sterotypical image of a Chinese family. In my family, the women call the shots — starting from my Grandma. And my Aunty, she started the family business. I mean, when she started everything, we were like, bankrupt. And my mom, she calls the shots in my family!! I came from a line of women who knows what we want and then we give ourselves the tools to make it happen. You know, don’t rely on anyone else. I think that’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned growing up is like, I don’t think our gender is ever a factor to not do anything. It doesn’t matter if you’re a woman or a man — this is what has to be done, and this is how you have to do it. So, I think I’m really lucky because I had a lot of strong women around me growing up, so I never really had to doubt myself growing up. I never thought that I couldn’t do anything. I think gender difference was never really discussed in my family. Like, if you don’t think it’s fair, then make it fair.
AD: That’s amazing! Do you have any other sisters?
LK: Nope. I have two younger brothers.
AD: Can you remember one memorable moment in your career that made a major impact on you?
LK: As a dancer, the first moment was when I got to choreograph for a pop singer from Hong Kong who was doing her US tour. I was actually hired as a dancer, and then the choreographer dropped out at the last minute, like, the first day of rehearsal — the choreographer just didn’t show up. And they were like, who can choreograph? And I’m like, “I’ll do it!” And again, here I am just saying yes without realizing what it entailed! It was at Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, so it was a huge stage! I had only two weeks to choreograph and teach six songs. I think it was at Tech Rehearsal at Taj Mahal, and I stepped back to check the formations, lighting and all that stuff, and when I was watching it, I think, that was my first time as a choreographer for a big show, that I actually realized, Oh wow! I can do this.
As our interview came to an end, this conversation helped to remind me that you never quite know a person’s story until you talk to them. Even in seeing this small and spunky woman conduct her business with a fair hand and her warm aura that makes everyone feel like a friend, I had no idea the rich experiences and lessons hidden under every layer until I was fortunate enough to sit down with her. Every person we meet has a story… often times we are so consumed in our own lives and circumstances we can tend to write other people off with our first impressions. Take the time to hear someone else’s story sometime, and it will enrich your life beyond the limits of your imagination.
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