INTERVIEW MAGGIE CHEN Olympic breakdancer Sun y Choi bonds with Mag ie Chen, of New York’s Tai Chi Youth Group, over moving your body, embracing your heritage and finding your com unity Sunny Choi: �’ve seen Ta� Ch� a ��tt�e b�t here and there but never �n person before. � d�dn’t rea��ze that you use weapons! My brothers d�d Taekwondo. � remember go�ng �nto the�r c�oset and sneak�ng the weapons out. � had no �dea what � was do�ng; � �ust remember be�ng ��ke, ‘Th�s �s so coo�.’ Maggie Chen: � had the same fee��ng when � got my �rst sword. They were stacked �n the corner of our fac���ty, but �’d see them and want to touch them. � was �n second grade, so my master was ��ke, ‘Don’t touch them, not yet. You’re not ready.’ SC: That’s so funny. So do you a�ways choreograph when you’re do�ng �t, or �s �t �ust for performances that you choreograph? MC: When we pract�ce, we ch��d�sh�y spar w�th each other. �t’s rea��y s�ow, but �n terms of actua� compet�t�ons and performance, a�� of our sparr�ng events are choreographed. What about �n break�ng? SC: �n break�ng, there are e�ements where we somet�mes choreograph �f we’re do�ng a group batt�e, ��ke a compet�t�on. But, most of the t�me, we don’t know what we’re do�ng. There are comb�nat�ons of movements that we’re fam���ar w�th, but 80% of the round �s �ust whatever �’m fee��ng �n the moment. MC: That sounds d�ff�cu�t w�th a�� the �mprov! SC: � mean, � grew up as a gymnast do�ng a�� choreographed stuff, and then � got �nto break�ng, and �n�t�a��y, �t was hard. �t was rea��y scary because � wasn’t used to be�ng �udged �n the moment, but �t’s become second nature now. MC: So you’re a very re�axed and go-w�th-the-f�ow k�nd of person then? SC: No, �’m the tota� oppos�te. �’m super structured. � fe�� �n �ove w�th break�ng because �t forced me to break out of structure and do someth�ng new. �t rea��y pushed me �nto a zone that � was super uncomfortab�e w�th. � used to s�t �n the corner and watch everyone e�se dance because � was too scared to do �t �n front of anyone e�se. MC: You �earned to adapt, r�ght? SC: �t rea��y took me more than �5 years to start gett�ng comfortab�e w�th freesty��ng and be�ng me. MC: So, how d�d you d�scover the wor�d of break�ng? SC: � qu�t gymnast�cs �n h�gh schoo� before go�ng to co��ege. That was a rea��y tough conversat�on to have w�th a coach. And then even tougher when � got �nto break�ng r�ght after. Freshman year, � �ust stumb�ed �nto some peop�e danc�ng on campus and � thought �t �ooked coo�. Truthfu��y, � m�ssed be�ng ups�de down and do�ng stuff that was rea��y phys�ca�. � gave �t a shot and then somehow fe�� �nto �t. � d�dn’t �ove �t �n�t�a��y. �t took me a �ong t�me to understand and apprec�ate �t. How d�d you get �nto mart�a� arts? MC: � started mart�a� arts when � was a ch��d, so �t’s been �0 years now. As a k�d, my parents enro��ed me �n a who�e bunch of act�v�t�es, but � d�dn’t th�nk mart�a� arts wou�d be the th�ng unt�� maybe the summer of �fth grade, go�ng to s�xth grade. � got �nto th�s tra�n�ng camp w�th a�� of the mart�a� arts team. � remember be�ng ��ke, ‘Oh my God, they’re so coo�; they can do so many acrobat�c �umps, and they’re a�� super fr�end�y too.’ � wanted to be part of a team ��ke that. Then, as � grew o�der, � �ust s�ow�y started narrow�ng down my act�v�t�es unt�� � rea��zed mart�a� arts was the on�y one �eft. SC: �t sounds ��ke you’re say�ng the reason you fe�� �n �ove w�th �t was because you saw other peop�e and wanted to be part of the group. �s commun�ty a rea��y b�g th�ng for you? MC: Commun�ty �s a rea��y b�g th�ng for me, espec�a��y when � was younger. � wasn’t the most outgo�ng k�d; � was a h�de-�n-the-corner w�th my Harry Potter books k�nd of k�d. � d�scovered the mart�a� arts commun�ty to be rea��y we�com�ng through my �rst performance. �t was �ust at a �oca� ��brary, but � saw how everybody seemed so �n sync w�th each other. They a�most had an unspoken bond where they cou�d commun�cate on stage and, even �f someth�ng 39