HELEN RAMIREZ / Bull
They dance as if no one is watching, moving melodically with the soft rhythmic tempo.
Tum chick-chick (slow quickquick) – the dancers move, fused at the hip, getting the rhythm of the music, then slowly begin flowing and spinning.
Ryan Wong dominates the dance floor with sister, and dance partner, Mea-Lynn.
Lambazouk, a dance that originated in Brazil, combines Lambada, a Brazilian dance, with Zouk, a type of Caribbean music, to form a unique style.
Lambazouk differs from other types of ballroom dance with its dip, hip and hair movements.
The dance is beginning to spread in some Southern American, European and Middle Eastern countries, but it
has not received much exposure in the United States. Wong, a 19-year-old sophomore at Pierce College, is determined to change that – at least in Southern California.
Born to a Haitian father and a Chinese mother, Ryan has embraced diversity. Growing up in Curacao, a tiny multi-cultural island in the Caribbean, Ryan learned how to speak five languages: Papiamentu (a dialect spoken primarily on the islands of Curacao, Aruba and Bonaire), Dutch, Spanish, English, and French.
Curacao’s cultural mix made Ryan a person who appreciates the uniqueness of others. “Curacao is the place that made me who I am from personality to dancing,” Ryan said. He credits growing up surrounded by family and close friends with making him feel comfortable and confident in his element.
All that support didn’t stop the bullies that Ryan had to face, though. As a child, Ryan was sociable, always asking questions in class. The “tough boys” felt as if they could intimidate him by calling him “gay” to make him feel inferior. Ryan said these negative incidents started to make him into a pessimistic and vindictive person. He began to stand up for himself by fighting back physically to protect himself from their abuse. “I became over protective of myself. I didn’t let anyone put me down,” Ryan said.
Ryan, guarded after these childhood experiences, thought he found a “sister” upon moving to the states a couple of years ago. He was there for her
when she went through difficult family problems, always lending a shoulder to cry on, an understanding ear.
Everything changed when she started dating, leaving him alone and confused. “I didn’t see her as more than a friend, but it hurt me so much that she would
just trade me over and abandon me,” Ryan said.
His hurt turned to revenge as he began plotting how he would get back at her for causing him so much pain. Then on Valentine’s Day, Ryan describes how they bumped into each other, stared at each other for a moment, and kept walking. After this, he realized that retaining pain and planning vengeance was not worth it. Taking his first steps towards forgiveness, Ryan called and wished her a Happy Valentine’s Day.
The resentment and anger he felt were lifted.
“I learned that things aren’t always going to be the way I want them to be,” Ryan said. Things change. People change, but we move forward.”
Ryan says that he has built an emotional wall since then that has made him get over things quickly and become less attached to people.
“I’m focusing on my goals right now, and I don’t want anyone or anything stopping me from accomplishing them,” Ryan said.
Pierre Bien-Aime, Ryan’s father, helped shape Ryan into the ambitious person he is today.
His father engraved in his mind: “Always follows your dreams. Always plan ahead. Always think of the future.”
Ryan said he took this advice seriously and began planning his career goals. Since childhood, he had always wanted to be a dentist so he began researching the classes he needed to take. Never the kind of person that just sat back, he said he has always been proactive in trying to find ways to achieve his goals.
Currently Ryan is a full time student with hope of becoming an oral surgeon. His goal is to attend UCLA and then on to medical school. Ryan said he wants to help people that lack confidence because of their flawed teeth. His hope is to make a difference in someone’s life by giving them a beautiful smile.
One of Ryan’s dreams has always been to move to the United States to continue his education.
Most students in Curacao move to Holland for college, but Ryan wanted a different experience. His hopes were granted when his mother, Lee Wong, was hired to be the new Los Angeles airlines manager for the Royal Dutch Airlines Company. In 2007, Ryan moved from his home in Curacao to Woodland Hills with his mother and sister.
“I felt that I was leaving everyone behind at the airport, saying goodbye to everyone and that was a devastating moment, but at the same time I was excited and ready for my journey in life.”
Through all the changes, it was dance kept Ryan grounded. Ryan’s passion for dance began with his first salsa class when he was 14. “I felt something travel through me; a satisfaction that was pleasurable and I realized that this is what I wanted to do.” Through dance Ryan is able to be another person, one who doesn’t have to worry about their next physics exam, but just someone expressing their complete freedom.
Wong fell in love with Lambazouk three years ago. Lambazouk arrived in Holland, where Ryan’s older sister, Leanne, lives. Thrilled by the new style, Leanne told Ryan about it. He began exploring the world of Lambazouk through YouTube. Those videos were the building blocks for Ryan.
“This dance just transfers me to another dimension that other dances had not. Its flow, its sensuality, is so relaxing. I go to a place where I don’t think about anything. I don’t think about school or problems,” Ryan said. “When I dance it’s like I’m a bird, flying away from all my problems and stresses. I get to a place where it’s just me and my movement. Nothing else matters.”
Pierce dance teacher Denise Gibson describes Ryan with one word: Determined.
His motivation to share Lambazouk with Pierce students has demonstrated his ambition for this innovative dance style.
“Dancers send out a range of emotions when they dance, not just one,” Gibson said. “And Ryan is able to flow from one emotion to another so gracefully. He’s amazing to watch.
A career outside of dance is Ryan’s choice. He always wants to look to dance as his escape. “Dance is part of me; I don’t want to see it as an obligation. When I’m teaching someone it’s all about technique. It’s not the same as enjoying the emotions that dance gives to you.”
Ryan has been choreographing dances for Pierce concerts for a year. He feels that these dance concerts have made people curious to learn more about the style. “I want to give the opportunity to let people see what I see and feel what I feel when I’m dancing Lambazouk.”
“Dance is my burning passion, which will always be active. As long as there’s oxygen it will keep burning.”
Ryan Wong and Kaisa Wailewska dance at the Halloween party at the Olive restaurant in Burbank. (Arash Ahktari Rad / Bull)
