Art in Movement: Interview with Dancer, Cobey Chang

SHE’S GOT IT down pat—the hip hop groove, the beat, the rhythm, the sashays and ground sweeps that enthrall an audience. Meet Cobey Chang, a serious dancer born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. Dancing since the age of 4, Chang was trained at the Honolulu Dance Studio and 24-VII Danceforce in jazz, ballet and hip hop. Of Chinese and Japanese descent, Chang moved to LA years ago to pursue her dancing career and has worked with Nike, D12, De La Soul, Microsoft Media Plus and EVE, to name a few.

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CM: You’ve danced since you were 4 years old. Which dance genre is your forte (and favorite) and when did you decide to take it professional?

CC: I love them all! I would say my strength is jazz funk/hip hop, but I love anything with a good groove. The decision to move to LA was the turning point in my career. Up until then it was more of a hobby (a completely life-consuming hobby).

CM: What has been your most memorable dancing experience commercially or non-commercially?

CC: I used to be part of a dance group in Seattle called Breed. We put on one last show before I moved to LA. It pulled together a good portion of the Seattle hip hop community. It was the last time that I would share the stage with a lot of those people, who I consider my dance family. It is easily one of my favorite, most memorable dance experiences.

CM: What has been the most challenging aspect about your dancing career?

CC: Staying true to who I am as a dancer and staying positive. You are constantly competing with all of these people who have the same objective/goal as you. It’s so easy to start comparing yourself to others when you’re in a room full of a hundred other dancers all going for the same job. As long as I remember who I am and what only I have to offer, I’m golden.

CM: What does a typical day look like?

CC: A typical day? What’s that?! Don’t have a lot of those, but the usual week includes work, dance class, working out, rehearsal, audition, hanging out with friends, then chill time. I do end every day with a little bit of reading.

CM: Do you live by a quote/saying/proverb/verse?

CC: The Bible is a general good source!

CM: What do you consider to be the three most valuable traits in a person?

CC: I don’t really have a top three, but I appreciate good, genuine people. You can just tell….

CM: Who or what inspires you?

CC: I look to the past, the music videos from the 80s 90s, like Paula, Janet Jackson, Madonna, and of course, Michael Jackson. I love old musicals. My favorites are Singin in the Rain and West Side Story. My peers/fellow dancers are also a huge inspiration.

CM: What are your top 3 passions in life?

CC: Spending time with people I love, good food, new experiences.

CM: Where is your favorite restaurant or food spot in LA?

CC: Aroma, In-N-Out, Korean BBQ in K-town, Bossa Nova.

CM: Your go-to news source or website that you always visit?

CC: NPR, Google, Wiki and Yahoo.

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See Cobey Chang in action with “What’s My Name” by Rihanna