So you think you can Waack?

So you think you can Waack?

Meet the Thai ambassador of new dance craze waacking

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Making whoopee with a teddy bear; displaying a picture of a butthole; donning a golden costume head-to-toe as "Nang Gwak" while dancing in platform shoes at Lumpini Park - these are some of the provocative things Pan Pan Narkprasert, 23, has done in the name of bringing the avant-garde to the Thai art scene. The performing artist/curator/choreographer/drag queen is at the forefront of creative expression again with his latest passion - waacking.

Before your imagination runs wild, allow us to tell you that waacking is a style of street dance and has nothing to do with what (some) men like to do in gym showers. And who could better explain it than Pan Pan who out-danced around 50 waackers and won first place at Waack Down in Singapore at the end of last month. The competition was organised by Singaporean waacker Jasmine Yap in collaboration with Dance Meets, the dance studio and dance event organiser in Singapore that aims to promote street dancing across Southeast Asia.

Guru caught up with Pan Pan to talk about the dance and its prospects of becoming popular in Thailand.

WHAT IS WAACKING?

Waacking was created in the 70s in Los Angeles within the gay nightclub culture. With its driving thumpa-thumpa moves and hard beats, disco is the choice of music people waack to. The term "waacking" was coined by Tyrone Proctor (founding father of the dance) who was a dancer on cult US music TV show Soul Train, which featured the dance and initially brought it to the public's attention. The dance has experienced a resurgence in different parts of the world over recent years.

"It originated from people throwing their arms around at clubs and having the best time," says Pan Pan. "In Tyrone Proctor's words, 'twirling'. The dance now can also be a fun battle. People waack, lock eyes, get up in each other's face but they keep going. They catch the beats and stop at the same time. It's super cool.

"I'm told few of the original waackers had to dodge real bullets while waacking in straight clubs," he adds. "That was how they expressed themselves. When they strike their arms they feel free because outside the club they can't express themselves. It's an escape from reality."

Describing waacking is not easy, says Pan Pan. "To me, it's whatever movement that the music provokes in you. When you waack you connect to the music, which can lead to unexpected moves - ones you've never tried before. It's like being a magician of music. Magicians do unexpected things and waackers are the same because they execute unexpected moves, making audiences perceive the music they may or may not have heard before in a different way. He adds that, according to his teacher Princess Lockeroo (who boosted the dance's popularity when she waacked in an audition for So You Think You Can Dance), waackers make people "see" the music as they interpret it through body movement.

For a description that non-dancers may wrap their heads around more easily, Pan Pan's boyfriend calls the dance "cheerleading on speed" while his dad comments it's like "swatting flies" due to the signature thrusting arm movements. We spent half a morning shooting Pan Pan who tirelessly waacked and posed while spectators stopped to look at what the heck he was doing. And, to us, the dance is like striking sharp poses while hitting the beats with your hands and body.

"Waacking is posing. Hand movements that capture the music - you have to catch the beat and strike a movement just before it sounds. And drama comes from the performance," adds Pan Pan.

MORE THAN MOVING YOUR BODY

Despite sounding reminiscent to what the Jersey Shore folk do, it seems the vast opportunity to be creative while performing is a big draw. "You put yourself in the dance and it allows you to be whoever you are," explains Pan Pan. "I feel other types of dance are associated with certain vibes. B-boy has a gangster feel while locking has a goofy side. Waacking doesn't restrict your creativity.

"Princess Lockeroo created propeller-style waacking. She's the first to mix martial arts with the 'helicopter arm'," continues Pan Pan. "Kumari Suraj [credited as the first to choreograph a waacking piece on So You Think You Can Dance] developed new jack swing waacking which is mixing old school hip-hop with waacking. Some waackers mix jazz or ballet into their moves. You can spin while waacking. You can do flexible stuff. Basically, you create your own style."

As if the moves aren't dramatic enough, there's also an element of taking on characters while waacking that makes people stop and stare. "You can't enter a waacking competition if you aren't in some kind of costume. You have to waack like a certain character. I've seen people waack as Na'vi [blue humanoids from Avatar], Superman and Wonder Woman. Waacking is also about the persona you take on and how the character shines through, which is a huge part of the judging criteria in competitive waacking."

For example, Pan Pan waacked as his anima Pangina Heals. The first name obviously refers to certain female anatomy as well as the Pangaea supercontinent. "I like the idea of unity, when the world's continents were all together as one before they broke up," he says. Prominent street dancer Tiffany Bong inspired his alter ego's last name. Pan Pan recalls, "I wore glittery heels in her waacking class in LA about four years ago. No one else did and she said to me, 'Those are some heellls!'  It dawned on me that Heals should be my anima's last name since I believe waacking heals people and helps them discover themselves. It allows them to be whoever they want without negativity and embrace themselves."

WAACKING IN THAILAND

Although Pan Pan has already been a serious waacker for about ten months, he is now setting his sights on promoting the scene in Thailand. He teaches waacking classes and incorporates it in his works. Although his prize for winnning Waack Down was small, Pan Pan has made his name known as Thailand's waacking drag queen and has been invited to do a workshop in Malaysia. He will also compete in another waacking battle at Funk That School Rules Dance Battle in Hong Kong this Sunday. "Maybe if I win more, someone here may notice and help promote the dance in Thailand," he says.

When asked when he decided on becoming a serious waacker, he answers, "I didn't fully appreciate waacking until I met Princess Lockeroo and Tyrone Proctor in New York. That's when I knew it's a real culture and a real dance and how people throughout the world connect through it."

It was an affirmation and he decided to live and breathe it. "For me, I think when you live waacking, you surround yourself with waackers and you teach each other things. I learned so much from Princess Lockeroo not only about the dance but also about life and fighting for waacking so people will accept it as a legitimate dance."

Although Thailand has communities of street dances such as B-boy and poppers, Pan Pan isn't too sure about the future of waacking here. He says, "There have been some people here who have an affinity for it. But I do feel like you really have to live it. You have to keep learning. I watch myself dancing in the mirror and watch waacking videos on YouTube. I also listen to a lot of disco music. When I travel abroad, I meet other waackers and we share our knowledge."

Besides the issue of commitment, he adds, "Waacking is not easy so I don't think it will catch on quickly because it requires training. But I think dancers will love it because it allows them to freestyle. At many times, I have felt people here like to emulate choreography or be exactly like a certain dancer instead of dancing as themselves."

He urges everyone who loves dancing, especially freestyle dancing, to look into waacking. "It all comes down to enjoying yourself," he says.

When asked to sum up why waacking is so fascinating, he answers, "To me, waacking is an experience of bonding with music, meditation, and enlightenment all rolled into one. It's simply sheer joy encapsulated in a short amount of time."

WAACK ON, WAACK OFF

Pan Pan shares some tips for wannabe waackers

You don't have to be a gym nut to waack. If you have really big guns, the line of your body will not be cool. Waackers like moves that accentuate the length of arms, legs and body outlines.

Waacking can make your arms leaner and firmer because there's a lot of intense arm movement and striking the air with fierceness.

You have to really listen to the music. Many people can dance but don't really pay attention to the music. Waacking teaches you to listen to it in a new way. Disco music, in particular, contains many layers and it is challenging and fun to change your moves as the song progresses through those layers.

If you want to be a competitive waacker, you need to listen to as many disco songs as you can. Consider it homework.

If you don't know the song, you'll just have to fake it. First, find the drum beat. That's a given in disco and then you can try to get a sense of the other instruments. A waack-off partly involves improvisation.

Wear whatever makes you feel fabulous. You can be masculine, heroic or super glamourous with your outfits. I love gloves, MC Hammer pants and heels but your ensemble is really up to you.

Watch Pan Pan in action on his YouTube channel, WaackingP, or contact him at panpannarkprasert@gmail.com.

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