NATASHA LEE
Today, we have Hong Kong-born b-girl, traveler and foodie Natasha Lee. Working as an account manager at a tech company by day and a dancer by night, Natasha reveals to us her London food and dance picks!
Q: How did you get started in breakdance?
I actually started breaking when I was in university at King’s College London — that was 10 years ago now. I wanted to try something new and university was the place to try things, you know? And ever since then I just kept breaking.
The first thing that really kept me was the community. The friendships that I made — up until today, they’re all around me and we’re still able to hang out and connect after university.
The second part is the breakdance itself. Being able to create, being able to challenge myself to do moves that I never thought I’d be able to do. There’s always room for progression and more that you can be learning and trying.
My goal for next year or for how long it takes is to get a 90s or 2000s [dance move]. That’s basically spinning on one hand or two hands, but upside down, of course.
Q: What’s your experience being a b-girl like in a mostly male scene?
In terms of being a b-girl, we’re definitely in a b-boy world right now, because there’s more b-boys than b-girls. But it’s been so inspiring to watch the rise of b-girls. There’s so many b-girls now and they’re actually able to do all the moves that boys can do too!
Q: What is must-do in London for first-time visitors?
There’s so many! If you walk along the river, you can hit all the main places in London for sightseeing. Also, make use of the free entry for many museums, especially around the Kensington area.
Q: Any food recommendations?
I really like the Taiwanese popcorn chicken in Chinatown [Ji Chickens]. And Lan Zhou Noodles for cheap but delicious beef noodles, open 24/7.
Q: Any recommendations for dancers in London?
There’s the Nike Dance Sessions which takes place every month, you can find more information on Instagram in @thecapsule.ldn . The Red Bull Dance Your Style street dance battle will also happen in May.
Written by Mika Sudjarwo