THE BACKGROUND DANCER
The platform sheds light on critical aspects underpinning the dance and performing arts industry through topics ranging from management, entrepreneurship, education, technology, fashion, choreography, politics, interdisciplinarity, media and wellness. Host Jason Yap details fascinating and useful information to help deepen your knowledge of all things offstage, while exploring and preparing together for a post-performance career. Listen in for a bi-weekly conversation with dance lovers from across Asia, Europe and the US, sharing experiences and practices that are both intimate and insightful.
Jason is a dance artist, multidisciplinary producer and psychology graduate himself. Despite not pursuing it vocationally, he has still adopted many of psychology's approaches throughout his professional life - the concept of multiplicity and the performing arts as a 'whole that is bigger than the sum of its parts' ecosystem.
Ready to talk all things dance? Join us as we begin to foreground Dance in the Background!
New to the podcast?
Get a taste of our best episodes to date!
Artunio Talks 1: Is Social Media Suitable for Artists? | Timotej Vrab
Is social media suitable for artists? What are some of the challenges posed by Facebook or Instagram for artists and creators looking to build sustainable careers? While it might have been a great avenue to promote and networ...
Management: Producing Progress | Bilqis Hijjas
What is a producer in the performing arts? What does it mean to be scouring for not just an elephant, but a purple one as well! In recent years, the role of producer has received growing attention as more crucial shapers of a...
Special: Dance & Failures | Why Dance? by J-Cast
Welcome to a whole new wave of specials, featuring a roundtable version of the show alongside two new co-hosts in Jacob Caldwell and Joshua Sailo . Throughout this 10 episode series, we present extracts from our Clubhouse ses...
Science: To Dance, From Science | Edel Quin
Where can dancers turn to for an interest or career in science? The overarching aim of dance science is to optimize dancer performance and minimize injury risk for the prolongation of one's professional life. Edel Quin is the...
Bonus: Curious Case of Careers | Jonathan Collaton
Are you happy with your career? A certain Chris Rock once joked: "there are people who have jobs, and there are those who have careers." We spend so much time in the workplace and often neglect the all important question - Is...
Business: The Dancepreneur | Erin Pride
Do dance and business ever go hand in hand? How could dance artists maximize financial opportunity by gaining financial literacy? Erin Pride is an educator, performer and founder of The DancePreneur Academy , an online busine...
Institutional Leadership and Culture | Pamela Tatge
What does it mean to be a leader in the arts? Have you ever dreamt of heading an international platform which boasts both historical and current prestige? As far as dance goes dance, very few are like The Jacob's Pillow. Esta...
Recent Episodes
Finale: Season 2 Review Part 2
Finale: Season 2 Review Part I
Dance of International Relations | Urmimala Sarkar Munsi
Access to AXIS | Nadia Adame
Palette of the Modern Impresario | Paul Seaquist
Talking Circus with CircusTalk | Stacy Clark
Listen On
Recent Blog Posts
Dance of International Collaborations, Relations and Diplomacy in the…
Tasked with serving as a primary voice for dance and dancers throughout the Asia-Pacific region, the WDA-AP encourages the exchange of ideas and the awareness of dance in all its forms. Led by former president, Urmimala Sarkar Munsi, let's see what …
Accessibility, Inclusivity and Diversity with AXIS
Founded in 1987, California-based AXIS Dance Company has long been at the forefront of redefining dance and disability. Through world-class productions that challenge perceptions, AXIS quickly established itself as one of the first contemp…
Palette of the Modern Impresario
One of the most persistent misconceptions surrounding classical ballet, and traditional or folkloric genres in general, is the notion that they are too old-fashioned and rigid. However, true arts enthusiasts recognize the inherent diversity and mult…
About the Hosts
Cindy Ng
Creative Content Editor
Cindy was born and raised in Malaysia and began her classical Ballet training (Royal Academy of Dance) at the age of 9, under the tutelage of Datin Jane at Dance Space Academy.
Since moving to Hong Kong, Cindy has worked with choreographers from Hong Kong, China, Europe and London and performed in CCDC Dancer’s Homework, Perplexed Harmony, Beyond Restraint, Cat Derive, Random Position and Three Fingers at Arm’s Length. She has received the Academy Funds Development Scholarship and have an opportunity to participate b12 Dance Festival 2017 in Berlin and Contact Meets Contemporary Dance Festival 2017 in Gottingen.
Despite her body figure, Cindy has a huge appetite for many things besides food. After graduating from the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA), majoring in Contemporary Dance in 2019, she immediately joined the postgraduate company BODHI PROJECT Dance Company in the Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance (SEAD), Austria. She collaborated with choreographers from all over the globe such as Christine Gouzelis (Greece), Kuik Swee Boon (Singapore), JS Wong (Malaysia), Adrienn Hód (Hungary) and Leila McMillan (UK). As a choreographer, she made Amidst the F.O.G., Parasite and Pages whilst studying in Hong Kong and gained recognition for her skills.
Silver Yee
Educational Content & Outreach Manager
Silver Yee completed her Master Degree in Cultural Studies and Criticism (MA) from Graduate Institute of Dance, Taipei National University of the Arts.
During her MA study in Taiwan, she has performed dance works for local and international artists, including “Remember not to say goodbye” by Lucas Viallefond, “But You Didn’t” by Jack Kek, “Thought and Voice of the Body” by Kathyn Tan, Mary Wigman’s “Dance of Death II” reconstructed by Henrietta Horn, “Unspeakable” by Su Shu etc.
In 2017, she made her choreography and production debut, “Kill Your Darlings”, with Jason Yap in klpac. In 2020, she collaborated with Kyson Teo and Lim Thou Chun to create a full length site-specific performance piece “Where Souls Meet” in Kluang.
As a dancer and arts administrator, she has toured internationally including Japan, Hong Kong, Indonesia and Scotland.
Currently she is pursuing her PhD in Dance at Taipei National University of the Arts.
Jason Yap
Dancer / Podcaster / Producer
Jason Yap began his dance education after high school and trained in various genres including Latin, Hip Hop, Jazz, Contemporary and Ballet. In 2014, he completed a Bachelors of Psychological Science at HELP/Flinders University and was accepted into the Bachelors of Fine Arts (Honours) programme majoring in Contemporary dance at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA) a year later.
Jason has performed works for both local artists including Jack Kek and Kuik Swee Boon, as well as international artists such as Milan Tomašik and Mehdi Farajpour. In 2017, Jason co-produced his choreographic debut titled Kill Your Darlings. He was also selected to represent the HKAPA at international events such as the Paris Summer Academy and ISPaR (2017), CAMPING and Ponderosa (2018). In 2018, he initiated the interdisciplinary art collective, STAGE, and later received the Director’s Award for his overall contribution to the Academy. He most recently established his independent educational podcast, The Background Dancer (2021) and joined the cultural startup Artunio as co-founder (2023).
Outside of dance, Jason has developed a penchant towards interdisciplinary practices and aspires to become an entrepreneur and curator in the performing arts. He is currently an ensemble member of Divadlo Študio Tanca in Banská Bystrica, Slovakia.
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