“My name is Ching Ching Wong and I am 32 years old. I was born in Manila Philippines and grew up in LA. I have always danced. I lived with my dance teacher and her mom since the age of 13. I loved dance. It’s all I wanted to do and be. I danced for Northwest Dance Project in Portland, Oregon. I got the Princess Grace Award in 2015. I was Dance Magazine’s 25 to watch in 2017. Since leaving the dance company, I made my own tour traveling to 11 countries and did a lot of teaching and outreach. Since moving to Philly, about a year and a half ago I have been freelancing and doing projects for people all around the country. Currently I am working on zoom rehearsals with Para. Mar Dance Theatre out of Chicago.”
“A dual conflict of interest or agenda. I like to embrace the polarities within myself and also in the world.
How you see yourself versus how others perceive you. Does that really matter? All that matters is how you feel about yourself, right? Perhaps an essence, maybe not the essence, is how we can be good to ourselves and be good to others. Just that simple task can be hard. I was in a rehearsal the other day, and Noel, an instructor for Para. Mar. said “The amount of communication needed in order to achieve harmony is exponential. I love that. It’s so true.”
ON DUALITY:
One of my favorite things is to see the irony in situations.
“Take for instance a typical Wednesday, the cover shoot with Lory Lyon and her Assistant Amelia Mook in the middle of my kitchen with lentils cooking in the background-meanwhile we have the flashing lights, the cameras, the glossy backgrounds-a beautiful world. Here you see the contrast of real life and kind of shiny put together look on the other side of the camera. Holding both sides is life.“
Life is duality. Life is having both of those things.
Does Dance have a Strong Duality?
“Dance is not important at all. At the same time, dance is the most important. I think those two statements really are true and honest and alive in every moment. This is something beautiful about art. These dichotomies can live and exist in the same world at the same time. The most beautiful things and favorite things are not understood completely.”