Watch my latest dance video, Gravity Illusions on Hills: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FisaHV2hQYc Follow me for new dance videos: Facebook: http://facebook.com/iamkarenx Instagram: http://instagram.com/karenxcheng Vine: https://vine.co/karenxcheng Booking inquiries: karenxcheng (at) gmail (dot) com Watch my TEDx talk about how I learned: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gh1dyM6yxE ---- People who watch me dance today sometimes assume I've been dancing for many years. I made this video so you could see the awkward body that started just one year ago. Here's my secret: I practiced everywhere. At bus stops. In line at the grocery store. At work — Using the mouse with my right hand and practicing drills with my left hand. You don't have to train hardcore for years to become a dancer. But you must be willing to practice and you better be hungry. This isn't a story about dancing, though. It's about having a dream and not knowing how to get there — but starting anyway. Maybe you're a musician dreaming of writing an original song. You're an entrepreneur dying to start your first venture. You're an athlete but you just haven't left the chair yet. When you watch someone perform, you're seeing them at the top of their game. When they score the winning point or sell their company for millions — you're seeing them in their moment of glory. What you don't see is the thousands of hours of preparation. You don't see the self doubt, the lost sleep, the lonely nights spent working. You don't see the moment they started. The moment they were just like you, wondering how they could ever be good. Dancer: Karen X. Cheng twitter: http://twitter.com/karenxcheng blog: http://karenx.com Thank you, Pharside (@_pharside) for infecting me with an obsession for dance for teaching me so much of what I know (Pharside's latest dance video: http://youtu.be/AY0a1vUbpZ0) Thank you, C for inspiring me to dance true to myself for directing, editing, and filming this video Thank you, teachers: Pharside, Austin Gumban, Percy Agoncillo, Jocquese Whitfield, Amber Divina, Emerson Aquino, Boogie Frantick, Sandy Lee, City Dance (http://citydance.org), Dance Mission (http://dancemission.com) Music: D.A.N.C.E by Justice, Ed Banger Records http://bit.ly/156U5Kq This City is Killing Me by Dusty Brown, Innovator Records http://bit.ly/15jYoBO Day 365 Look: Pants by Lululemon http://bit.ly/16YMyhY Top by American Apparel http://bit.ly/1a4DRVo Shoes by Puma Earrings by Fender Location: BART South San Francisco Station