PUSHfest launches Oct 4 & 5 with an exciting lineup of local and national-renowned choreographers. We asked PUSHLab Choreographer, Kevin Wong @kewong215 to breakdown what’s in store for audiences this year.

1. Tell us a little bit about your dance background.

I grew up learning Chinese folk dance with my siblings. It wasn’t until high school that I started to learn Western styles of dance and that inspired me to pursue dance in my undergraduate and graduate careers. Now, I lean into Western improvisational practices with training in Hip Hop, Modern, and Chinese dance practices.

2. What can audiences look forward to seeing in your work at PUSHfest?

I focused on teaching my dancers some Hip Hop grooves, party moves, and social dances to reignite the play and exchange that happens in club cyphers. You will see some set choreography and freestyling from the group.

3. What are the major sources of inspiration for your choreography? What are you curious about?

Not only am I interested in bringing the party to the space, but I’ve been thinking about how the Bay has its own set of grooves similar (but different) to the vocabulary built through the club/street culture. Also, the site has so much art like the graffiti and structure. I’m hoping to use those to inspire the group to connect with the world beyond their own.

4. If you hadn’t chosen this career, what might you have been doing in your life?

I might be singing. I grew up musically driven and always gravitated towards sonic art forms.

5. What does your work respond to or activate, within this world or within yourself?

How do we invite the underground above ground? The party club scene is usually encased between walls and vibrations reverberate to increase the energy. What happens if we bring that to the industrial, open-air space?

6. What advice would you pass on to an aspiring choreographer?

Ask questions. Don’t stress about the answers, indulge in the curiosity of how you process the questions.

TIX: https://pushdance.org/festival

DISCOUNT: Support Kevin’s performance by buying $20 tickets to PUSHfest with the discount code: PUSHKEVIN

MORE: https://www.pushdance.org/kevinpf25

FULL INTERVIEW: https://www.pushdance.org/conversationkevin