Get Inspired! Get Moving!
ParticipACTION is the national voice of physical activity and sport participation in Canada. The organization’s goal is to inspire Canadians to increase their level of activity and to inspire society to make it easier to become more physically active.
I’m finally authorized to let everyone know that I have been selected by ParticipACTION to be in a television commercial that will be airing nationally on various stations throughout Canada, beginning April! My story (“Ballroom Dancing for Fun, Fitness & Romance“) was one out of almost 2,000 stories collected through ParticipACTION’s Get Inspired. Get Moving. campaign and posted directly to their online Wall of Inspiration.
It has been an interesting but FUN process to be transformed into a cartoon character! The animator took some liberties to add some “Latin” moves even though I’m a “Standard Ballroom Specialist” (Waltz, Tango, Foxtrot, Viennese Waltz, Quickstep) lol !
But more importantly, I hope I can help inspire others – especially men — to learn to dance.
For more information about ParticipACTION, visit www.participaction.com (do a search for “Ballroom Dancing” or “danceScape”). Or read my story directly at http://www.participaction.com/en-us/Stories/ViewStories.aspx?StoryID=1318
Here is the excerpt from my personal ParticipACTION story:
It was my parents, Aaron & Judy, who introduced me to Ballroom Dancing. I didn’t know it yet at the time, but also to my future wife, Beverley.
My parents, sister and I immigrated to Canada in the early 1970s to escape from the political issues in Malaysia at the time. My father was a Ballroom Champion in his youth, and decided to revisit his passion by taking lessons in Waterdown, Ontario with my mother. When they decided to compete for their first time together at a competition in Kitchener, my sister and I decided to go to the event and cheer them on. It was there that I was introduced to Beverley and you could say, quickly became her “secret admirer”.
For someone who has had to battle chronic shyness and dyslexia throughout my youth and adult life, I discovered a way to cope with those challenges through the sport of competitive Ballroom Dancing. When my voice wouldn’t naturally say what my brain wanted, dancing was ideal for me because I could communicate non-verbally through facial expression and body movement. And the skill of leading a partner around the floor made it similar to a game of chess, so it provided a fun way to challenge my mind.
Our hard work started to pay off, and ultimately resulted in our becoming 3-time Canadian and 2-time North American Undefeated Amateur Ballroom Champions. We represented Canada at five World Amateur Championships, competing in Denmark, Holland, Austria, Germany, and Japan. Having participated in other sports like Martial Arts, Tennis, and Track & Field, I was training and expending energy that was equivalent to what I did in those other sports.
In 2001, my wife and I left our corporate jobs and began a new chapter of our lives as Ballroom Dance instructors. We’ve been teaching people to dance ever since, with students ranging from teens/youths, young adults, baby boomers and seniors.
If dancing has changed or added to your own lives, please share!
If you’re new to dancing, please joing me at danceScape in downtown Burlington, 2077 Pine Street (at Pearl). There are some FREE dance lessons coming up at the May Open Houses. Check out www.dancescape.com/events for dates and times or RSVP at http://lessons.dancescape.com. Beverley and I also have an instructional video, “for absolute beginners ballroom dancing” 2-DVD set that was featured on CBC’s Dragons’ Den (portion of proceeds will go towards the danceScape Endowment Fund).
Today ended up being a really hectic day! I was conducting an Instructor training and development session, but the phone kept ringing. As well, my parents dropped by unexpectedly.
ParticipACTION had arranged for my first interview with reporter Carmela Fragomeni from the Spectator newspaper … unfortunately, I was so flustered and spoke much too fast during the first part of the interview. Thankfully, she seemed understanding, so here’s hoping that the article turns out OK. I’ve always had problems speaking “verbally” but remain positive that this journey with ParticipACTION will help me inspire others who may also suffer from chronic shyness and/or dyslexia to take the first steps as I have done to face their challenges.
The article will be published on Friday, April 9th! (Latest Update … check out the article online at http://www.thespec.com/article/750558 )
Just a quick FYI that I will be part of a radio interview with CIWV-FM/WAVE 94.7FM on Monday, April 5th at 8:45 a.m.
Whew … I just finished the radio interview with Kathy Hyde from CIWV-FM, Wave 94.7 (Smooth Jazz) which broadcasts throughout Southern Ontario.
Boy, that was nerve-wrecking, but Kathy was great! It turned out that she is the daughter of Vic Hyde, whom we have known for a long time as editor of the Burlington Post (I didn’t realize this, but Vic worked for the BBC before coming to Canada, how cool is that! He is now retired but still contributes articles.) Kathy mentioned that her brother is now with the Post so the whole family is involved with media!
Media interviews are always tough … at least for me. I love to write (I learned to type in high school, so the flow from my brain to the computer keyboard feels “natural”) but not so in “speaking”. There is something wrong with the connection from my brain to my vocal chords that causes these “gaps” when I speak, as well as read what I have just typed! At least it is a pre-taped interview so she can adjust if necessary! lol I’ll continue to use these opportunities as a way to practice public speaking, awkward as I may feel!
The other thing is that the interviews seem to pass by so quickly so things I thought would be good to say, I forgot. Oh well, I’m thankful for this continued opportunity to work overcome my challenges as well as inspire people to take up some kind of physical activity … especially DANCE!
You can tune in to CIWV-FM / Wave 94.7 on the Internet at http://www.wave947.fm or the radio at 94.7 FM in the Hamilton and surrounding area. (Update: The interview aired Tuesday morning, April 6th between 5:30 and 8:30 a.m. and is now available on youtube.)
Today was a busy day of media interviews arranged through ParticipACTION.
At 2:00 p.m., Jessica Clarke from Cogeco Television dropped by at the studio here in downtown Burlington to interview. She did all the on-air interviewing and filming – talk about multi-tasking! She wanted Beverley and I to do something, so we ended up doing a bit of the Viennese Waltz. Beverley is still recovering from major surgery so we tried to be as careful as possible! We ended the segment by teaching Jessica to Cha Cha.
Then at 4:00 p.m., I called Christina Commisso from the Burlington Post, who was a great interviewer. The article is expected to be published this Wednesday!
Many thanks to Nina from Hill & Knowltan for coordinating all of these interviews! It is so much fun to be part of the process and helping to get Canadians inspired to take up Dancing.
I was interviewed this afternoon by Linda, a reporter with Ming Pao (Toronto) – (simplified Chinese: 明报; traditional Chinese: 明報) a Chinese language newspaper published by Ming Pao Group in Hong Kong. How I wished that I would have listened to my parents and keep up with my Cantonese … will have to include that in my “bucket” list.
Linda was delightful – we spoke about how I started with Ballroom Dancing, who inspired me. It was pointed out that I am the first (possibly only) “Malaysian-Chinese-Canadian” to have won the Canadian Amateur Standard Ballroom Championship title (3 times) with Beverley, and North American Amateur Standard Championships (2 times). Definitely have to be thankful for being inspired by my parents, former coaches, and the Ballroom Champions of my generation in the 1990′s to early 2000.
Linda had asked about the early years and how challenging those would have been, especially with having full time jobs – yes, our whole life was centered around learning from the best, competing at events locally, nationally and internationally, and coping with the stresses that come along the journey from “underdog” to “defending champion”.
On further reflection, I feel so inspired by students who have the same passion, discipline, and dedication to excellence. Not everyone wants or is destined to be a Champion but in the end, it doesn’t matter. It’s all about taking chances in life, enjoying those special moments with the people whom you care about, and having the philosophy of life-long learning. I hope that people will continue to be inspired by my ParticipACTION story!
When I get my copy of Ming Pao, it will be great to have my parents translate. Especially that I now know what my name looks like written in Cantonese!
Last Friday, I had the pleasure of speaking to Mike Nabuurs from TALK820, Hamilton’s all news talk station. Please find below the audio transcript.
For more information about Mike’s show, visit http://www.talk820.com/shows/777732. Don’t forget to post your story about how you have been inspired to move, whether dancing or some other physical activity!
The past few days has been a bit hectice with more Television opportunities through ParticipACTION. It is so great that the media is helping to promote physical activity and movement through the work of PartcipACTION. Being a non-profit organization, it can be challenging to manage their resources, and to be part of the process is makes me inspired as well.
A crew from “Real Life with Sharon Caddy” on CTS dropped by the studio last Friday for a fun shoot. Thanks to Mel & Lynn, Matt & Carmen, Brian & Christine, and last but not least, Deborah with her two boys, Keaton & Cassidy were on-hand to showcase their dancing. Christa Costas-Bradstreet from ParticipACTION, along with myself were interviewed by Sharon. Beth Schular from their team was fun, as well as the camera man! We had some desserts from the Spring Practice Party the night before (thanks Lynn!!!) as breakfast snacks. More information about “Real Life” is available at http://www.reallifeoncts.com.
Yesterday (Tuedsay), another crew from CTS came for Connie Smith’s new show, “Good News Only”. Connie is a former anchor on CH Television and it is great to see her back on television. The interview was conducted by Senior Producer & Host Mindy Tweedle. Mindy said that she was originally from Hamilton, moved to Calgary, and now back in her hometown! She and the cameraman were fun to work with as well. Many thanks to Sarah, Vanessa, Kristine, and Matt & Carmen for showcasing danceTONE and Zumba, as well as the Waltz. Beverley is still recovering from surgery, but we managed to do a little bit of Viennese Waltz and Tango.
Just feeling a bit tired now but it has been fun being part of the process. We hope that everyone continues to be inspired to GET MOVING. GET DANCING!
Remember that if you have an inspiring personal story to tell about your own experiences with physical activity and movement including dance, post on the ParticipACTION “Wall of Inspiration” at http://www.participaction.com. You too could be featured in television commercial!
Frank Myers and Jessica Clarke from Cogeco Television were kind enough to forward a copy of their show, “The Source”. For those of you who are not from the Burlington-Oakville area, I’ve put together a “highlight” from the segment. Many thanks to Frank & Jessica for assisting ParticipACTION and danceScape in trying to inspire others to participate in more physical activity and sports.
For more information about TVCogeco, visit http://www.tvcogeco.com/burlington-oa... For more information about ParticipACTION, visit http://www.participaction.com. For more information about Ballroom Dancing, visit http://www.dancescape.com, http://www.globaldancedirectory.com or http://lessons.dancescape.com.
If you missed the danceScape and ParticipACTION segment on CTS’s “Real Life” with Sharon Caddy, we’ve archived this at http://www.youtube.com/dancescape. The interview features features Christa Costas-Bradstreet from ParticipACTION and myself talking about how people can get involved in all forms of physical activity, and especially Dancing!
More information about ParticipACTION is available at http://www.participaction.com. More information about “Real Life with Sharon Caddy” is available at http://www.reallifeoncts.com.
It continues to be fun and inspiring for me to be part of ParticipACTION’s vision to get Canadians to be the most physically active on the earth. I hope that others will continue to spread the word. E-mail me at info@robert-tang.com if you would like to help inspire others through your passion in dance, sports, or recreation.
Reporter Shawn Wang from Omni Television (Mandarin Chinese News Edition) dropped by early Tuesday morning to interview me about Ballroom Dancing. He had read the article by Diane Peters in her “Odd Jobs” column in Metro newspaper.
http://www.metronews.ca/toronto/comment/article/505802–taking-business-savvy-to-the-ballroom
It was wonderful that Fan & Hong were able to be part of this interview, as they speak fluent Mandarin. Of course, myself and Beverley spoke English, which they will then subtitle in Mandarin. I wish that I had listed to my parents when I was younger to continue to speak Cantonese Chinese … I feel so EMBARRASSED now because I have lost my dialect and accent. Well, there is still hope so if anyone comes across a good online course, post here or E-mail me at info@robert-tang.com.
The segment is expected to air on Omni Television this Saturday, May 1st from 6 to 7 p.m. Check http://www.omninews.ca or http://ontario.omninews.ca/?language=3 for more information.
In the mean time, please find below some photos that were taken during the filming.
Reporter Shawn Wang from Omni Television has just confirmed that the danceScape segment will debut on the Mandarin Weekend Show, Saturday, May 1st from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., OMNI 2 (Channel 14 in Toronto, Channel 29 Burlington/Oakville, and Channel 18 in Hamilton/Cogeco). It will also show on the HD Channel 530 at the same time. See http://www.omnitv.ca/ontario/info for more information.
The show will be repeated several times during the week (e.g., one of them is 8 a.m. on Monday, May 3rd). Look out for the 4th segment.
Shawn said that his colleagues love the story, and “so do I”! Thanks, Shawn, we’re looking forward to the show!
ENGLISH TRANSLATION
Many thanks to Fan & Hong Yang for providing the following translation:
Anchor:
There are many international Ballroom lovers in Canada, including Chinese-Canadians. In Burlington, a small town in Ontario, there is a couple from two different racial backgrounds and they have made great achievements in North American Ballroom competitions. Let us watch the story of Malaysian-Chinese, Lit-Meng Tang, who came to Canada at 8, and his wife Beverley.
Shawn:
Lit-Meng Tang did not yet have a series of Ballroom competition titles in dancing world, prior to meeting his wife, also his dancing partner, Beverley. His wife, Beverley, said that she was already the provincial champion when Robert started to dance.
Lit-Meng Tang decided to open their class to teach dancing when he was at his peak of dancing career.
Shawn dancing:
Lit-Meng Tang mentioned that international Ballroom Dancing consists of two categories. One includes Waltz which I am dancing, Tango and Quick Step, etc. Another contains exotic Latin dances, such as rumba, samba, cha cha, etc.
Shawn:
They recalled the time when investors provided them with the opportunity to give up their corporate jobs to teach dance; they said frankly that it was not an easy decision to make at that time.
They have about four hundred students to learn dancing in their classes every year. Yang & Fan is one of them.
Fan:
We do not only study dancing techniques, but learn passion and confidence. We understand more about music and dance as well as a kind of latitude to our lives.
Shawn:
Beverley said that it is far more difficult to find a dancing partner than to look for a spouse because dancing needs good mental and physical coordination.
Lit-Meng Tang and Beverley also impart their students with their own experiences and understanding of dancing.
Fan:
We found it also helps us to improve our communication and relationship with others by learning dancing.
Shawn:
While they enjoy their teaching and dancing, they are also keen on participating social and community activities, such as the Sound of Music Festival & the Celebrate the Brant Inn at the Waterfront, and hope that all old and new friends could join them to dance under clear night sky.
Anchor:
Ha Ha, I am very impressed with the pictures in which Shawn danced. Hopefully, he can learn more and show us in our next get-together.
This week has been hectic, and I was finally able to watch the entire episode of “Always Good News” …
CONNIE SMITH:
“We’ve all heard the grim statistics. More than half of Canadians are considered inactive. That economic burden is estimated at billions of dollars, and our children’s lifespan could be two to five years less than our own.
“Being active doesn’t have to be boring.
“The latest star of the ParticipACTION campaign to join the likes of Donovan Baily and Rick Hansen is a Ballroom Dancer! AGN’s Mindy Tweedle hits the dance floor …”
Please find below a video excerpt from the show. You can see the FULL episode (May 4th, 2010) at http://www.ctstv.com/ontario/agn