Tom Tsai

Full Name: Thomas Tsai

Chinese Name: 蔡旭東

Birthdate: September 28

Inspirations: Cai Guo Qiang, Lil John Footwork Fanatix, Michel Gondry, Style Elements, Trisha Brown; crew, collaborators, teachers, Taiwan

Music: Alternative Hip Hop, Breaks, Funk, Indie Pop, everything else.

Movies/TV Shows: Eternal Sunshine, The Prestige, The Thing; Breaking Bad, Party Down

Books: Scar Tissue by Anthony Kiedis, Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor

Favorite Quotes:

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must do what you’ve never done” – paraphrased from Drina Reed

“That’s not dance, that’s performance art!”

“How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live” – Henry David Thoreau

Tom Tsai Biography:

Thomas (Tom) Tsai followed in the footsteps of his brother Rob, first learning Breaking in 2001, and then taking a chance by enrolling in a Modern dance class in 2003. Lacking physical prowess and a technical background, he found intrigue in the creative element, discovering fulfillment in choreographic exploration and experimentation. After graduating from TAS, Tom attended university in Seattle and became involved in the local B-boy scene. However, an absence of Modern/Contemporary dance in his life resulted in a transfer to Pitzer College in Claremont, California, where he began pursuing dance academically. Closer to the rest of the crew, Tom contributed to the growing presence of Instant Noodles in Southern California’s B-boy scene.

Through his studies and dance collaborations, Tom became drawn to concepts behind Postmodern dance and Cinéma Vérité, where the artistic medium could be used as a tool to study, reference, challenge and influence social expectations, as well as the medium itself. Tom graduated in 2009, finally able to commit fully to his B-boy craft, developing his style based on conceptual movement exploration with musical adaptability. He believes that, as our bodies are socially, politically and historically constructed, the power of dance lies in the ability to embody, reflect and build personal contexts and interpretations. Aside from Instant Noodles, Tom dances with the Pennington Dance Group, and Laurie Cameron & Company.

Social Media:
TOMLIKESDANCE.TUMBLR.COM
twitter.com/asdfghjkltom