SHAHIN

BACKGROUND

Shahin's journey went organically like he would say. Because all the steps that followed After he chose to dance came naturally. He was focused on school for the most of his teenage years and just did what was expected from his parents and never pursued one of his personal hobbies. Dancing and performing to different pop songs,(that he uses in his class till this day) this was always his personal thing to enjoy. For the longest time he was scared to follow that little boy's dream, in the time he was overweight and in the closet, this didn’t make it easier…

Until he finished school and decided he wanted to start following classes once a week. That soon switched to 5 times a week while trying out  different styles like streetdance, dancehall, locking, hip hop and house. 6 months after his 1st class he flew to L.A to follow classes for 3 weeks straight. He took advanced classes and struggled for life but also had the time of his life. He saw waacking for the first time  in real life and he could feel that this style had something special and it might be his style..

STYLES

With his academic background he loved studying and researching vogue and waacking, He invested a lot of time and it was like he found a big part of him. This style gave him a way to speak & express in a language that  made him become his true self. how he saids it: at this point my waacking language is  so strong that even when he would speak the “hiphop language” he would still speak it with a waacking dialect. We all search for a way to express ourselves in a language and Waacking is his language. 

Even though he might love house music more than disco music, the forms of expression in waacking and vogue feels more natural to him. That's not so weird because In a way these styles have a connection because they are both club styles. Back in the days the waackers would also dance to house music.

COMMUNITY

He organically grew into the Community and sees it as a  chosen family, sharing the common love of these queer artforms. A place where he found his voice and he wants to help other people also find their voice. This community appreciates and truly sees his potential. In different parts of the world he gets to give workshops, judge battles, join panels and more. He also got a crew and they helped him grow in creating different choreo’s and showcases. Archie Barnett, Tyrone Proctor ( may he rest in peace) and Victor Manoel are his mentors and taught Shahin a lot about the things he shares in his classes.

CLASSES

Who he is as a person and as a dancer are very much aligned.When you come to Shahin's class expect that u are gonna WORK!!! Shahin loves to do different drills to improve your musicality, polyrhythms(2 rhythms in 1 body). coordination, creativity, characters and performers. He is a passionate teacher and loves to challenge the people in class. There is a consistent group of people who follow his classes and who come to the events he shares. 

The first class is all about learning the language and the second class is about making it your own. Interested in learning more about waacking, then Shahin’s classes are perfect for you!