Today we’d like to introduce you to Ben Chung.
Hi Ben, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I started dancing in high school with a group of friends. I never dreamed that it would end up becoming my career path. I had my first taste of creating and choreographing while dancing on teams in college such as Kaba Modern and ACA Hip Hop. This was a time before YouTube and social media, so achieving “virality” was only possible through word of mouth and the sharing of videos via burning DVDs. I started to gain recognition for my choreography in 2004 – 2006, and opportunities to choreograph professionally began to pour in. I joined the world-renowned Jabbawockeez in 2007, with whom we won season 1 of Randy Jackson’s America’s Best Dance Crew. From touring the world to landing a headlining show on the Las Vegas strip in partnership with MGM Resorts International, I learned that dance wasn’t limited to dancing behind a recording artist or booking a commercial. I learned how to build brands and I.P. around dance. That was my light bulb moment. I am currently a co-owner of internationally known dance entertainment company, Kinjaz. From international dance studios, an apparel line, live performances, a full-service media house, digital content, a podcast, to consumer packaged goods, we have built an ever-growing eco-system of business ventures. I am currently stepping into new ventures that are telling stories around dance in ways that, again, I never would have imagined would be possible. At the end of the day, my simple love for dance keeps opening new doors for me, and I will keep dancing my way into new innovations that I hope continue to open doors for future generations and continue to elevate dance.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has by no means been an easy journey. Dance has always been regarded as a supplemental part of a larger project. With that said, it’s always an uphill battle to get dance to be seen as much of a “main stage” act as any other art form. Once you accept that people won’t get it until you build it and show it, the challenge actually becomes fun. The advantage of being the underdog is that you can catch people off guard. The thing that keeps me here is that, at the end of the day, dance is fun. It’s fun for me to innovate for dance by cross pollinating with different industries and creating something new that didn’t exist before. The challenges and obstacles are a part of the process.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m a dancer to the core. Starting off as a freestyle dancer, to learning choreography, to creating choreography, to being a part of arguably two of the most reputable hip hop dance crews in history, I’ve been blessed to experience things that I thought only existed in my dreams. The thing that I am most proud of is being a trailblazer for the dance industry as a whole by creating avenues that didn’t exist before. I am passionate about creating sustainable career paths in dance for the future generations.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I never would identify myself as a risk-taker in my younger years, but in hindsight, I’m an absolute risk-taker. The thing for me, however isn’t that I just love taking risks. Anything that I am truly passionate about, no matter how promising it may or may not look, I realize that I am the type of person who will stop at nothing until I figure out how to attain it. If it’s truly worth it, it’s worth taking the risk.
Contact Info:
- Website: kinjaz.com, kinjazpodkast.com, kinjazdojo.io, kinjabangnoodles.com, thejoseon.com, groovetime.com
- Instagram: @btek_benchung, @kinjaz, @kinjazpodkast, @kin.aesthetik, @thejoseon, @itsgroovetime
- Facebook: facebook.com/benbtekchung
- Twitter: @btek_benchung
- Youtube: youtube.com/thekinjaz
Image Credits
Daniel Primero
