After studying architecture at Harvard and embarking on a promising career in New York, Apple Busakorn decided to choose dance instead. As creative director of Rumpuree World Dance Studio, she brought the dances of Latin America, and the world, to Thailand. Her goal is to get more Thai people into dance, which she sees as a tool for leading a happier and healthier life.
So Apple, how did you first get into dance?
I was in New York studying facility management and started doing ballroom dancing. My English wasn’t very good, and I thought I should do something separate from the Thai community so I wouldn’t only be speaking Thai. And because I like dancing, I started taking classes at the YWCA and in these little “old people clubs”. I went to Harvard to study for another year and stopped dancing for a while. But then I got a job in New York and moved back. I had my own salary, so every day I started taking classes in a different dance studio, and I started with salsa because I liked Latin dance. In New York you can take so many salsa classes each day. So my schedule every day from Monday to Friday would be: working from 9:00 to 5:00, dance classes until 9:00, then a club from 10:00 until midnight. Then every weekend I would go to a big social dance party.
Would you go to the famous Jimmy Anton social?
Yes, I actually danced at the Jimmy Anton social for a total of 15 years. I started dancing Salsa in 1999, so I studied with basically all of the teachers in New York.
Who were your top three salsa teachers in New York?
Eddie Torres, Frankie Martinez, and another guy named Carlos Konig. Everyone has a different style, and their own identity. They’re very confident to actually talk to you or share things with you, and you learn from each other that way.
Would you say that social dancing was your key to socializing with people from different cultures?
Yes because, as I said, I wanted to improve my English. But in New York you don’t only meet Americans because it’s a melting pot. So I learned a lot from hanging out with people from different cultures. In the salsa community, they were mostly from Central America. So that’s how I learned about their culture – through dance
So would you say that dance opened your mind to another culture, and what attracted you to that culture?
You know, it makes you an open-minded person and helps you learn to accept that people approach things in ways you don’t expect them to or that you’re not used to. You know, in a lot of cultures, like in Thailand, dance is not very male-oriented, I would say. But in Latin culture it’s very macho. So I also learned different things about how men treat movement, and many other aspects of life. And it’s true that you learn how to socialize with people from different backgrounds, of a different age, with different jobs. Through dance you could be hanging out with anyone from a carpenter to a lawyer. Dancing teaches you how to adjust yourself, to talk in different situations and to different people.
So how did you go from New York to Rumpuree in Bangkok?
I lived there for about twelve years, and at the time I decided that I probably should come back to Thailand to be with my family. When I moved back, I thought that maybe I should start something here because I really connected to dance, so that I could meet people who actually like to dance like myself, and so that we can share something. It was 2005 when I moved back, and in Thailand, there was nobody that was serious about “cultural” dancing. So I thought – OK maybe I will open a studio and see what happens. In the beginning, I opened only one on the second floor of La Rueda and taught for a while. Then I opened a place here in Amarin Plaza and got the opportunity to expand, so I expanded.
What classes did you start offering? Did you start with Salsa?
Yes, New York Salsa, Belly dance and Afro Caribbean dance.
As artistic director of Rumpuree, what’s your goal for the studio 12-13 years after you first opened?
Well, the studio is successful to the point that we have become a community for adults. Because before adults, and by adults I mean people 20 or 25 and above, had no place to hang out, dance, and do activities like this. I would say Rumpuree is the first community where adults actually have the chance to learn to dance and to explore their own passion. My goal is to educate people on Latin dance. However, we still access only a small percentage of Thai people. We are doing better, but I do think that there’s a lot more opportunity to increase that percentage.
And what do you think the appeal of Latin dance is for Thai students?
Number one is that dance helps girls feel more comfortable in expressing their femininity. Honestly, for the men, It’s not there yet. It’s much more difficult because – and there are many things I can they say about this – the way the salsa community developed for men has been very expat-oriented, so it’s harder for Thai men to come and join in compared to Thai women. This part is something I still have to work on.
Are there any parallels between both cultures or do you think maybe opposites attract? Why do you think Thai people are interested or intrigued by this culture?
Well, it’s fun. The music is very fun, and it is actually similar to the Thai music from the old times. So that’s how I think it’s connected. The only problem is that Thai people are very shy to touch – this is not in our culture and prevents Thai men to come to classes. However, I also saw the opportunity for kids to start learning, and this is why this year I started a dance competition. In ballroom dancing, there are a lot many competitions around Bangkok for kids, but after they are actually done competing, I don’t think many keep dancing on until they are, you know, 35 or something. And I think that those people could be good candidates to actually continue to dance as a hobby. That’s why I decided to work with Billy Fajardo in the World Salsa Summit. This is one of the top three salsa competitions in the world, and being affiliated with him means leading this competition in the right way. Now I’m also in the process of asking for the Princess cup for the competition.
You’ve mentioned before that you would like to bring Latin dance to high schools here. What do you think dance can bring Thai high school students?
How the men treat women, and the relationship between them. When I grew up, at school, we didn’t mingle and would stay on separate sides. In the classroom, the girls would be on one side and boys on the other. We didn’t know how to approach each other. So I think that if we bring partner dances a little bit earlier, and we teach it in the correct way, kids will actually understand how to respect each other using dance as a tool. Also, like with the dance group Swing Latino, you can get some kids out of trouble using dance, because it is physical activity. So they can concentrate on that versus going somewhere else and maybe doing drugs, gambling etc.
What about skills? What kind of skills do you think that dance can bring Thai students that would then help them to be successful in other academic subjects?
Concentration. Because they have to focus and they have to remember things and prioritize them. Sometimes when you do dance, you have to learn how to layer your brain – like what comes first, what comes next, if your feet do this, your hands do that, and your face maybe something else – so it’s all coordinated. That’s actually so important for kids. Also, improving memory because they have to remember the steps. It also enhances discipline – if you are doing something every day, it becomes your second nature, and then you are on time to dance class every day. Most likely you will then be on time to your other classes too, and then to your business meetings as well.
Personally, what has dance given you, and what do you think dance can give other people?
Joy – and this joy means a lot because it’s the drive for you to live every day happily. Maybe it won’t bring you money, but it will help you to be happy about little things. That’s important because it’s the way you see life, and it gives you positivity. In dance class, we laugh and we don’t judge each other. In Rumpuree we never teach people to compete against each other. Everyone is part of a community.
Have you ever regretted leaving Harvard and your career for dance?
No, I never did. Because everything I learned in Harvard, I use it here. People might not think I use it, but I do. All these decorations in the studio, I do it myself because I’m an Architect. Then I do graphic design myself, and when we do a show, I explain how we should do it, experiment, and see what happens. I use everything that I studied, and I think that if I hadn’t gone to Harvard, I wouldn’t have made it this far.
One thing I want to do is to make dance classes something serious. Something as serious as studying languages or studying to become a doctor. Not just something for people who have no choice to study something else. We have a choice, and I choose to learn how to do a business of dance. So my goal is to make people understand the benefits of dancing and learn it seriously, not just move around and call it dance. With dance, you learn so much about yourself, and then you can deal with everything else in life. Sometimes people are very afraid of taking dance classes, believe it or not. So I guess we have to make it simple enough that people can start at any time, we have to make steps that are comfortable for adults. Sometimes adults question why they are learning to dance. With dancing, it’s not like there is an objective where you learn just to get a trophy. So that’s why they have competitions because they feel they have a goal. But then there is this physical, mental and social side of it that has a long-term effect and you need a little while to actually achieve that. This is what’s priceless because it will be in you and will never leave you. There is a saying that you have to learn how to be a best friend of your frustration. You learn how to cope with it, overcome it and grow up. Then you evolve.
So would you say that the gift that dance can bring you is a lot more than just a trophy, but actually long life well-being?
Yes, it’s a lifelong process. Many people don’t understand this because they think – what do I get from doing belly dance for 10 years? You know, it gets some people out of depression, it gets some people out from the problems that they have at work, or at home.
There’s also a lot of health benefits as well and they’ve already found a lot of evidence that it reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s…
Yes and dementia. Honestly, sometimes in belly dance we need to remember a choreography for songs of up to eight minutes long. I can see that people who start dancing in their mid 30s or early 40s have this problem because they can’t remember a section of the choreography for too long. But it improves over time because the brain is a muscle. The development is not very visible in just a short time, but you need to invest in dancing. Like when you learn to speak a new language, it’s the same thing. You need to invest.
So for you dance is a life investment?
Yes exactly, for everything: for well-being, and for a happy life. When you turn to be, let’s say 50, and you started dancing at around 30, and then you’re comparing yourself to a friend the same age. You will look very different. Because dance always cheers you up, it makes you happy, you have less gray hair, and less wrinkles. This is true! It makes you younger.
And so would you encourage everyone to dance? Anybody can dance, right?
Yes! Anybody, at any age, in any shape, and in any form can start dancing. They just have to come to the studio and do that first class. People say they can learn from YouTube, but I would say that’s very wrong. Because with YouTube you learn alone. It’s not the same as coming to class to say hi to the teacher and saying hi to your friend. It’s a community’s with a very different social experience. And it’s very personal.
Apple Busakorn is the Creative Director of Rumpuree World Dance Studio, and founder of Salsa Bangkok, a website bringing together information for the dance community in Bangkok. Since 2005, she has been organizing Salsa Bangkok Fiesta, South East Asia’s longest running salsa festival. The 14thedition of the festival takes place from 1-4 November 2018. You can get your tickets here.
Behind every dance, there is a story. This book will take you dancing from New York to Buenos Aires, immersing you in the local culture, history, and happiness with every dance step. Aliénor Salmon is represented by Gregory Messina of the Linwood Messina Literary Agency.
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