KODACHROME Presents: Andrew Ton & Chris Munar
Andrew Ton is one of the founders and current Artistic Director of Dancing’s.Our.Poison (dop) at Virginia Tech and represents Baltimore Dance Crews Project. He has grown with KODACHROME from the early workshops, definitely a veteran, and has always stuck out as a dancer with emotion and enthusiasm. Although he is known as a nomad because of all the places he’s been, dancing is one of his constants. Planning to continue his career in the Army, his KODACHROME family wishes him the best.
Chris Munar is a current University of Maryland, College Park student representing many crews including Ajnin Precizion, Tito Boyscouts, Major Definition, and Baltimore Dance Crews Project. This is only his second time teaching at KODACHROME showing major growth as a dancer and teacher. He shares his dance story and what KODACHROME means to him. Read the full interview here:
Andrew Ton
KC: How did you get into dance?
AT: Music has always been a big part of my life. I remember in high school or even middle school, I moved around a lot, so music was always my go to. I guess it was only a matter of time before dance really made it’s way into my life. Lucky, in college, I met Brian Gerardo. He invited me, he took me into Bamboom at the time and it’s been a rap every since.
KC: What are your biggest influences in life?
AT: I think a lot of things influence me, but number one has to be God. He’s given me a lot of opportunities, a lot of blessings, a lot of fortune in my life when it comes to the opportunity to dance, to travel, and amazing people in my life that I consider friends and family. When he puts those people around me, I think they really influence on who I am as a person and my style as a dancer and choreographer. So, thanks to God.
KC: Why do you want to teach and what is your favorite part about it?
AT: A better word for teaching for what we do is sharing. The community that we come from at school and sometimes even from where we are now, its growing. It’s not as big as New York or California. So what we do is we share with each other our passion and that’s how we grow as dancers around here and that’s something that’s really important for me. When I go out and teach, what’s really important is that we’re not just learning moves. We’re learning different characters, different mindsets, so that we’re growing as people and not just dancers. We really want to be able to hang out with each other outside the studio as well as inside.
KC: What is your favorite part about choreographing?
AT: My favorite part about choreographing definitely has to be interpreting the music. To sit down and listen to a song and to really have that emotion that the songwriter or composer had in your body and to physically manifest itself out, making that mental connection with the words or the beat. And to be able to show that to someone else and give them the right perspective that they may or may not have seen before, just to see the world in a different light.
KC: What do you do to prepare yourself before teaching a class?
AT: Before every class, I want to make sure that the piece I’m bringing to the table has meaning, it has substance. It’s not just throwing away your choreography. I wanna teach them there’s a certain character, there’s a certain feel, a certain emotion, or a certain technique that we’re working on. I really wanna make sure that comes across when we teach. It’s not about just thinking moves, it’s about growing as a dancer as a whole.
KC: What do you love about teaching at KODACHROME?
AT: The thing I love about teaching at KODACHROME is that it’s family. A lot of us had a lot of opportunities to teach outside of KODACHROME, but there’s nothing like coming to a place where you know you could walk in and you haven’t seen these people in a month, two months, six months, and it’s all love. When you come in, and you teach in an environment like that, I think that the students grow, but the choreographers grow a lot more too. It just snowballs and it’s so amazing to see how it’s grown and I can’t wait to see how it’s going to grow, and hope to come back again.
KC: If you could describe KODACHROME in one word, starting with “KODACHROME is…”, what would it be?
AT: KODACHROME is home.
KC: Thanks Andrew.
Chris Munar
KC: Who or what are your biggest influences in life?
CM: I would have to say God. Everything that I do, whether it’s dancing or anything, I do for Him. I give it all to Him and everything else falls into place.
KC: How did you get into dance?
CM: It’s funny, I actually got into dance by Kristin Santiago who is one of the other choreographers for this workshop and basically I was sitting, like I am right now, just listening to…I had a walkman, I didn’t have an iPod back then. I had a walkman and she called me over and I didn’t know her, and she said, “Hey! Do you dance?” and I said, “Actually, no, but I’m kinda interested” and she said, “Oh, well there’s tryouts, so come through” and yeah, the rest is history.
KC: What is your favorite part about teaching at KODACHROME?
CM: Teaching at KODACHROME is great. What I love is just seeing everyone’s energy, seeing everyone’s passion. And it’s great because you can feed off of it, you feed off of each other, and that’s what dance is all about.
KC: If you could collaborate with anyone dead or alive, who would it be and why?
CM: One choreographer I would love to collab with would be Keone Madrid. He’s definitely an influence. When I first started dancing, people showed me his choreography and I love his style, love the message he sends out. I’d definitely love to dance with him.
KC: If you could describe KODACHROME in one word, starting with “KODACHROME is…”, what would it be?
CM: KODACHROME is unity. Everyone coming together, doing what they love to do, helping each other, and just building.
KC: Thanks Chris.
KODACHROME 