From K-Pop Moves to Finding Her Safe Space: Berdine’s Story

Berdine doesn’t remember a time when she wasn’t dancing.

“I started dancing when I was three,” she laughed. “My cousin used to blast Super Junior at home… and I’d just start moving to the beat.”

By kindergarten, she was already performing in front of parents. Primary school brought hip hop, then a move to a new house in Primary 5 meant a new school and a switch to Modern Dance. Now in secondary school, she’s part of Chinese Dance.

School dance was disciplined, serious and sometimes stressful. But Berdine’s favourite was still K-pop dance. “It’s just different,” she said. “I can be more myself.”

It was early last year when a friend, Windy, invited her to the YGOS Woodlands centre for a drop-in session.

Berdine lasted all of 15 minutes in the study area before she wandered into the dance area, where Joey, a YGOS staff member, was practising.

“Do you want to dance?” Joey asked.

That one question pulled Berdine into the YGOS Dance Program, every Wednesday after school, 3 to 6pm. Since then, she’s performed at the YGOS Fundraiser and at an NUS event.

More than the performances, it was the people that kept her coming back.

“I really like the staff here. They’re super friendly, easy to talk to. I feel comfortable around them. Like if anything happened, I know I can share with them.”

It’s a sharp contrast to the pressure of school performances. “At school, I have to focus on the exact moves. Here, it’s okay to just have fun.”

That sense of safety has opened her up in ways she didn’t expect.

“I feel like I’m more open to other people now… and if I’m sad, I can share with them.”

Her dreams? She has big ones.

“I wanna be a doctor… or a model. Or maybe both,” she said, smiling.

For now, she’s building both skill and confidence one Wednesday at a time, in a place where she’s free to move, free to speak, and free to be herself.

Because sometimes, the right place isn’t just where you practise your craft.

It’s where you find your people.