Not Your Average Dancer: Wanida Serce

We’re back at it again with another ‘Not your Average Dancer’. Meet Wanida Serce, your Brisbane therapist, one woman powerhouse and entrepreneur who is out here to change the beauty ideals in Australian media one project at a time.

Wanida’s dance career started like many others. She was put into dance classes by her mum at a very young age. However unlike other dancers, quickly realised her knack for taking charge which kick-started her teaching career. Sparked by a love of hip-hop music, Wanida recalls locking herself in her room and choreographing dances to teach to her (sometimes unwilling) friends at school. “In primary school, I would hire out a speaker from the library and put it in the undercover area and call everyone in to teach them a dance to my fave hip hop track,”  Wanida laughs. This streak of leadership only grew. Throughout high school Wanida took on any opportunity to put her choreographic skills to work. “Anytime we had a dance assignment, I was always the one to put it together.” From then, Wanida knew dancing was what she wanted to do for the rest of her life.

These days you’ll find Wanida living her teenage dream of teaching at all the major studios in Brisbane all while casually winning battles against the boys in a the typically male-dominated freestyle scene. She is actual danDespite this, one thing that Wanida says she has always struggled with is the beauty standards in the Australian media which have trickled down into the dance industry. “I don’t fit the mould. I’m short and apparently ‘alternative’ looking because I have brown skin and short hair. I’ve even been told by a choreographer that if I don’t learn to dance in heels I won’t get hired. I can now dance in heels and that still hasn’t changed anything,” Wanida says disheartened. When asked about how this makes her feel, Wanida says “It definitely affects me. It’s really disappointing because I have the skill set so why can’t I get hired?”

From seeing a lack of opportunities for dancers like herself, Wanida has turned this around for the better. Proudly saying, “this negative situation where I wasn’t feeling satisfied and I wasn’t getting work has pushed me to create my own shows and my own brand, Pink Matter.” Wanida now produces, directs and curates her own shows and practices what she preaches by hiring dancers based on their talent before looks. Through Pink Matter, Wanida has honed in on her passion for supporting and uplifting fellow females. The effects of her work is apparent through the dancers she has hired.“My dancers seem to have had a positive experience which has brought the community closer together. I always get positive feedback from the community who come to support the shows plus people reach out to me on social media about how they’re totally onboard”.

All in all, Wanida’s request for the dance industry is simple:“Represent what we have here. All the different people and cultures that are within Australia so people like myself can look to the media and can relate to someone. That would be swell!”

We hear ya, sis!

You can take a class in Brisbane with Wanida every Monday in Woolloongabba. No cash at the door, so book here!

Not in Bris? DW come to one of our classes in Sydney and Melbourne. Can’t make any of our classes? We do online classes too!