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Parallel Lives

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Name: Mey Jen Tillyer Age: 39.

Occupation: Oriental dance teacher, belly dancer and performer.

Career Path: I was born and schooled in Toronto. I went to university in British Columbia and qualified as a landscape technician, but after a few years I decided I liked dancing better. I started taking lessons in Oriental and Middle Eastern dance as a teenager and after I quit my job in the early 80s I started dancing for a living. I attended several schools and learned from some well-known artists. There is no recognised school and certification system for this art form, but the schools I went to are well recognised within the field of Middle Eastern dance. I came to Hong Kong for a visit in 1985 and ended up staying for a year. In 1990 I came back and started dancing at the Fringe Club.

I am now an established Oriental dance teacher in Hong Kong, I have built up my own dance troupe and we do regular shows.

Mey Jen's Day: My children have changed my life somewhat, but my passion is still dancing. I have taught from the studio at Jean Wong's School of Ballet, from the roof of my building, from basically anywhere with some space. I now turn down as much performance work as I accept as I don't want to be too busy and I have a small, but regular school of pupils and followers. I have five group classes a week and I teach yoga on Thursdays.

Sometimes I do a show alone and sometimes with my troupe of dancers. We perform for corporate clients, annual balls, hotels, the Hong Kong Cultural Centre, private parties, you name it. I'm fairly established in Hong Kong and work tends to come to me. A show usually lasts about 30 minutes and I charge $3,500 for a performance.

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