The Man Dancing Behind the Camera

"I am a human being." He says this with a bit of a joke, but this inexplicable introduction ends up sounding like a metaphor - a creator with two feet on the ground, a "human being" who jumps between on and off camera, between reality and expression.He’s the guy filming dancers, and someone who never really stopped dancing — just switched sides with the lens. Behind the camera, another life unfolds.🪩 From the Chubby Kid Who Didn't Dare to Dance, to the One Holding the Camera“I loved moving to music as a kid. But I was chubby, got bullied, and was afraid to dance.”Kevin’s beginning wasn’t glamorous. But one day in high school, he saw a group of bigger guys popping and had a moment of clarity:“They looked so cool. I thought — if they can do it, so can I.”And so began four years of "chaotic learning," as he calls it. No formal training. Just dancing.Then came the camera — and everything changed.🎬 A Gap Year That Captured a Generation of DancersDuring the pandemic, Kevin returned to Shanghai for a gap year. By chance, his high school had some students passionate about dance — and they knew he could film.“We filmed 20 freestyles a week. Over 400 videos now live on our YouTube channel.”Only later did he realize just how talented those dancers were. "They were just high school students at the time, but looking back now, I met five ‘Sean Lew’ at once: some were famous dance teachers from Australia, some were competition winners, and some became directors."His camera didn’t just record them — it helped shape them.📸 “When I film freestyle, I'm dancing too.”Kevin prefers filming freestyles over choreographed pieces. And he always shoots handheld — no tripod. “I’m doing isolation with my hands.”“Because I used to dance, I can predict their movements — when they'll go up, when they’ll drop. I just follow with the lens.”He doesn’t record movement. He dances with it. Instead of pointing the camera at a subject, he turns the camera into a dance partner, into springs, rhythms, and breathing.“My best synergy is with Andrew. We’re like two springs — he moves forward, I move back.”This sense of "synergy" runs through all his work. A good freestyle video is not about editing skills, but about "whether you can predict what the other person is going to do, whether you can follow him in advance when he squats, and whether you can back off moderately when he is exerting force".🎭 Be a "photographer who dances" or a "dancer who photographs"When it comes to "how a dancer can perform better in front of the camera", the answer given by Kevin is not "expression management" or "find the right angle", but: "Know how you look on camera."Many dancers, even good dancers, are uncomfortable on camera. It's not that they don't feel confident, but they want to "look good" so badly that they start "acting."He encourages every dancer to get used to being filmed.“Mirrors lie. Videos don’t. Mirrors are too subjective, but video is objective. Film yourself. It doesn’t matter if it’s your phone. What matters is learning how you look.”One of the most inspiring stories? A girl who had only danced for six months. She filmed with him every week. Each time, she tried to outdo her previous self.Today, she’s at Stanford. Her dance videos helped her get there.📷 Dance Photography vs Dance FilmKevin also does dance photography — a craft with very different rules than film.“Photography captures a single moment. You have to hit the beat.”From timing shutter clicks like a drummer, to anticipating a dancer’s arc in mid-air — everything must be precise.At the Jam’s showcase, he took 1,200 photos and ended up with less than 50. "That's the difference between photography and video. Video is rhythm and process, photography is moments and tension."🎥 What Makes a Good Dance Film?Kevin believes a solid dance film has three essentials:* Moves that hit with the beat* A lens that amplifies a dancer’s intention* Editing that respects the dance’s rhythm — not overcuttingHe points to K-pop as a gold standard — balanced between choreography, storytelling, and visual craft. Some directors, he says, get too artistic and forget the dance.🧱 No One Teaches You How to Film Street Dance — So He Taught Himself“B-boys are easiest to shoot — they take time to prep and their movements are big. Tutting is brutal — fast micro-movements that demand geometric precision.”He even tailors frame rate to dance style:* 24fps for popping* 30fps for choreo* 60fps for house“More isn’t always better — it has to feel right.”🌱 A Dance Archivist Who Doesn’t Need the SpotlightToday, Kevin lives in New York, still filming and dancing. Kevin recalls many dancers who surprised him:* One only danced well to songs he’d never heard* One needed a huge crowd to dance his best* One thrived dancing in the rain* One could only freestyle when dancing with someone elseAll illogical. All perfectly human. Maybe Kevin is the same — not the main character on the stage, nor the center of attention in the spotlight. But the dancers in his camera, little by little, became themselves. Original podcast in Chinese: epContact him:ins@fatplanediaries; his Youtube Channel This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thetrygirl.substack.com