Posted on 14 August 2011 - 09:43pm
This website has been created as one of many avenues I am using to raise the tuition fees I need, and as a means of presenting all the information that interested parties have been requesting into one easily accessible organised page.
I’m 26, born and bred in PJ, have been working in dance/musical theatre in London for the past four years and am currently in a perpetual mental state of screaming excitement mixed with extreme stress as I attempt to raise the money I need for the biggest opportunity of my life.”
FIVE days after these prophetic words appeared on her website, US$3,400 was raised in donations. Support came not only from Malaysia and the UK, but also from people in Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, Norway, Texas and even Kansas City.
Getting money for a Master’s degree in performing arts is difficult – funding agencies and conglomerates would rather see their funds being spent on those who pursue degrees in science, technology, medicine or engineering. Nevertheless, over the past two weeks, she sent out appeals to several Malaysian individuals and companies in the hope that some may see dancing and acting in a different perspective.
On Friday, she had good news from one of the many Malaysian corporations she appealed to for funds. Berjaya Group chairman Tan Sri Vincent Tan’s Better Malaysia Foundation gave her partial scholarship of US$20,000 a year – accounting for more than half the annual tuition fee of US$34,000 a year over three years to fund her studies. With that donation, she needs another US$45,000 in fees and an additional US$50,000 for cost of living, books and other expenditure in the US over three years.
If you think she is one of the ordinary, run-of-the-mill students trying to add an MA to her CV, consider these: she trained and studied at the London Studio Centre and obtained a first class Bachelor of Arts degree in theatre dance and even appeared in two Harry Potter movies.
Tan made her West End debut in the original London cast of High School Musical in 2008 at the Hammersmith Apollo. She has also acted in The King & I twice with two different companies -- at the Royal Albert Hall in 2009, with West End star Maria Friedman and Daniel Dae Kim the famous actor from TV show Lost.
She did the second at the Curve Leicester theatre early this year. She has also danced at the Brit Awards and has appeared in other stage shows in the UK and has appeared in several television commercials.
In an interview, Tan talked at length about her involvement in the arts during her school days in SK Damansara Utama and then SK Damansara Jaya. She credits several mentors who shaped her passion and love for the arts. She describes Kam Sun-Yoke, of the Operafest Children’s Choir as “the most passionate person I’ve ever met and gave me the biggest chance to travel and perform”.
She took up ballet under Lee Yupin at Sri Wilayah Ballet Centre and Shirena Hamzah of Dancesteps Studio taught jazz and tap dance. Incidentally, she also had a short stint in rhythmic gymnastics under Khaw Choon Ean which has more than helped shape her as a dancer.
The Actors Studio Drama School is the only programme which is sanctioned by the legendary Actors Studio, whose illustrious membership has received over 150 Oscar, Tony and Emmy awards and whose current presidents are no less than Al Pacino, Ellen Burstyn and Harvey Keitel. It is run under the banner of Pace University and is considered to be one of the most reputable drama conservatories in the world.
She said that entry is by a rigorous and competitive audition process, and the method-based training it provides is notoriously tough and challenging. “This is without a doubt a huge once-in-a-lifetime chance to train among the world’s elite,” said Tan.
And that’s the reason why she is dead-set on getting to New York and her rather uncanny way of raising money via the Internet. She never expected the kind of response and within 72 hours, it had over 2,500 hits and more than US$2,000 in donations.
Together with words of encouragement, there were a few sceptics and critics, prompting her to give an appropriate riposte: “A special unique thank you to everyone who left messages to my first post below -- not just the many eloquent and encouraging responses who are fiercely supportive of this but also the few haters. You remind me everyday just how much I believe in what I do and how important it is to fight against the ignorance and stupidity you display.”
With just less than half the money needed having been raised, Tan is confident that she would be able to get the full amount before the course starts next month. She is hopeful other Malaysian companies, organisations and individuals will emulate the Better Malaysia Foundation and enable her to achieve her ambitions in what has been described as the “biggest opportunity of my life”. For details, go to: www.samanthatan.co.uk
R. Nadeswaran was captivated meeting a young Malaysian woman who has her feet on the ground, head properly screwed and so fervent about what she has done and passionate about what she wants to achieve. Comments: citizen-nadesthesundaily.com
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