“When I first moved to Berlin ages ago, I didn’t realise how taxing the winter season was going to be for me. It took me till spring in the new year to realise how depressing it had gotten and how depressed I had become.” Subsisting in Tegel, Berlin, with her partner, contemporary dancer and multidisciplinary creative SueKi Yee expounds a grounding mechanism of hers, one which she employs almost religiously to keep her creativity alive and well. “I take long walks, and I do it as often as I can every day. It keeps me centred.”
A graduate of Aswara and a dancer for the ASK Dance Company after graduation, the Penang-born contemporary dancer returned to her hometown in 2019 after succumbing to a torn ACL. It was in this vacuum of time that Yee found herself branching into varied avenues of art to fill her days while indisposed. In her physical torpor, the dancer understood the connected nature of art.
If someone were to ask Yee to describe herself, she would say, “Before I am an artist of any other regard, I am first a dancer. I danced when I was seven. I did music, currently, I curate soundscape for my dance work and photograph as well, but I am firm in my belief that movement comes first before everything else.” In 2021, amidst global lockdowns, Yee emigrated to Berlin with her partner, whom she had met while recovering from her injury in Penang. When asked if her adjustment to Berlin was tempered, she explains that local food is not what she yearns for the most. Rather, it is community.
As she begins to unearth her past, Yee realises a pivotal factor that has shaped her as both a performer and a dancer. “It’s occurred to me that I have consistently made the effort to surround myself with artistic people. It is invigorating and enriching for me to discover new parts of myself in my community.” The world around SueKi Yee is a rich pastiche and reflection of dance and movement, one that finds a way back into her work as a performance artist. She emboldens her credence that every and any creative outlet feeds one’s artistry.
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