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As a 12 year old he was into individual team sports like running
track and wrestling. However one day, a girl he liked said if he
wanted to get better at sports he would take ballet.
He
discovered he loved it and did not mind being the only guy in a
class of 30. As a 15 year old, his mentors thought enough of his
talent to see that he enrolled in the Ruth Page School of Dance
in Chicago.
From the age of 16 till his 25th year he was a member of the
Dance Theatre of Harlem. Victor graduated from Princeton
University with a Phd in Fine Arts. In 1996, the King found his
first full-time teaching position in China where he spent four
years in Huhhott, Mongolia and Zheijian Hongzhou. His role was to
teach dance and choreography to young people.
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"I didn't know how to eat with chop sticks, but I learned
quickly since there was no fork or spoon to be found
anywhere following a 22-hour flight." he recalled. "Some of
the best lessons are learned out of necessity, like on my
first day of teaching I learned how to count in Chinese." |
He worked primarily with the Central Ballet of China and the
Hongzhou Song and Dance Group teaching ballet, jazz and hip
hop. "They loved it, They love the west." he said
His introduction to Brazilian Dance came by way of Carlos
Aceituno of Fogo na Roupa. After many months of
observing the popular Aceituno classes from the periphery, Carlos
approached the enigmatic future King with a simple proposition;
"Either you dance or you go."
"I
just fell in with them, going every Sunday. In 2002, I filmed them.
In 2003 I considered myself a member. In 2004, everyone was shocked
when I announced I was running for King." Victor recalled.
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Many at the King and Queen contest held Saturday April 10th at
the San Francisco Gift Center were surprised when Victor
Temple's regal performance was not awarded with a prize.
Committee Chair Peter Balogh Esq. in consultation
with the CAC Carnaval Advisory Committee and MNC
Mission Neighborhood Centers Inc. determined that a
"computational error" had occurred. Judge Carlos Aceituno
the founder/director of Fogo na Roupa had not been able to
vote for KING VICTOR yet the new King's score had been
divided by 11 rather than the 10 that was right. The CAC has
announced a CPA firm will handle computation in the future |
| OAKLAND |
"When I first came here I didn't
like Oakland. Now I really love Oakland.. It's the underdog
city. It's an unpolished gem. Other people may look down,
meanwhile we'll have out smug attitude sharing our little
paradise among ourselves"
King Victor Temple |
Victor Temple is able to focus on his work as a professional dancer
because of the support given by the Alice Arts Center which
also provides housing. The program, modeled after those in New York
City and Europe has no other equivalent in forward
thinking Northern California. As a resident, the careful study is
able to offer stage management services to many of the resident
companies at Alice Arts Center. He is also able to pursue his dance
career. Currently he performs as guest dancer for several companies
on the West Coast. He is also hopeful that the Oakland Ballet
will find its fiscal health.
"My
moves come from how a King would move.....As a King, your entrance
is very important, in a 3 minute grand performance. he said. He also
wanted to surprise the audience and with fellow Oakland Ballet corps
member Jenna Johnson worked in some stunning ballet moves. Most
Americans credit the Greeks for laying the foundation of Western
Civilization but many of the great Greek minds were schooled in
Egypt also known as Northeastern Africa. This is where the King's
family lived before being transported as slaves to Jamaica. In
studying for his performance, Victor imagined himself as an Egyptian
pharaoh.
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"I want to be
King of the people, for the people. Parties are fun but
we have to concentrate on the ones who are less
fortunate than we are.
I want to raise the bar a little. I would like to meet
every religious leader I can"
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