OMG Challenger #4 : Akiko

The Japanese Belly-Dancer

How much more exotic can you get on this show? We've got belly dancers from mainland China (Desert Roses) and now we've got a Japanese one. This one comes with her own fans and banners too! Her belly dancing stage name is 'Nadia' and lemme tell you guys, she is one hot ebi tempura. I had such a fun time interviewing her, she is just so 'kawaii'! I loved her accent, she speaks like the typical Japanese lady, very gently, with a certain lilt and while sitting upright with her hands folded daintily on her lap! Love it!

What do you do in real life?

I'm a company secretary for the President of a Japanese company. At night I perform at Shiraz in Clarke Quay. (Shiraz is a Persian restaurant.)

How long have you been belly dancing?

I have been belly dancing for about 4 years. I was recently the national champion for Singapore in a recent competition, just in June this year. I also just recently performed for the YOG (Youth Olympic Games). In the 2009 Asia League for belly dancing, I was ranked #2 .

Why did you join OMG!?

I want to showcase my culture and also showcase belly dancing. Basically I add other styles of dancing into my performance, like Japanese or fusion. I want to show my own culture and my own art, combined together, and show the people in Singapore how interesting this form of dance is.

What would you do if you won the $50,000?

Actually, belly dancing costs a lot of money. I need to use that money to invest in my dancing. One belly dancing costume can cost more than $1,000! I buy mine from Turkey, so I'll probably need to spend about $10,000 on just getting new costumes. I also want to invest in my learning too. I need to polish up my skills, so I want to go to Cairo again to train with the Master teachers. Each course is at least $2,000 - $3,000. If I have any left over, I will spend the money to invite my Japanese family to Singapore. I actually also want to create my own studio in my home so that I can dance 24 hours :) LOL! I am such a narcissist!

Who would you most likely challenge?

I want to challenge Danny Koh. The reason is because he beat my friend Fatima. She's my very very very good friend. I'd like to seek revenge for her. Her soul is in my body tonight, she's in Clarke Quay and cannot be here for the show.

Oh wow, so you know Fatima?

Yes, the belly-dancing community here is very small. I have done duet performances with Fatima and we have good chemistry. So I would like to beat Danny for her.

Would you take on Desert Roses?

No. They are here for the same purpose as me which is to showcase belly dancing. So no, I don't want to spoil it for them. We don't want to spoil it for each other.

What do you think of our judges?

They are quite nice, and they have good eyes. Their opinion is exactly the same as mine, like last week, about the Vertical Dancers. Their skill is very very nice but they are separate, cannot be one show. So yea, I thought the same as the judges.

Any favourite judge so far?

I like Irene. I like her comments. Her comments are very unique and straight and honest.

Don't you just love Akiko? She's so candid with her answers, I had so much fun chatting with her. I mean, who says things like "I'm such a narcissist" (btw, she plans to have her home studio near her bedroom, filled with mirrors so she can see herself dancing, like she said, 24 hours a day) and "her soul is in my body"? Who says that? The answer - people who have a good sense of humour and don't take themselves too seriously. Definitely not your run-of-the-mill belly dancer - you gotta check out her performance, the girl comes with props and a kimono. Very Kill Bill.

Catch Akiko/Nadia on OMG! this Wednesday, 8pm only on Channel 5.

If you think you can do better with your hidden talent and are just dying to be on the show, please, email producers at omg@mediacorp.com.sg. We all wanna know what kind of talent is out there in Singapore!

:: Pics courtesy of Shawn Pang, Channel 5 Marketing team ::