World of Dance is proud to announce its new artistic partnership and collaboration with the creator and lead director of POW! WOW!, Jasper Wong.https://vimeo.com/65145875

Jasper Wong x POW! WOW!

For those of you who are not that familiar with POW! WOW!, this week-long event held annually during Valentine’s Day week in February takes place in Honolulu, Hawaii, and brings together over a hundred international and local artists to create murals and other artworks around the city.Originated from the Native American term that describes a gathering to celebrate culture, music, dance, and art, POW! WOW! has now grown into a global network of artists that organize gallery shows, lecture series, schools for art and music, mural projects, concerts, and live art installations across the world.The festival is expanding to cities and countries such as Taiwan, Long Beach, Israel, Singapore, Jamaica, Washington D.C., Guam, New Zealand, Germany, and more.Check out POW! WOW!'s Instagram.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JM_U0qc-eGM

Jasper Wong x World of Dance

As you can see, the history of POW! WOW! is actually very similar to World of Dance. What began in 2008 as a single event, now encompasses a TV show, a #1 YouTube network, and two live worldwide tours. WOD's inspiring performance videos have driven more than one billion views online.So it should come as no surprise that the founder of POW! WOW!, Jasper Wong, teamed up with us! Among other projects still in the works, Wong will be the curator for the art activation at our World of Dance Orange County event at the House of Blues in Anaheim on April 13th, 2019.

A Bit More About Jasper Wong

Wong himself wears many hats. An artist, illustrator, curator, and art director, he is best known for his unique art influenced by Asian pop culture.He has exhibited his art worldwide, in places such as Japan, California, France, London, Mexico, New York, Hong Kong, Chicago, and Australia.Wong is the founder of a gallery in Hong Kong called ABOVE SECOND, the co-founder of a community center in Hawaii called LANA LANE STUDIOS, the creator of a YouTube channel for kids that features animated YouTubers called "LOONY GOONY," and the co-owner of an apparel brand for kids called BIG BAD WOLF. He is also currently producing a video game in Austria, and toys in Singapore.

In the midst of his extremely busy schedule, we asked him a few questions about his new, exciting collaboration with World of Dance. Scroll down below to read his answers.

WOD: What was your first source of inspiration that led you to this artistic, unique path of creativity?

Wong: Saturday morning cartoons. As a child, I would spend hours plopped in front of a television set to witness the adventures of mystery solving dogs, mutated turtles in sewers, miniature villages of blue creatures, and families of cave men. These cartoons alongside my unhealthy obsession with comic books inspired and informed every aspect of my life. My personal work is often populated by colorful explosions and cartoonish figurative forms.

Being engrossed in art has impacted my life personally. But, seeing the power of murals positively affect communities led to the beginning of POW! WOW! Our mission is to beautify, inspire, and bring people together through art in public places.

WOD: Between being an artist, illustrator, curator, and art director, which role speaks closest to your heart at this point in your life?

Wong: I feel they all have their roots in creativity. All of these roles are interconnected in some way like branches to a tree. To me, as long as I’m exercising my creativity and having fun it will be close to my heart.

WOD: Which ones of your work are you most proud of?

Wong: This sounds cliche, but it is my kids. They are everything to me. Success is really measured in the eyes of our children.Outside of that, POW! WOW! has been expanding globally in leaps and bounds. It is amazing to see the festival that we created span to over 15 cities. The like-minded and passionate family that it has created is awe-inspiring to me.

WOD: What are your thoughts on this new partnership with WOD?

Wong: I felt incredibly honored to have WOD reach out to us. I have been a fan of WOD for a bit and it is such an amazing platform for creative expression. I am happy to partner and connect with such an inspiring group of people. I look forward to seeing what the future holds.

Follow Jasper Wong on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay connected with his art. Don’t miss exclusive interviews, performances, and more from the definitive source for all things World of Dance.