Finis Jhung! Where do I even begin?!
It’s been an absolute dream of mine to speak with Finis for over a year now and I always thought I’d contact him when I had plans to travel to New York so we could meet and perhaps do this interview in person...
However with the current pandemic, isolation blah blah blah (everyone’s sick of hearing about it!) I thought there’s no better time than the present. So I sent him a little message and was so delighted when he was not only quick but eager in his response.
Now I knew his story would be good, but I was not prepared for just HOW GOOD it truly is.
At 83 years old Finis gives us a glimpse into the 1960’s where the ballet world was very different to the world it is today!
During this conversation we begin with his love of practising Hula and Ballet as a young one to the time he spent serving his country in the war. Then we bounce from dancing and travelling around the world staying in 5 star hotels to his epiphany by a hotel pool which led him into Buddhism.
If I’m honest, this story (this journey!) is the perfect escape during a time like this. So I want you to pour a cup of tea, sit back and relax whilst enjoying Finis’ incredible story and infectious enthusiasm. And what an amazing story teller Finis is. In fact I usually put a few more details into these introductions, but to be honest I’m not going to spoil or share too much more as no one tells this story better than the man himself.
But what I will say is that Finis does what he believes in. Finis doesn’t care about the rules of classical ballet and yet teaches (in my opinion) one of the most pure versions of it. He is unapologetic and hates laziness. And because of these things, I absolutely love him.
You are going to love Finis and I usually reserve my recommendations to the end, but if you’re after more you can purchase his book directly from finisjhung.com
Grit & Grace, Georgia
IG @balancedballerinas & @thebalancedballerina www.balancedballerinas.com