Sania Sit is a performer full of promise whose dreams were built from the shows she had watched, the artists she had looked up to, and the training she drove herself to take. “Start them young” as the cliché goes. But what makes this young lady extraordinary is her true passion that I witnessed and how it all began.
I have known Sania Sit since she was as young as 10 years old. Probably, even younger than that. When I was performing for the High School Musical show at the happiest place on earth, it allowed guest interaction and that’s how I got fond of her. It was there that I had met her for the first time. She didn’t let the opportunity go without participating that time. Following every step of the audience segment, she performed it like there’s no tomorrow. This led her to pursuing her own dream of making it in the limelight.
Now, her drive had shifted from not standing up for that High School Musical segment to not letting any opportunity go away in making her dreams come true. Advancing from being one of the audience to becoming a triple threat herself, she is now one of the most promising talent Hong Kong may just be more than proud to have.
Dancing every day is something that I take pride in. I am able to express myself through an art of movement that was present long before 6000 B.C. An expression that is more universally understood than a specific language. One thing that I find priceless about it is how it touches lives and how it inspires so many with its magic in storytelling. Here’s one to tell about how Sania is a living proof of that.
Time flies.
As I witness this beautiful girl bud from being one of the babies that considered going to Disney as something like Cloud 9, to becoming a beautiful young lady, I am more than proud. There are still many who don’t understand the Truths in Being a Dancer but Sania did at a very early age. She knew she wanted to become a performer that she pursued it head on.
IT ALL STARTED WITH A DREAM
My greatest ambition is going on Broadway to perform someday. Being a professional performer is my dream, and now, I am still consolidating my techniques on everything. So, I wish someday, I can head to the a professional, well-known musical platform to shine on.
– Sania
When you throw out your goal into the universe like that, you will eventually be given of the steps you need to take. But it takes a lot of guts, perseverance and self-confidence. These are the qualities Sania had always took with her in her journey as an artist. She wanted it so bad that she tried every training she met along the way.
“You would never know unless you try”, as she speaks of bravery in making it all happen. And to develop the skills she knew she needed to be casted in the roles she aimed for, she went for musical training programmes, acting workshops and lots of dance classes. She trained under the Theatre Noir and Face Production, Showchoir from Red Vocal Academy, Contemporary and Jazz by the Academy of Performing Arts HK and HK Youth Arts Foundation Program.
She mentioned of her greatest mentors named William and Angela who not only supported her dream but had taught her on how to exude the message on stage. The kind of performer she is at the present was built of a remarkable influence from them.
THE BIGGEST BREAK
At age 15, Sania landed a lead role in the musical Hairspray as Tracy and she was very thankful of the experience. The moment the spotlight touched her face made her realise that she was born to perform.
From then on, she had graced the stage with amazing performers alike. She had danced for a Hong Kong celebrity’s concert (Sammi Cheng). There were many dance festivals that she participated in and many TV-guestings. With her mom’s guidance, she grew up beautifully and intelligently.
While performing, Sania is studying Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in English at Hong Kong Shue Yan University which gives her an edge in gaining exposure internationally. She puts all of these together in studying scripts, experiencing life and putting it out onstage.
This also develops her emotional intelligence on a level where she is able to dig deep from the audience’s point of view. She is able to separate herself from being too conscious with how she looks while performing effectively. She understood early on that being ‘shameless’ is the way to be. Though she knows that it’s not something to be ‘brash’ about, she tries to empathise from the audience’s point-of-view when doing musicals.
With that, she practices her ability to express lines, checking on her delivery constantly. She checks on how she would react herself to it too. She lives up to her mantra of: “If she can’t expect better of what she delivers then how would the audience be able to relate to the role she’s playing for as well?”
The latest musical she was in, was My Fair Lady that ran in Hong Kong from June 9-11 last year. Along with West Side Story and Wicked, My Fair Lady had released its unique production with vocal mastery and unforgettable performances like no other. Not a little while ago, when I had shared their audition schedule in one my posts, one of the people who made it through was Sania.
I can’t emphasise more on how proud I am of her. She is very hard-working, very talented, committed and wouldn’t stop seizing every opportunity. Moreover, she delivers. And she remains humble on top of these achievements.
From time to time, between school and trainings, Sania worked part-time to gather more experience in acting and performing. She got immersed in the likes of Ocean Park Hong Kong and the world-class Hong Kong Disneyland as freelance performing artist.
QUALITIES SHE DEVELOPED
Besides the important skills of singing, dancing and acting, Sania didn’t fail in recognising the most substantial lessons of the art.
Discipline is always present in any craft. She continuously values this. And while considering this as one of the pillars of talent, she greatly considers relationships as the wheels of your career. She had learned how small the industry could get based on being one of the bests. Deciding to live a diva’s name is never good.
It’s a small small world among this industry, so you cannot offend or argue with others easily, coz someday you will meet each other somewhere again.
-S. Sit
Sania is a very warm person. She considers her co-artists as teammates in keeping up with the goal of a good satisfying performance. She’s aware that expectations run the business too. From the directors, the choreographers, fellow performers and most especially from the audience. She is quite limited with the roles she can portray for now because of her age. But she is the kind of person that is willing to adjust, expand and adapt.
She keeps herself abreast with musicals to gain more inspiration. She goes and researches different approach in engaging with the audience by looking at the technical side of every project then adding a sprinkle of artistry and creativity of her own around it. Sania pours the effort in reading music, watching how experts do it and in knowing connections that will help her advance into becoming one of the bests.
You see, being on stage is not easy most especially to people who had never been on it. Things could get awkward and inferiority complex can be sensed by an audience even with the slightest fidget. So, she puts herself out into meeting people with the same intent, people with the same dedication and direction.
HER OWN RITUALS
Warming up, whether if its for her vocal chords or body, is something that Sania would not miss in starting her day. This prepares her mentally as she intends to perfect her routine for a dance or a show. It keeps her centered and aligns her with her purpose. This is something she advices on heavily.
For artists, proper warm up is a security check of everything we need to use before going out on the stage. The voice, the body and more greatly, our guts to put it altogether in exuding an expected portrayal of the role. It’s interesting that sometimes, a juju is added.
Juju, meaning a ritual you do before a certain performance. There are people who pray, do a fist bump with colleagues from the technicians to the costuming assistants all the way to each member of the cast and non-cast members who take part in the production. There could be a secret handshake with your person or it could simple be wearing a piece of something like the lucky mascara, the empowering under garment or a big snap like how Elle Woods signs her every big move.
Sania had developed the habit of embracing diversity. When she did “My Fair Lady”, being one of the ensembles, she was thankful of the liberty of doing an array of personas. This enabled her to practice facial reactions, speech delivery and body language. Some artists could be really picky of what they take part as.
In every production, whether you’re a tree or the lead, choose to shine.
WHAT YOU MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT SANIA
Sania is fond of clothes. If she wasn’t performing, she’ll get involved with fashion. But I know come what may, she will still fall on the entertainment business. She’s vibrant with her ideas. She is open-minded to innovation and style. And also, she is fearless in getting what she want.
I remember how she cheered us on while watching our High School Musical show. How brave she was in coming out to dance in front of a lot of people at a tender age. She was clueless but was attentive.
To witness how she had grown into a fine young woman and still considers me the same way she did when she was 9. Still with the same enthusiasm. Still with the same gleam waving hello while watching the show. And most of all, the way she makes me feel when I perform is priceless. She and her mom never fails to show support. They never fail to shed light on us.
Slowly, she gets noticed at the streets and was asked at times if she was that performer they watched in my ‘Fair Lady’. She thought it was flattering and she couldn’t believe it that they recognised her as a performer. For her, it’s one of her greatest accomplishments ever.
So in writing this, I would like to applaud her back this time.
She made her dreams come true.
I know that she’s passionate about performing.
I know that she respects the art of it.
And most of all, I know that she deserves where she is now.
She inspires me.
Kudos to you Sania!!!!
