Updates and 2025 new year goals

Hello my dear subscribers! First of all, I sincerely hope that this new year of 2025 started well for you and that this finds you well, happy and healthy. I am part of those who enjoy having new year resolutions very much and this year is no exception. Apart from the boring ones (i.e. being a better dancer, doing better in my careers, being a better person … etc.), picking up blogging here again is definitely a resolution that is especially important to me in 2025. So here I am, after months and years of silence!

I see that my last post was in August 2022, and the one before in September 2021… It is with much regret and sadness that I admit having turned to Facebook, Instagram then LinkedIn, instead of this blog. During the past few weeks, I have thought thoroughly about the place and the consequences of these social medias in our lives. As a ballet dancer today, or more generally a performing artist, is Instagram a necessity? If so, at what cost?

During my 5-days vacation earlier this month, after a long series of Paquita performances in Opéra Bastille in Paris, I spent a few days in the south of France and had a very interesting conversation about Instagram and social medias with the director of a National Opera in France, who acknowledged that theatres now take into consideration the number of Instagram followers artists have before offering them opportunities ! Hmm… Therefore, the number of Instagram followers could be considered a general indicator of an artist’s popularity or success.

However, considering that algorithms favor certain types of content over others, and the huge amount of time we spend on our smartphones preparing posts, applying filters, adding hashtags, and of course, endlessly scrolling after posting— is it really worth it? I am becoming increasingly aware of the devastating effects of social media on our ability to concentrate and focus, the quality of our interactions with friends, our eye health, our mental well-being, and how we manage our time… and more. Because of Instagram, I stopped blogging here for years.

While on Instagram, we often tend to showcase how amazing our lives are, I am well aware of the “negative side of happiness” and I don’t enjoy “lying” about my life. Our followers consist of all kinds of people—friends, close friends, acquaintances we’ve met only once, those who are jealous but still follow, family, admirers… and so on. Here, in a blog post, I have the opportunity to dive deeper into each topic and provide my readers with the full picture, rather than just the positive highlights. I prefer to be authentic with people, through both good and bad times.

I’d rather catch up with my close friends over a coffee than through curated updates. I prefer spending my time reading, journaling, and working—rather than endlessly scrolling.

That’s why I’m setting a challenge for myself in 2025: to return to blogging here.

This morning, I took the time to read through some of my past blog posts—there are quite a few since 2013! So much has happened since 2022, and I regret not taking the time to write here. I was promoted to Sujet at the Paris Opera Ballet! I recently had the incredible opportunity to perform the Pas de Trois in Paquita—an unforgettable experience. Last summer, I performed in Hong Kong for the first time since becoming a professional dancer. In March 2023, my beloved Grandma Ah Ma passed away, and life granted me the chance to say goodbye to her in Hong Kong. And now, I’ve launched my own wealth management business for artists and athletes…

So many stories I missed sharing here. I promise to write more.

Sincerely,
Chun Wing

(Photo is me with Hortense Millet-Maurin and Clara Mousseigne after a Pas de Trois performance in Paquita)