Shaun Chen’s Kids “Laughed" At Him After Seeing Him Practice His Dance Moves For Leave No Soul Behind

It’s no secret that a number of celebs in Mediacorp are really good dancers. And they’ve been flexing their fancy footwork on social media lately.

From everybody’s favourite dancing grandma Jin Yinji, to mother-daughter duo Tay Ying and Hong Huifang, you can say the dance bug has bitten just about everyone.

And coming in hot from stage right is Shaun Chen, 43, who’s been showing off his moves on both social media and on screen.

The actor, who plays a has-been idol who dies and haunts Felicia Chin in Mediacorp drama Leave No Soul Behind has ample opportunity to get groovy in the show.

Shaun getting jiggy with his co-stars Rayson Tan, Brandon Wong and Chantalle Ng

After all, the eccentric Soul Ambassador 379, played by Rayson Tan, 56, who’s responsible for guiding and wrangling Zi Chen and his fellow wandering ghosts, is something of a dance fanatic.

And who cares if the moves are a little dated and awkward?

Shaun’s character is, in his own words, an “old idol” anyway. So, yes, his dancing in the show is meant to look like, well, your uncle trying his hand at TikTok.

Speaking of which...



He's a pretty good dancer, no?

8 DAYS: It looks like you’re into TikTok recently. What sparked your interest?

SHAUN CHEN: In our industry, you have to 'upgrade' yourself every once in awhile ’cos social media is all the hype now. There's TikTok, Douyin, and RED, these are all things that you have to update. Posting occasionally, and playing around, letting people see and making some noise. I think it's quite gratifying.

You've posted a number of dancing clips on TikTok and in Leave No Soul Behind you dance quite a bit too…

(Laughs) Yes, yes. [My TikTok videos are] a small teaser for everyone to see how bad my dancing skills are.

You don't think you're a good dancer?

I don't dance very well. I really have to learn and practice more 'cos there wasn't much time to rehearse [for the show].

Would you say the experience was memorable?

Yes, especially having to dance and sing at the same time for a scene. I had to create my own dance steps too and they have to be more old-fashioned 'cos of my character. I'm from an older generation after all.

Did you take dance lessons beforehand?

For the scene where I sang and danced at the same time, I practiced beforehand. I had someone teach me the dance steps, and then I recorded the lesson down, and practiced by myself at home for about two months.

I didn't exactly dance as well as I hoped to, I would have to watch [the scene] later to see how I performed (laughs).

Practice makes perfect

Did your family have any 'feedback' about your dance?

They just laughed at me (chuckles).

Are you the best dancer at home?

My kids [daughters Nellie, six, and Neia, four] are better than me for sure. After all, they do learn a bit of dance in school.



Don't forget the lyrics — Shaun Chen edition

How challenging was singing for you?

Very 'cos I had to rap, and sing really quickly. So I found a recording artiste who recorded my singing, which they played on set while we were filming the scene. It was really stressful, a real challenge (laughs).

Do you karaoke often?

I quite like singing karaoke and I have a karaoke system at home too.

So what songs do you sing?

Songs from the '90s, like those by Eason Chan, Jacky Cheung, Jay Chou. I actually only know one rap song and that's 'Dad I'm Home' by Jay Chou.

Leave No Soul Behind is available on demand for free on meWATCH. It airs weekdays, 9pm on Ch 8.

Photos: Shaun Chen/Instagram, meWATCH