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Dancer's Spotlight: meet Ili!

Each month we'll be highlighting a new Dance Central fan in the Dancer’s Spotlight! These pieces will give us a chance to recognize some of our most dedicated and inspiring Dance Central community members, and give you a chance to meet your fellow dancers! We'll talk with cosplayers, Fitness Challenge participants, artists, and more, so check back each month to see whose turn it is in the Spotlight.


MEET THE DANCER

Hello Dance Central-verse! I’m Ili. I go by nekofruit or isacchili (spelling varies) around the internet. I'm 17 years old and I live in this hot and humid country called Malaysia. This means I’m taking my Malaysian Certificate of Education (something like O-Level or SATs) this year. I love to draw, play video games, read comics and the list goes on. I’m also the owner of @whatthebodie on Twitter.

Here’s a hub of some of the sites I’m at: http://flavors.me/nekofruit

Art by Ili

Dance Central Beginnings

My best friend, who goes by maru on the internet, showed me some Dance Central videos on YouTube in 2011. I remember the first few songs I watched were "Poison," "Maneater," and "Just Dance" with Angel, Emilia, and Dare as dancers. At that time, I was really into rhythm games and I played DanceDance Revolution and ParaPara Paradise a lot. Dancing is also one of my favorite past-times, so naturally I fell in love with Dance Central. Towards the end of 2011, I got an Xbox 360 along with the Kinect and Dance Central 2. OK, I admit it, DC was the sole reason I got the Xbox 360.

Artist Motivation

Currently I have had no formal training. Others say that I’m naturally talented. I've always been fond of art since I was young but I have only started grinding myself to where I am now when I really got into Anime and Manga at the age of 11. Next year, I’m hoping to get into an art school for further studies! I’ve always wanted to pursue my dream of having a job related to art.

Art by Ili

I use both traditional and digital art mediums but mostly digital for the more finished pieces. I like to use brush pens for my traditional sketches and line art. My traditional line arts are heavily influenced by American comic books (I’m a Marvel fan). As for digital, I use a CTL-460 Wacom Bamboo Pen and Photoshop. I do a lot of digital paintings and my inspiration comes from a variety of artists on the internet, concept artists, illustrators and my friends. You can check out my Deviantart Favorites and have a glimpse of some of my inspirations.

Creative Process

What motivated me to start drawing Dance Central fan art? The characters! It’s always the characters, no matter the franchise. I love their personalities, their character designs, everything! Bodie is my favourite. I like drawing his hair. It’s like therapy.

For Dance Central fan art (or any other kind of fan art really), it’s usually A: “Do I want to draw DC fan art?”, B: “Do I want to make fun of DC characters?”, or C: “Do I want to draw Bodie?” (The answer is always Bodie). Sometimes I like to draw situations from books I’ve read. Or I’ll just draw a character I like if I feel stressed, which is usually the case. Generally, I just think of something in my head and just put it on paper. If I like it, then I’ll post it online.

Art by Ili

Advice for Aspiring Artists

  1. NEVER STOP DRAWING! Draw every day! Even if it’s just a bunch of floating heads on a page or something weird and wacky.

  2. Keep a sketchbook with you and fill it up.

  3. Try out different styles and techniques for a change! Use different mediums and use the tools you already have!

  4. Get out of the house. Travel! Build up your creative library. Take pictures for references. You never know if they might come in handy.

  5. Make friends with talented artists. You will have a sense of wanting to be as good as they are and you will strive to improve.

  6. Always be ready to accept constructive criticism, and lastly;

  7. Practice makes perfect! “Go easy first, warm up, then let 'em have it.” Then “kick things into high gear.”

Art by Ili

Ili's Playlist Challenge

  • "Hello Good Morning" -Diddy-Dirty Money ft. T.I. (DLC)

  • "Hey Baby (Drop It to the Floor)" -Pitbull ft. T-Pain (DLC)

  • "Bass Down Low" -Dev ft. The Cataracs (DC3)

  • "You Make Me Feel…" -Cobra Starship ft. Sabi (DC3)

  • "Hello" -Martin Solveig ft. Dragonette (DC3)

  • "OMG" -Usher (DC3)

  • "Bad Romance" -Lady Gaga (DC2)

  • "The Way I Are" -Timbaland ft. Keri Hilson and D.O.E. (DLC)

  • "Stereo Love" -Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina (DC3)

  • "Lights" -Ellie Goulding (DLC)


Art by Ili

Final Thoughts

It might be early but Happy Eid to all who are celebrating!

Mini game: Spot how many Bodie references I made.


Check back with us the first week of each month to see who's turn it is in the Dancer's Spotlight! Think you know someone who deserves their moment? Drop us a line in the forums!