Sean Ng, the 25-year-old TikTok sensation, badminton ace and professional ballet dancer, is making waves one leap, smash and pirouette at a time.

Talking to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/wu.si.jin/">Sean Ng</a> feels like catching up with an old friend &mdash; effortless, candid and laced with just the right dose of humour. Between his articulate responses and sharp wit, it&rsquo;s nearly impossible not to burst into laughter, even in the hushed ambience of a <a href="https://www.hommesmalaysia.com/arts-culture-and-lifestyle/nobody-does-it-like-rosewood-bangkok">cosy caf&eacute;</a> tucked away in the tranquil corners of Ara Damansara. As an only child, Sean has always embraced independence, a trait that shaped his approach to life and career. &ldquo;I like doing things on my own and I enjoy making my own decisions,&rdquo; he admits with a grin. &ldquo;Though, let&rsquo;s be honest &mdash; some of my choices can be&hellip; questionable.&rdquo; But one decision Sean never second-guessed was pursuing a career as a badminton coach. His passion for the sport ignited in 2008 when he watched Dato&rsquo; Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan battle it out in the Men&rsquo;s Singles final at the Beijing <a href="https://www.hommesmalaysia.com/arts-culture-and-lifestyle/icons-unveiled-reinventing-farah-ann">Olympics</a>. The inspiration drove him straight to badminton classes in Klang, then onto the global stage at Junior Championships in Egypt and eventually to coaching at Team Z Badminton Academy. But badminton is just one chapter in Sean&rsquo;s multifaceted story. True to his Capricorn spirit, he refuses to stay still, constantly seeking new challenges to hone his talents. Whether it&rsquo;s singing, modelling or playing the guitar and piano, Sean thrives on exploration. His latest pursuit? Ballet. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s such a unique form of expression, and I love the challenges it brings,&rdquo; he shares. Beyond the graceful leaps and pirouettes, ballet has instilled in him invaluable lessons: discipline, dedication and humility. These principles have carried him to the national stage where he delivers every performance with a poised elegance. His journey is a testament to his philosophy: Anything is possible if you&rsquo;re willing to put in the work, no matter your age. With unwavering determination and an adventurous spirit, Sean Ng is rewriting the playbook &mdash; one leap, smash and turn at a time.

What drove you to dive deeper into badminton? It&rsquo;s all about passion. I started playing badminton as a way to lose weight when I was younger &mdash; I was on the chubbier side, and I didn&rsquo;t know anything about nutrition back then. The only thing I understood was that staying active would help. But as I got better, I realised how incredible it would be to represent Malaysia on the international stage and to have the world watch as you make your country proud. That became my goal: to play for Malaysia someday. How did you transition into coaching badminton? I&rsquo;ve always felt like a natural leader, and I genuinely enjoy teaching. Coaching allows me to encourage the next generation to stay active and healthy. What motivates me is seeing my students&rsquo; dedication &mdash; it&rsquo;s amazing when they achieve their goals. Sure, it&rsquo;s a challenge to keep everyone focused and committed, but that&rsquo;s all part of the journey. I trust the process and believe in my students as much as I believe in myself. What&rsquo;s the most important quality a coach should have? The ability to accept losing. Losing is tough &mdash; it&rsquo;s not easy for anyone, including me. But in sports, it&rsquo;s inevitable; you can&rsquo;t always be on top. The same goes for the effort you put in to become a winner &mdash; time, energy and sacrifice. Understanding that helps you grow as a coach and as a person.

One of your standout moments was representing Malaysia at the Junior Championships in Egypt and winning bronze. What was that like? It was surreal. I had a solid preparation phase back home because I knew the competition would be tough. I even self-sponsored the entire trip &mdash; flights, accommodation, everything. Looking back, I didn&rsquo;t realise I&rsquo;d come that far. But my passion for badminton pushed me to make it happen. Winning bronze on the international stage while representing Malaysia was a defining moment for me. It was the realisation of a dream. How did your parents react when you told them you were flying to Egypt for the championship? Honestly, they were super chill. I thought they might get upset because I&rsquo;d already bought my ticket without consulting them. But instead, they were supportive. They joked, &ldquo;Well, the ticket&rsquo;s already paid for!&rdquo; [laughs]. I&rsquo;m lucky to have such a supportive family. What inspired you to venture into ballet after badminton? I&rsquo;ve always wanted to act, and I figured learning a variety of skills could set me apart. So, I picked up guitar, piano, singing &mdash; and then came dance. I was torn between hip- hop and ballet but decided to try both. Ballet, though, really clicked for me. It felt unique, and I wanted to challenge the stereotype that ballet isn&rsquo;t for men. I saw it as an opportunity to make the art form more diverse and open to everyone.

" I want to leave a mark that uplifts, not just entertains."

Starting ballet later in life must come with challenges, especially alongside younger, more flexible dancers. How do you handle that? I look at them as motivation. Their flexibility and skill push me to work harder. I know it&rsquo;ll take time to reach their level, but I&rsquo;m patient. They&rsquo;ve also been incredibly supportive &mdash; we exchange ideas and help each other grow. At the end of the day, we&rsquo;re just vibing [laughs]. Despite only training for two years in ballet, you performed three solo acts at the Break The Zone concert. How did you pull that off? It wasn&rsquo;t easy, especially with no prior ballet background. I owe a lot to my incredible instructors who helped me perfect my form and technique. My stamina from badminton also gave me an edge. Resilience and focus are qualities I brought from sports into dance. But my secret to learning fast is staying curious &mdash; ask questions, seek advice and research. The internet is a goldmine if you know where to look. With consistency and curiosity, you&rsquo;ll get where you want to be. How important is it to listen to your body? It&rsquo;s everything. I&rsquo;ve learned to pay close attention to when to push and when to rest. In badminton, the harder you train, the better you become. But with ballet, overdoing it can cause serious damage. Balancing effort and recovery is key in both sports and dance.

With such a demanding routine, how do you stay in shape? Weightlifting four times a week for strength and endurance is my go-to. I also prep my own meals &mdash; it&rsquo;s been a year now, and it&rsquo;s become part of my lifestyle. That said, I&rsquo;m not overly strict. If I&rsquo;m feeling lazy or craving something indulgent, I&rsquo;ll treat myself. Life&rsquo;s about balance. What does joy look like to you now? Joy is having control over my own decisions, even in small things &mdash; like being able to sleep in on the weekend. It&rsquo;s the little freedoms that make life beautiful. Let&rsquo;s talk TikTok. What&rsquo;s your secret to engaging content? I started during the MCO, like so many others. At first, it was all cringey fun, but after appearing on a dating show, I decided to shift gears. Now, I mix humour with my routines &mdash; badminton coaching, ballet practice and daily life. My goal is to entertain while staying authentic. How has social media impacted your journey as a sportsman, dancer and creator? It&rsquo;s been transformative. The internet opens up endless possibilities, but it also holds you accountable. You&rsquo;re always being watched &mdash; by strangers, by family &mdash; and that drives me to create meaningful, positive content. I want to leave a mark that uplifts, not just entertains.

CREDITS: Creative Direction &amp; Words Syazil Abd Rahim Photography Lobach Grooming &amp; Hair Joey Yap Styling Assistant Fekar Khairul

Interview: On the floor with Sean Ng

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