Dasuri Choi recalls her showbiz journey and experience as a foreigner in the Philippines

Dasuri Choi is a South Korean celebrity who’s making waves on television and social media in the Philippines.

Amid her achievements, however, she also had her share of hardships.

In an episode of “Tunay na Buhay,” Dasuri shared with Pia Arcangel how she got to the Philippines—and what makes her stay.

Dasuri is known by many Filipinos as a finalist on the “You’re my Foreignoy” talent search of “Eat Bulaga!” in 2014. 

Born Choi Da-seul on April 25, 1988, in Seoul, she showed interest in dancing as early as 4 years old.

To be able to continue performing, she said she needed to get good grades to prove to her parents that dancing did not interfere with her education.

“May curfew pa po ako, tapos kailangan ma-achieve ’yung grade na gusto nila. Pag hindi ko ma-achieve ’yung grade, ’yung next sem, buong sem, I cannot go to practice,” said Dasuri.

Fortunately, her parents allowed her to pursue dancing until college.

Dasuri soon started her career as a professional dancer, and at 19 she was creating choreography and performing backup for K-Pop groups, among them Yama & Hotchicks and Wonder Girls.

She later thought of studying abroad, but she didn’t know how to speak English, so her father advised her to go to her grandparents who were based in Clark.

Upon her arrival in Metro Manila, however, her grandfather just gave her a place to stay and left her to fend for herself.

Thankfully, Dasuri survived despite not knowing either English or Tagalog.

With her perseverance and determination, she soon got opportunities until she landed on “Eat Bulaga!”

Since winning, Dasuri had gone on to work in more projects, be it performing, acting, teaching dance, or hosting on TV and events.

“Para sa akin po, as a foreigner, kakaiba ’yung experience, tapos para sa viewers din po, parang kakaiba din ’yung reaction ko,” she described working on local TV shows.

She is also active on vlogging, with over 1 million followers on YouTube.

Dasuri and her family were happy with the success she found in the Philippines, especially her grandfather.

When the pandemic began last year, however, Dasuri lost some of her gigs, including her dance classes.

She then turned to TikTok, where she now has over 4 million followers.

Dasuri has also returned to “Eat Bulaga!” in a segment where she teaches dance called “Social Dis-dancing.”

Besides her show biz career, Dasuri is also the marketing manager of the hotel business of their family.

“The most important [thing] in my life is happiness, kapag masaya po ako. Attract the positivity and let go of negativity,” she said. – RC, GMA News