#funksters

Interview conducted by Beverly Luu

1. Name: Anh Dang

2. Age 20

3. Hometown/Current location: San Francisco/Irvine

4. When and how did you begin dancing? I started dancing around the beginning of my freshman year of highschool. One of my friends whom was really into dancing at the time actually started to show me some videos of certain choreographers that she had liked and I was instantly hooked on these dance videos. My friend then told me about a local dance team and encouraged me to audition for them. With no prior dance experience, I was sure I wouldn’t have a chance of making it but I just wanted to tryout and take the class to see what it was all about. I distinctively remember how inviting and welcoming everyone were and how positive the environment was. After meeting the director and talking to him about wanting to possibly join a team, he invited me to start coming to practices and just jump in on their set that was in the works for their next performance and just like that, I officially joined my first dance team, Junior Fusion.

 5. What dance teams or projects have you been a part of? I have been on Jr Fusion (F.U.S.I.O.N. SF), Funksters (Funkanometry SF), and Common Ground dance team. As for projects, I’ve been a part of Kenna Inc., ASL, Clarence Bitun Project, and Natalia Garcia Project.

6. What are you currently working on now? Currently, I’m not part of any teams because I just wanted to focus more of my time on school but I do still try my best to take workshops here and there. Being in projects also gives me the opportunity to still dance and perform without a hectic schedule.

7. What is the importance of a majority of SoCal dancers being Asian? I don’t think there is necessarily an importance in the majority of dancers here being Asian. It does, however, serve as a way or outlet for Asians, as well as other ethnicities, to come together to create a unique and welcoming community to be a part of and I think that’s why being in the dance community is such a great experience for everyone all around.

8. What do you think is the relationship between hip hop and the Asian American community? I think many of us nowadays are very drawn to the hip-hop culture. It was indeed very foreign to our ethnic group some time in the past but over the past decade or so, it has been more and more accepted as something appealing and has grown to become something familiar to us, especially in this generation. Hip hop has been structured into a different way of expression for many. Some of our traditional parents may have viewed the hip-hop culture as a negative influence at some point or another through stereotypical views but in this generation, we know that it is just a different way of telling a story and showing how we feel through music.

9. What does it mean to be an Asian American dancer? I think it just means that there is another outlet for us to use music and our bodies as a means of expressing ourselves and using dance as a way to take a break from our everyday lives. You can be stressed or caught up with everything that’s going on in your life but when you’re dancing, whether it’s in a class or with a team, the positive and uplifting energy from the people around you will tend to make you forget about those worries for a moment and just simply dance. It definitely creates a healthy outlet for us to be inspired by others in order to push ourselves to improve, de-stress through exercise, and through networking with others who share the same passion as well. I believe it also helps our character in one way or another because when you’re dancing, whichever piece it may be, you have to be able to really feel and portray the mood of the song and by doing so, it helps us break away from our comfort zone in order to find the side of us we may have not known we had. If you’re on a team, it also helps strengthen your ability to work with others and to cooperate as a whole. When your teammates are giving you their all, it is only fair for you to do the same for them and by pushing each other through positive encouragement, we all grow together, and that’s just one of the few rewarding aspects of being a dancer.