About Minh
“I’ve been dancing professionally since 2008. Every creation teaches me something new. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t. But I trust my instincts, and I keep creating. Because when dance connects people—when it brings something from inside me to life in someone else’s heart—that’s magic. That’s why I do this.”
Early Life & Origins
Minh was born in Buôn Ma Thuột, a highland region of Vietnam known for its coffee farming. At the age of eight, he moved with his mother and sister to Ho Chi Minh City and spent the next nine years in a boarding school named “15 May – Work and Study School.” It was a challenging environment, especially for children from underprivileged backgrounds. Minh credits this period with shaping his resilience, independence, and ability to navigate difficulties—physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Amid these harsh surroundings, he encountered Ms. Linh Rateau, who introduced him to the world of dance. Watching classes through a window for six months, Minh eventually mustered the courage to ask to join—and it changed his life. Despite the roughness of his environment, dance became a bright light that made everything feel possible.
Education & Training
Minh’s formal training began in 2007 when Ms. Linh founded Dancenter Vietnam. He became a student and later an assistant teacher, receiving multi-style training in Hip Hop, Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Contemporary, and Belly Dance. He was also deeply influenced by choreographer John Huy Trần, who encouraged Minh to discover his personal voice through movement.
In 2017, Minh participated in an intensive dance program led by Vangelis Legakis (East Point West). Focused on contact improvisation and movement exploration, this experience reshaped his understanding of dance and greatly informed his approach to choreography and teaching.
Career Milestones
Minh’s professional journey began in 2008 when he joined Urban Dance Group (UDG). In 2012, he started teaching Hip Hop at Dancenter, eventually becoming the lead Hip Hop instructor. His cross-disciplinary background allowed him to also teach Jazz and Contemporary dance, and to develop a signature choreographic style that fuses genres.
In 2013, Minh was a Top 8 finalist in So You Think You Can Dance Vietnam, a major turning point that elevated his profile within the dance community.
With UDG, he performed in numerous acclaimed shows:
Jazz (2011)
Spotlight (2012)
Sống (2013)
Between Us (2015–2016)
Gaia (2019)
His team also won several underground battles, recognized for originality and style fusion.
Original Works
In recent years, Minh has focused on developing original works that reflect his voice and vision:
Mind Body Unity Dance Camp (2022), culminating in Ranh Giới, a 50-minute performance with students and one co-dancer.
DNA (2022): Inspired by a moment of beauty after a rainstorm, it explores themes of connection, duality, and emotional transitions.
Unboxed (2023): A personal piece about inner struggle, self-liberation, and rebirth, performed with three other dancers.
IMPACT (2023–2024): A performance representing five human emotions, blending familiar life sounds and layered movement styles to portray inner emotional turbulence.
Nghịch (2025): A journey of joyful creativity – a way to reconnect with raw, honest feelings that we might have all experienced at some point in life.
Last Stop (2026): It is about the moments we experience along the journey, the people we meet along the way, and the memories we create even when things do not go as planned.
Cultural Influence
Having grown up in a tough, diverse environment, Minh developed a deep sense of empathy and observation. These qualities infuse his choreography with humanity and authenticity. Exposure to different cultures—from both his upbringing and professional life—has allowed him to blend local soul with global techniques.
“I feel lucky. Every teacher and mentor who crossed my path came at just the right time—when I needed them most. They didn’t just teach me how to dance. They helped shape how I see and live life.”
Artistic Philosophy
Minh’s work is grounded in personal experience, human connection, and emotional honesty. Rather than follow one style or set formula, he draws from what feels true. He lets ideas arise from everyday moments—conversations, observations, memories—and allows them to evolve organically.
“I don’t bind myself to a style. As long as I dance and it feels good to the soul, it’s right.”
His choreographic themes often explore inner conflict, emotional transformation, and questions about life and choice. He uses dance as a language to express what words can’t.