As I have mentioned before, my professor is very much “in the know” on local events that may be of interest to young people like me. Well, this past week he out did himself.
This past Tuesday, I had a truly incredible experience. I observed a Vietnamese break dancing competition. But, really, it was so much more than that. To start, it was in the back of this art space/bar that housed some really interesting pieces done by local artists. All not the proper size to ship back, but one can dream.
But, as assumed, the main attraction was the break dancing. We walked in during the preliminaries and stayed all the way through the finals. Everyone that danced was incredibly talented and each contestant could put me to shame. That being said, there were several things that I wanted to share with you all (a.k.a. my reader).
First, there were three male dancers that really took me by surprise. When it came to their signature talent, they were not the typical hip-hop I expected. Rather, they were doing what I could only really compare to “voguing.” People were cheering and celebrating these men for a typically shunned dance form that probably wouldn’t really have a home in most hip-hop/breakdancing communities in the states. The dance originated by black men in underground clubs and there is still a stigma attached to it. However, at this event, one of the men went all the way to competing in the finals. It was amazing!
Second, I will say that a lot of the music caught me off guard. Really, it was one of the first times I had heard the music I had come to hear all the time at GW, but were not present in my typical day-to-day Vietnamese life. In some ways nostalgic—in others very reflective. The music they played and danced to, in some cases, music that reflected and spoke on injustices in a lyrical pattern to raise awareness; awareness on issues really only in American communities. Moreover, the population of Vietnam is incredibly homogenous, so is it right for them to usurp the music of a community they know nothing about?
Third, the audience was also something to notice. Despite being advertised as “underground,” there were a lot of tourists and expats. I kept wondering about how they had heard of it and how this underground community was able to permeate so widely that the likes of tourists were able to find it. And, this was apparent because the whole event was emcee’d in English.
Overall, I had a great time. The energy was infectious and I will go on record as saying it was one of my best nights in Ho Chi Minh City. However, there were so many things that through me off over the course of the evening and I wanted to see what other Americans might make of the same event.
