Behind every Minh Dance Stories creation is a process that is as instinctive as it is reflective. Minh draws inspiration from the everyday moments, emotions, and silent struggles that shape human experience. Here, he shares an inside look into how ideas are born, developed, and brought to life on stage:
Bringing Ideas to Life
For me, ideas come constantly—they appear in my mind and I feel a strong need to bring them into reality. Every idea is a question: what does it say about life? What emotions does it bring out in me and in the people who witness it? I’m often inspired by everyday experiences and the feeling of trying to overcome something—what it teaches me, how it changes me. That’s where most of my concepts begin. I don’t limit myself to a specific dance style. What matters most is that I feel something honest and true when I move—that the dance brings peace and clarity to my spirit.
A Freestyle-Driven Creative Process
My works are more rooted in freestyle than fixed routines. I love collaborating with dancers who are observant and intuitive. The creative process is always based on a central concept, and I often use techniques of improvisation and interaction. I draw from the personal strengths of each dancer, and I’m especially drawn to hip hop, popping, breakdance, and jazz dancers—these are styles I admire and understand, and I enjoy blending them with contemporary movement.
When creating a piece, I usually write a sort of script to guide each section—focusing on particular feelings or key words I want to explore. From there, I build movement ideas based on the knowledge I’ve gathered and the emotional core of each segment. The beginning is always the hardest part, but once we gain momentum, everything starts to unfold. If we ever get stuck, I revisit and expand the original concept until it feels right. Sometimes, even a small shift can bring the whole piece to life.
Growth Through Reflection
After finishing a work, I always take time to reflect. I’m constantly questioning whether something can be improved. Some pieces need changes, others are better left as they are. I trust the process, and even when something doesn’t work at first, I know I’ll learn something valuable from it. That mindset helps me keep evolving—not only as a choreographer, but as a person.
Inviting the Audience In
Because my ideas come from everyday life, I hope that audiences can see a part of themselves in the work. I want them to feel the energy that we, as dancers, are putting into every moment. People might interpret things differently than I intended—and that’s okay. I believe art is meant to be experienced individually. What matters most to me is that the audience is fully present, receiving the piece in the moment, and letting themselves feel whatever it stirs up inside them.