Viet Dang

Viet Dang The Basel Choreographer and Dancer Makes the Pop Stars Shine

WHEN HE LETS HIS HIP­LONG HAIR DANCE, VIET DANG IS ONE OF THE MOST EYE­CATCHING FIGURES IN VIDEO CLIPS AND STAGE PERFORMANCES OF US POP STARS – THAT’S WHY HE IS ONLY ENGAGED BY THOSE WHO ARE SELF-CONFIDENT ENOUGH TO NOT FEEL OUTPERFORMED BY HIM. WE INTERVIEWED THE YOUNGEST SON OF VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE [REFUGEES] WHO HAS LIVED IN LOS ANGELES FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND STILL SPEAKS PERFECTLY THE BASEL GERMAN DIALECT.

You dance next to stars like Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake and Rihanna. How did you achieve that?

The competition in America is so great that you need not believe that everything will work by itself once you have made your breakthrough. You must show staying power, work on yourself and continuously prove yourself again. And then it might suddenly ‘click’…

How did it go in your case?

I moved to Los Angeles in 2011, went to my first casting session and could dance for Muse at the Grammy Awards straight away. I thought that there would be nothing higher to achieve but a few months later, I was able to perform with Rihanna at ‘X Factor’ and with Christina Aguilera at the American Music Awards. After that it became known in the business that there is a guy with long hair who has some talent …

How do you get jobs like that?

You go to a casting session where, in the case of top stars, up to 700 colleagues want exactly the same as you do and your heart sometimes sinks into your boots when you see your idols among the competitors. In the case of Rihanna, it took nine hours. In the end, I did not care if I made it – I just wanted sleep! (He laughs.)

Do you mingle with the stars?

That depends. Gwen Stefani or Christina Aguilera demonstrated their respect by coming to see us during the rehearsals and talking to us. They thus show that they know that we dancers make the singers appear even more beautiful, more glamorous and more talented than they would be on their own. We say: “We make them shine.”

Which role do your looks play?

When I grew up in Basel as a child of Vietnamese ‘Boat People’ (refugees), I have always felt well integrated. I only found out what it means to look different when I started performing as a dancer and the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation told me that I did not look Helvetian enough. In Los Angeles, I attract attention just because of my long hair.

Is your origin not an issue?

No, this city is anyway a melting pot of people who want to make their fortune there. My work visa even says that I am an asset to the United States. But to get it, I first had to prove that in my home country I am the ‘Roger Federer of dancing’.

And how did you do that?

I had to engage a lawyer who documented that I was a Swiss Champion in Hip Hop Dancing, had my own dancing school for 16 years, choreographed for TV casting shows in Poland and Japan, held Master Classes throughout Europe, was a judge in various Hip Hop Competitions and choreographed many music videos for Swiss artists and danced at the MTV Music Awards.

Nevertheless, hardly anyone knew you, except for the viewers of the Viva music channel where you acted as presenter of video clips …

Dancing has a much higher status in the United States than in Switzerland where local actors or models who have a bit player role in a successful Hollywood movie are hyped in all media and become brand ambassadors whereas not a single line has long been written about people like me.

What do you miss most in Los Angeles?

Reliability, order and punctuality. Vice versa, I miss spontaneity in Switzerland. In America, you are solicited today and the shooting is tomorrow. It happened to me once that someone approached me in the street a week later and said: “Wow, you are the one who stands right next to Serena Williams in the Pepsi commercial!”

How well can you live on your vocation?

If the dream of my father, who as a refugee wanted that his five children became graduates, had come true, my income would probably have been higher. I however noticed during my Master’s thesis for my social psychology studies that I had to make my own dream come true and I went to the place where you can win medals in the show business. As the artists’ trade union in the USA is so strong and the country is so big, the fees and royalties are clearly regulated and quite lucrative – certainly a lot higher than in Switzerland.

Do you sometimes go to the glamourous parties to celebrate?

I already dance all day, am a rather shy person and drink no alcohol. When others start being merry at 2 a.m. and laugh about jokes that I do not understand, it is not worthwhile for me to stay up all night. So I actually only go to parties if I have a performance there.

What sort of home do you have in Los Angeles?

I live in a two­bedroom house with garden where I grow lettuce and tomatoes. I would like to have pets but they do not fit into my lifestyle. But there is a straying cat that comes round every now and again when she wants to be spoilt … As far as the furniture is concerned, I like the very reduced style, just one piece of furniture per room. People who come to see me often say: “Stylish but you have only just moved in, haven’t you?”

Besides your job satisfaction, have you already found your private happiness?

There are people for whom work is the most important thing in life; others look for their better half. I am complete; I do not need any ‘better half’ and am happy as it is! (He laughs.) If the right person comes along it will be the icing on the cake but if not, it won’t be a problem. I moved to Los Angeles for my career and I know how focused you must remain, especially at the beginning, in order to continue to be successful because among friends who had the same dream, I have already seen how it will end up if you let yourself get distracted all the time …