Physical. Reflective. Embodied.
Lyon D. Nguyen
I am a movement artist currently living and working in Vietnam. My artistic practice explores the psyche and the nature of human existence, and I do this by playing with performative structures, theatrical gimmicks, and embodied experiences.
Beyond choreography and performance, I also see myself as a practitioner across many facets of dance and performance culture. I write about dance; I take dance photographs; I make dance documentary; I create screendance works; I host dance jams, and I stage manage dance productions.
In addition to my artistic career, I am also a dance educator and mentor. I have taught at University of Utah School of Dance and the Ho Chi Minh City Vocational Dance Academy, and have led many dance and movement workshops throughout the U.S. and Vietnam. I even run a TikTok channel dedicated to introducing dance theories to Vietnamese audiences through short-form content.
I am also involved in community-based and socially engaged initiatives. In 2019, I co-founded the Queer Spectra Arts Festival in Salt Lake City, a festival dedicated to uplifting LGBTQIA+ voices through art and dialogue. After returning to Vietnam, I started “nhận thấy chuyển động”, a dance viewing series that engages Vietnamese creative communities with dance through academic inquiry and critical discussion. I also founded CLB thân nghiệm - my own dance education platform encouraging embodied physical learning as well as experimentation. Most recently, I co-produced and directed “The Echoes of Our Touch”, an inclusive arts initiative offering free arts education programs and collaborative performances for Vietnamese Deaf community.
Moving forward, I would like to continues researching and creating at the intersection of performance, technology, social practice, and community building. Wherever it is, I believe that dance and art can dismantle barriers, amplify underrepresented voices, and help people see one another more clearly.
P/S: please see photos of my community engagement activities below. They include jams and community performances that I hosted, and lectures, talks, workshops that I led.
