Today we’d like to introduce you to Daniel Huynh.
Daniel, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I started dancing at 15 years old as a means of incorporating physical activity into my life. As a child, I was severely overweight and once in high school, I realized I needed to make a lifestyle change. Not only did dance help me lose a massive amount of weight, but it quickly became my greatest passion. I ended up attending Chapman University as a dance major to further develop and inform my love for this craft. Post-graduation, I made the move to Los Angeles in order to pursue a professional career in dance and choreography. I have lived out in LA for almost a year now – it has been a roller coaster ride but I would not have it any other way.
Can you give our readers some background on your art?
I am a dancer and choreographer. With my choreography, I tend to create work heavily influenced by life events, social issues, or people who have somehow impacted me. Most pieces I create are very personal and meaningful to me. When presenting my work, I just hope to get the audience to understand my perspective and point of view on a specific situation. For example, my piece “Seeking Refuge” used my mother’s story of immigrating from Vietnam to the United States as a means to touch on the larger immigration issue we are tackling in society today. I feel that so many Americans do not believe immigrants should be allowed into the country or allowed to stay because they have completely desensitized themselves to issues that do not directly affect them. This piece was created in attempts at humanizing immigrants and refugees; I truly hope I at least got one audience member to think deeper about this situation.
Artists rarely, if ever pursue art for the money. Nonetheless, we all have bills and responsibilities and many aspiring artists are discouraged from pursuing art due to financial reasons. Any advice or thoughts you’d like to share with prospective artists?
I truly sympathize with anyone that is struggling to follow their passions because of finances. It is very difficult to be an artist while also trying to maintain a stable income. My advice would just to live life day to day, have a side job, and do not stress so much about it. With hard work and determination, things will work itself out. There are months where I am making enough to pay my rent and still have some money left over, but there are also plenty of times where I am barely scraping by (if at all). Understand that the path of being an artist will never be easy, but if the passion and drive are there, it should all be worth it.
What’s the best way for someone to check out your work and provide support?
I occasionally present my pieces in shows in Los Angeles and Orange County. They can also find my choreography on YouTube or my Instagram page.
Contact Info:
- Website: danielhuynhdance.com
- Instagram: http://instagram.com/danielvuuu
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/daniel.vu.52
Image Credit:
Michaela Todaro, Camryn Eakes, Jordan Kubat
Getting in touch: SDVoyager is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
