In this interview, Tran discusses his childhood in Vietnam, and his escape with his four brothers to the United States. He then describes his experience living in quarantine on an army base in San Francisco and moving to Portland to be near their sponsor. Tran speaks about the challenges of living in a new country with his four brothers while also attending school and working to provide for his family. Later, he talks about his years at Portland State University, the support and opportunities that he received from his dance instructors, and how that led to his career as a professional dancer. Tran uses dance as a platform to discuss his identity. He explains that his work changed in his thirties as he began to fully embrace and take pride in his Vietnamese American identity. Recently, Tran has become more involved with the Vietnamese community in Portland through attending Buddhist temple. Near the end of the interview, Tran discusses what he sees as a generational gap in the Vietnamese community and some of the problems that it creates.
In this interview, Tran discusses his childhood in Vietnam, and his escape with his four brothers to the United States. He then describes his experience living in quarantine on an army base in San Francisco and moving to Portland to be near their sponsor. Tran speaks about the challenges of living in a new country with his four brothers while also attending school and working to provide for his family. Later, he talks about his years at Portland State University, the support and opportunities that he received from his dance instructors, and how that led to his career as a professional dancer. Tran uses dance as a platform to discuss his identity. He explains that his work changed in his thirties as he began to fully embrace and take pride in his Vietnamese American identity. Recently, Tran has become more involved with the Vietnamese community in Portland through attending Buddhist temple. Near the end of the interview, Tran discusses what he sees as a generational gap in the Vietnamese community and some of the problems that it creates.