MOST OUTSTANDING DANCE PERFORMANCE NOMINEE
tULANE UNIVERSITY VIETNAMESE association
Date Auction 2019
List of everyone involved in this performance. Please include: first and last names, whether or not they attended your school during the time of the dance, and their roles for the performance.
(Dancer/Choreographer) Khoa-Andrew Nguyen - Tulane University
(Dancer/Choreographer) Maria Trung - Tulane University
(Dancer/Choreographer) Kim Lam - Tulane University
(Dancer) Ian Seaman - Tulane University
(Dancer) Matthew Nguyen - Tulane University
(Dancer) Alex Suh – Tulane University
(Dancer) Duyen Nguyen - Tulane University
(Dancer) Jamie Tran – Tulane University
(Dancer) Mary Tran – Tulane University
(Dancer) Jessica Li – Tulane University
(Dancer) Karen Huang – Tulane University
(Dancer) Suzy Ho – Tulane University
(Dancer) Suki Cheung – Tulane University
(Dancer) Cecilia Tran – Tulane University
(Choreographer) – Victoria Nguyen – Tulane University Alumni
Please describe the purpose of this dance, including your intention, goals, and creative process.
TUVA chose the theme of CoCo, and we took this year to really run with the theme and make sure every single dancer had their chance in the spotlight. The dance allowed for multiple generations of TUVA dancers and general members to be involved in this year’s Date Auction.
Through CoCo, TUVA really wanted to show the power of family, the idea that our past generations are watching out for the current generations, and elements of Mexican culture and music. The whole performance began with a dance to the song “Familia”. This song touches on the strength of family and the loyalty to it. To represent this, we chose the song because of the loyalty and family motifs, and since the song was sung in Spanish too it just fit perfectly. As the dance finished, the “Angels” piece followed. This song was special in a couple ways for us but it was also our first "boys" dance that was co-ed, which was significant because it helped us sort of abandon the strict formula we had and allowed us to really enforce that family piece. This song was chosen to highlight the idea of those who have passed look after us. There are guardian angels surrounding us to protect us and look after us. As the piece ended, the next dance, “Fergalicious”, started immediately. This dance was more for entertaining the audience without sacrificing high energy. A performance full of sass, transitions, and powerful moves, this dance was a pleasure to perform. This choreo was a dance we’ve been wanting to incorporate for years, and we finally got the chance to use it. Once this was finished, the boys left the stage and the girls took over to deliver a powerful dance to “Mi Gente”. This song was one of the top choices for TUVA due to the name itself. “Mi Gente”, which translates to “My People”, broadens the idea of family as anyone is welcome to be a part of this dance, and more so a part of TUVA. Again, having parts of the song in Spanish was a plus. Lastly, the finale was “Coco” and was meant to highlight all of the dancers once again. The song itself felt like a strong song to end off on due to the overall vibe of it. TUVA always ends the last few moments of the finale with everyone on stage. It’s a tradition that has yet to be compromised.
The biggest accomplishment from this year is that each and every one of the 14 dancers were highlighted by being at the center of the dance. Some of us have been here for 4 years and others it was their first. When every single dancer got their chance center stage and they killed it, that allowed us to be confident not only in our choreo, but in ourselves that we all were part of an amazing dance. It’s a hard task, but it was important to make sure everyone felt included.
This year’s dance allowed TUVA members of many generations to collaborate and grow. Although we are proud of our work on the stage, it was the process that helped the dancers and choreographers learn and grow as a team and as individuals. Everyone left with a sense of family and were thankful to participate in an event that raised money for Messengers of Love. Whether it was their first, second, third, or last year, we all did our best and put on a performance we were all proud of.