In a colorful outfit, red hair and a cold face, Nguyen Truong Giang or Giang popper can make people who meet him for the first time feel unapproachable. However, he is very open when being asked about popping.

Giang said in his childhood, he was a big fan of the Big Toe, the most famous hip-hop dancing troupe in Vietnam, and the dances of Michael Jackson. He aped the moves of arms, legs or other body parts of them. Because the Internet was not popular at the time, Giang went to Internet cafes to download dancing video clips into his USB and took home for learning.

A long time later, Giang knew that the movements that he watched and aped are called popping. At that time popping dance was not widely known in Vietnam. Just a few people practiced it themselves. Giang began to learn and practice popping when he entered the high school.

According to him, the two most basic techniques of popping are hit (shocks due to the movement of the body) and wave (the very soft link between the joints). Creating waves is difficult so Giang took more time to practice this technique.

He said that there are many styles of popping and he always try to create his own style. At first, he looked and imitated online videos. After two years, Giang realized that he danced like a machine because he lacked of musical perception. Normally, poppers must learn how to feel music then combining music with movements.

Giang’s parents are businessmen so they expected their son to be well educated but he felt incompatible with learning and he only loves dancing. 

Once Giang played hooky, took the bus to a park to dance. While dancing passionately, he was suddenly slapped by is father. It turned out that his father secretly followed him to the park to see what his son did there. Many times, Giang’s mother wore dark glasses and a mask to dancing competitions to observe her son. Watching the videos after contests, Giang discovered his mother sitting among the audience.

Failing to enter college for two consecutive years, he finally selected FPT Arena University because he found school friends who had similar personality like him. After graduation, Giang was busy at work so he did not practice popping, his 8-year hobby. Until the Vietnam’s Got Talent – the first season was held last year, he returned to his passion.

Giang said he had practiced popping for a long time so practicing for the Vietnam’s Got Talent was not too difficult. If other poppers practice for hours in the room, standing in front of the mirror, Giang practiced in thought.

"The movements I perform are the simulation of what I have observed in everyday life. Seeing lotuses, I thought about the shape of the flower and found a way to express the curves from the fingers knitting together," Giang said.

After the Vietnam’s Got Talent 2012, Giang applied for the Britain's Got Talent but he did not expect much because he thought for sure that only contestants in the UK would be accepted. 

"I was very surprised to receive a reply. The organizers asked me if I had ever participated in any contest. After watching the video of my performances in the Vietnam's Got Talent, they sent a letter to invite me to the stage round. I received the letter 10 days before the competition, so I could not attend it," Giang said.

Being invited but Giang knew that he could not join it. In addition to procedures, funding was also a big problem. Although his friends in the UK were willing to cover meals and accommodation during the contest, but the amount of VND50-60 million ($2,500-3,000) was too big for him. 

His experience with the Vietnam's Got Talent and Britain's Got Talent gave Giang more confidence to continue to register for the talent contest in the UK this year. He is preparing to register for the Britain's Got Talent which will start in June-July. Giang also planed to compete in the China's Got Talent.

The 26-year-old popper said: "Appearing in the Britain's Got Talent will help me to be known by the world and the opportunity to develop my career will also more open. If I participate in the China's Got Talent, I will receive the support of the whole nation."

Giang has been invited as a lecturer of a dance college. He said he wished popping to be known more widely and wanted to change people's thinking about popping as "flirtatious dances." Many people in the dancing industry said that popping should not appear in the places that are not designed for it such as a night club, but Giang is willing to perform there, as long as the audience welcome it.

Income from dancing is unstable so Giang also works as a director, performer, event organizer, coach and dance instructor at home. Now his parents strongly support his dancing career.

Looking ahead, in addition to competing at foreign competitions, Giang will join a few film projects as an assistant to director.

Vietnamnet