B-boy Khánh Linh takes on the scrapes and bruises of building a local break-dancing identity.
Why do you dance?
Do you remember how you felt when you first experimented with hip hop?
Can you flirt with a girl with your moves?
How do you often feel on stage?
Do you see yourself as a rebel?
Is it possible to express sadness in such a dynamic type of dance as hip hop?
Words and photos by Ha Dao ●
Khánh Linh is lying flat on the floor, his hands covering his face. The whole crew clutters around him looking worried. His face has been smashed by the bottom of one young male dancer while Linh was performing a careless slide. A moment later he is up and smiling to set the team back in the saddle. “Hip hop is blood and sweat, but others don’t see it that way, do they?” He chuckles. Accidents on the dance floor around here are the norm. It’s just another ordinary day at the studio where they practice from 9 am to 9 pm for their upcoming project.
The curiosity and novelty of hip hop may have worn off, but Linh is still here, working at it through the ups and downs of the last 10 years.
Linh is thinly built and can speak a bit of English, just enough to work with German art director Raphael Hillebrand, accompanied by lots of body language. An outsider would hardly know him as a veteran dancer who has travelled far to put Viet hip hop on the world map.
Linh tried out his first moves in 2004 while he was still in high school, after being captured by the dynamic, youthful performances he had seen on TV. He quickly became a student of Big Toe, a prominent crew back then, then a core member, and finally, set off on his own path to establish S.I.N.E (Saying Is Not Enough) crew in 2011. The curiosity and novelty of hip hop may have worn off, but Linh is still here, working at it through the ups and downs of the last 10 years. ‘Follow your passion’ is a tired cliché, but there isn’t a better phrase to describe Linh’s fervent choice to become a professional b-boy.
After mastering the technical twists and turns, Linh began to focus more on the cultural aspects of his performance. A distinctive, local identity in break-dancing is a puzzle he has been slowly tackling. Through his experiences competing and performing around the world, Linh has found that despite originating from America, hip hop is very much influenced by the culture to which it spreads. “For example, in Europe, rap and break dancing are seen in theatres and fashion shows, becoming a part of their culture. Here in Vietnam, we have 4000 years of history and really interesting traditional art forms. I and many other young artists are trying to integrate those elements into our work.”
Creating a unique colour for break-dancing is easier said than done, but Linh and S.I.N.E crew are taking the first practical steps. In 2012, they dabbled with contemporary dance and visual effects mixed in with their hip hop home ground in their performance “Ngoặt” – “Turning point”. Now they are back for a performance with music created exclusively for the show by electronic music artist Trí Minh, who is also incorporating pieces Hanoi in his work.
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Phạm Khánh Linh was a student of Big Toe crew in 2004, became an official member of Big Toe in 2005, and established S.I.N.E in 2011. They have won many international prizes including R16 Scandinavia B-boy 1 in Denmark, Radikal Forze Jam in Singapore and Battle Of The Year Worldwide.
Their show ‘Connect’ is choreographed by Linh and directed by German b-boy Raphael Hillebrand, featuring special light effects by visual artist Christian Mio Loclair and electronic music from composer Trí Minh taking place at Công Nhân theatre, 42 Tràng Tiền on 12 and 13 March.
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The silent interview was inspired by the regular interview series in the German Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin ‘Don’t say Anything Right Now‘, which we love.
