How SonLam went from self-taught dancer to national street dance champion

Samantha Pak: What kind of dancing were you doing when you first started?
SonLam: Even though it's K-pop, K-pop artists train with street dancers. They really train with actual people who practice in the street dance scene. So what (my friend) was doing looks like a little bit of popping already, which is my main style right now. And at that time there was also a show called America’s Best Dance Crew (ABDC). And season one, Jabbawockeez, the crew from the Bay Area, they were mixing hip-hop, breaking, turfing—a lot of street dance styles. And I definitely wanted to be like that. I wasn’t sure what it was called, but I wanted to be like that.

SP: And this was you seeing this from Vietnam?
S: Yeah, everything from Vietnam. I barely speak English. I’m exposed to this type of culture, music and movement. So I just start freestyling—to hip-hop music, rap music, funk-style music. But I don't have a style yet. It's just influenced by ABDC, and it's K-pop idols that are doing street dance style. But then later on, I narrowed down. I wanted to specialize in one thing, and I wanted to master that. I decided to go with popping when I started to dig deeper on the Internet and seeing how dope this style is. How can it be so classy, but at the same time so raw? When I see performances where the dancer wears a whole suit and dress shoes, but they’re still doing really, really aggressive, funk movements, it's just an interesting mix for me.

SP: What is it that made you want to stick with dancing?
S: I think it's a sense of growth. It's almost like you discover a game that you're quite good at, and you kind of see the growth that you can track monthly and weekly. First it's just conquering a new move, and then conquering competition status, and then the next game is actual recognition from people who actually do it in the game. So now, it is the growth within like, “How can I continue to develop this craft, but at the same time be able to contribute something meaningful in the society?”

SonLam started dancing when he was in sixth grade and hasn't stopped since.

Little Shao / Red Bull Content Pool

SP: How did you get into competing? Because obviously, you could just dance for fun as a hobby. How did the competitive side come into play?
S: It was just random. My friend—it's a different friend—he loved dance, and he said, “There's a competition, local competition, happening this weekend. Let's just go. I saw you dancing.” I just showed up. I’m super nervous. I didn't know Vietnam had that many dancers. And I compete. I got to the top 32, which is a massive deal for me.

A lot of things with dance come to me, rather than I come to dance. So without the friend who asked me, I wouldn't know the thrill and the fun, and that I have potential in this game.

SP: How would you describe street dance?
S: What attracted me to street dance is the first principle: You have to be you. You have to really learn all this vocabulary and then put your personality into it. And as much as technique is involved in this style, in the street and the scene, we encourage people to be different, to really be something that nobody has seen yet. So I just love that journey of when I arrived in this craft. Nobody can compare to me, because I'm the only one who can execute this style in this way. I just love that.

And to compare it to other more familiar dance styles—I would say studio-based dance styles like jazz or ballet—I would say the uniqueness, the creativity and the rawness of expression can be a little bit less encouraged because it's very classic. So (with street dance), even though it (started) decades ago, people want to see something new. That's what I love about street dance.

SP: You started around 12, 13, and you're now 30. What has kept you going and kept you dancing?
S: Dance gives me so much. Right now, I'm as fresh as when I first started. My notes are always full of things to learn, new personal projects to conquer. It's just growth within my actual life. Because of dance, I got to travel, see the world. Because of dance, I understand different cultures. Because of dance, I have a deeper connection with people without talking. And because of dance, I face my fear constantly. Because of dance, I wake up and I feel like I know what to do today. I'm already thinking about, “How can I better myself?” I can carry this in everything—in relationships, in professional career work or school. This idea of wanting to be better.

Dance gives me so much, and one of the most important things is it makes me feel grateful. Because when I dance, I honor my whole body, my physical body. I love my body. I need to take care of it. Not only that, I’m curious what my body can do every day. And because I love my physical body, I start to be grateful for anything, my cup of coffee, the sunlight, very normal things. It starts with the love of my physical body.

One of the things SonLam loves about street dance is how dancers are encouraged to bring their own style to the game.

Little Shao / Red Bull Content Pool

SP: Street dance, popping, breaking, all of that started with Black and Latino cultures. But we've also seen it grow within the Asian diaspora. Can you talk about coming into a culture that was established by other communities?
S: For me, as a person who traveled the world and has interacted with multiple generations of dancers from all races, from all kinds of scenes, I learned that this is such a welcoming space.

This is not a place that we talk about, “You don't have a right to participate.” If you put in the years, if you put in the research time and your efforts in training, and you're able to execute those skills, and you know where it comes from, and you innovate the game, you are part of a community. I feel honored. I also feel like I have the right to express my true self. I have the right to speak my opinion, and I also have the right to contribute and evolve with this game.

SP: How are you feeling in terms of preparation for the upcoming competition?
S: I feel so excited. This is my most favorite part of dance, the preparation. I cherish everything about this, because I have the reason to focus on just getting better, which I love.

SP: We've talked a lot about what you enjoy about dancing, but what are some of the challenges that you've faced and dealt with over the years?
S: I would say pretty common is the belief in myself that I can be great. I can be in the spotlight. I can be the main character, right? As a kid, I always kind of played it safe. But then dance kept arriving in my life, and it's almost saying to me, “When you play it risky, when you play big, success happens.”

When I was 19, I just randomly decided to join a dance TV competition called So You Think You Can Dance Vietnam, and I won when I was 19. And now at Red Bull, Red Bull sent me an email to invite me, and I was like, “I'm not sure I'm ready.” But I was gonna do it, because I have no choice. They invited me. And I won twice. So I was like, “Okay, I should believe in myself.” I have proved myself enough. I have receipts that show that when I put my mind to this, results happen.

So I feel like that challenge is what I faced in the past. Right now, I have tremendous belief in myself, my practice. The self doubt is still going to happen. The experience helps when you dance over 16 years. Experience helps you know how to respond to that self doubt and rise up.