Thao Nguyen has spent the best part of a decade on London’s West End stage. She’s now earning rave reviews for her role as fierce and funny Anne Boleyn in the smash hit West End production, SIX: The Musical, but musical theatre is just one string in her bow. The Vietnamese-British performer is also a talented K-pop choreographer and teacher. This March, she’s taking centre stage at MOVE IT, the world’s largest dance event, with a self-choreographed K-pop routine.
Dance Informa caught up with her ahead of her performance to talk about the rise of K-pop, choreography and how her heritage has helped shape her creative vision.
Firstly, you’re performing in the West End as Anne Boleyn in the award-winning SIX: The Musical. What has the experience been like?
“Playing the role of Anne Boleyn is an absolute blast! Historically, society perceived her in such a negative light, so it’s a real honour to finally tell her side of the story in a very smart, fun and relatable way. It has made me grow so much confidence as a performer and shown me how I can really inspire younger generations as an artist.”
When did you first realise you wanted to be a performer?
“My family were heavily influenced by music. They’d dance, play instruments and sing in front of me all the time. My mother was a teacher and would often prepare traditional dance showcases for the public every lunar new year. I was very young when I attended those events, but I have a clear memory of how keen I was to gather my friends at the time and teach them silly dance moves for fun.
I was always an active kid, too. At school, I leaned towards physical education and music, then took local dance classes and went to stage school on weekends. But the real key moment for me was when I did the open auditions for the Miss Saigon revival back in 2013, I didn’t know much about the industry, but I managed to land my first ever West End job. I started as an ensemble member, then an understudy, and here I am now playing a principle role in another musical.”
Let’s talk a little more about your path to K-pop. What drew you to the genre?
“I discovered K-pop around 15 years ago. I was already into pop and RnB, and K-pop is actually still in the pop genre – just in another language. The music videos are always aesthetically pleasing and the beats are super catchy. I entered a global K-pop vocal contest on YouTube for fun (which I ended up winning) and thought, okay, maybe this is my thing. To see Asian representation within the music industry definitely sparked something and inspired me to create a new pathway.
I’ve been teaching K-pop original music video choreography for a while now. Before, most K-pop fans just wanted to do dance covers and learn what their idols were doing. But I wanted to see what happened when I combined my creativity with K-pop music.”
So, how do you balance creativity with the energy and precision K-pop demands?
“Every choreographer has their unique ways. I study the vibe of the music first and then decide on the style, seeing how the body responds.
K-pop choreography is well known for being visually clean with interesting body shapes, and it’s often made for big groups. So, whenever I choreograph, I want to incorporate both those qualities to make sure it looks the best it can as a big picture.”
What do you enjoy most about teaching K-pop choreography?
“I love to see the vision in my head come to life. It’s also very interesting to see how your choreography sits on different bodies and how it’s interpreted dynamically. There is something so powerful in seeing a group of people dance together.”
K-pop has become a global phenomenon. How have you seen attitudes toward K-pop change here, and what excites you this shift?
“Growing up listening to K-pop and then seeing the evolution is crazy. It’s become much more mainstream – the beats are more similar to current pop tunes, and they incorporate more global music influences now. It’s exciting because it exposes Eastern culture – people are definitely more curious about it and want to be involved with it.”
You’ll be performing a K-pop number at MOVE IT, which we’re all very excited about. What can we expect?
“Lots of drama and sparkle! I will also be singing live – a first at MOVE IT. It’s more of an artist concept performance. I also wanted to reflect how K-pop has become a global phenomenon, while showcasing a group of people with diverse cultural and dance backgrounds coming together to perform K-pop.”
What can we expect from you next?
“I will be in SIX until next year! I’m very much a go-with-the-flow kind of person and will continue to layer and add more skills. Saying that, it would be really cool if I could choreograph for K-pop artists. As an Asian artist, I’d love to open more doors for the Asian community in the UK.
Thao Nguyen will be appearing at MOVE IT at London’s Excel Centre, 7th – 9th March. She will be performing on Friday. For more information and details about the festival, visit www.moveitdance.co.uk
By Allie D’Almo of Dance Informa.
