The Student Lens: The Huy Interview

 

Hello everyone, and welcome back to the Student Lens. Today, I am going to be interviewing the incredibly talented Huy, who has been a consistent attendee of the studio, and chatting with him about his experience at Elemental Studios. 

Before we get into the interview, let's learn a little bit about Huy, shall we?

Huy grew up in Washington, moved to Michigan for grad school, and ended up in Colorado for work. These days, Huy is a physicist by day and a dancer by night. Dance has become his favorite way to stay grounded, challenge himself, and have fun while he learns. 

He started off as a martial artist and found his way into the breaking scene because it scratched the same itch. Control, creativity, and pushing your limits. From there, he fell in love with training in general. Taking class, working on foundations, messing up a lot, and coming back anyway. Lately, he has been focusing on more hip-hop and breaking, putting more intention into freestyle, and working hard towards goals like cleaner windmills and eventually, flares. 

Outside of dance, he is a proud cat owner of Mochi, Sodapop, and Eva. He is also into skill-based hobbies like cardistry, games, and anything that rewards patience and consistency. Mostly, I am just exploring what movement can unlock one day at a time.

Here is our interview!

1. How did you find out about Elemental Studios?

Huy: "I found out about Elemental through Cici and Serina. I had taken Cici's hip-hop and reggaeton classes before and really loved her teaching style. When I saw that Cici and Serina were opening a studio, I wanted to give it a shot, and I ended up really enjoying the community and the friendships that they've built here. 

2. What was your first class at Elemental Studios, and how was that experience for you?

Huy: "I started off with hip-hop classes at Elemental. The first experience was really welcoming, and what stood out to me was how supportive the environment was. It felt like a space where I could focus on learning and improving without feeling judged, which made me want to keep coming back.

3. Do you have any favorite classes at the moment? If you do, what are they?

Huy: "Yes! I have a few favorites right now:

• Hip-Hop Foundations/Fundamentals with Yella-I really appreciate her patience and how she breaks down movements.
• Serina's Hip-Hop and R&B Classes- I love her teaching style and her R&B choreography.
• Daniel's Hip-Hop Classes-I really enjoy his style and the way he blends hip-hop and R&B.
• Reggaeton Classes (all instructors)- I genuinely have fun in all of them and love the energy.

I'm also excited about the new freestyle class additions, because it feels like a space where I can contribute more to the community by showing up, training intentionally, and developing my own movement and style."

4. What do you look forward to the most when you come to Elemental Studios?

Huy: "The biggest thing I look forward to is the community. I love getting to see friends, train with people who inspire me, and learn from instructors who are supportive and motivating. It feels like a place where I can grow while still having fun and feeling connected."

5. Who are your favorite dancers in the community that you admire or aspire to be like?

Huy: "This is a hard one because I don't really think of it as, 'I want to be like one person", but there are definitely some people I admire for specific reasons:

• Daniel- for his unique hip-hop and R&B style; I always enjoy learning and dancing with him.

• Yella- for her patience in class and how she clearly breaks down movement and foundations.

• Serina - for her teaching style, the effort she puts into the community, and her R&B choreographies.

• Cici - for her teaching style, the energy she brings, and the wisdom she shares with her students.

• Melanie - I love her style and the supportive environment in her classes.

• Alejandro - I've really admired his growth as a dancer, instructor, choreographer, and dance captain."

6. You recently did 2 pop-ups for Intro to Breaking. Can you talk about what inspired you to teach that style, and do you think it inspired your students to try more styles?

Huy: "I wanted to teach Intro to Breaking pop-ups because I started breaking as an adult, and I know how intimidating the style can feel. I wanted to show people that it's absolutely possible to pick up, and I tried to teach it with clear progressions so people could learn step-by-step. I also wanted to honor the culture and give people a chance to work on their freestyle in a style that wasn't originally offered at Elemental. I do think it got people excited about breaking. I also emphasized being safe, especially for adults, listening to your body, taking it slow, and building habits that help prevent injuries."

7. How did you get into breakdancing, and what are your favorite foundations or moves that you like to do?

Huy: "I originally got into breaking because I was looking for a martial arts scene in Denver, but some of the places I checked weren't the right vibe for me. Then, I went to an art fair/festival in Boulder and saw some people breakdancing at a booth. There was a moment where it clicked: breaking looked really similar to martial arts, and I thought it might fulfill that same itch. That was the first style I tried, and it just grew from there. I really enjoy the idea of threading in breaking because it can be more low-impact and flow-based. I love foundations, but this year, I also want to keep developing power moves, especially mastering the windmill and starting to work on flares."

8. What is a fun fact about yourself that you would like for us to know?

Huy: "A fun fact is that outside of dance, I'm a scientist. I have a PhD in physics, and I work as a quantum physicist, building a next-generation supercomputer using quantum physics. People are usually surprised when they hear that because they don't expect it from me."

9. What are some hobbies or interests that you have outside of dance?

Huy: "I've had a lot of hobbies over the years, but dance is the one I have been the most consistent with and stuck with the longest. Outside of dance, I'm into:

• Cardistry (card tricks/skillful card flourishes)

• Flipping butterfly knives (as a hobby/skill practice)

• I tried graffiti for a little bit

• Board games

• And I also like doing flips/trick-style movement when I'm training."

10.  Do you have any dance goals for yourself in this new year?

Huy: "Last year, I was trying to take as many classes as I could and explore a wide range of styles. This year, I want to be more intentional with my energy and focus more deeply on the styles that resonate with me most; especially hip-hop and breaking. I also want to start creating more of my own choreography to make dance feel even more personal, and continue working on freestyle so I can express my style more naturally. Overall, my goal with dance is to express myself as authentically as possible through movement and to show people the power of consistency."

Thank you to Huy for interviewing with me, I really enjoyed getting to know you through your experience at Elemental as well as your passion for hip-hop and breakdancing.