Master choreographer to give free dance lessons
Korean-American master choreographer and professional dancer Zach Benson is staying in Vietnam till December 25 to give free dancing lessons on the streets.
Next in his schedule will be a one-hour free class outside the Friendship Cultural Palace in Ha Noi on Christmas Eve.
The award-winning dancer has visited Malaysia, Singapore, Mexico and Morocco, as well as Italy, Spain and Portugal, besides several other places to perform and teach dancing. His next destinations will be Hong Kong and Japan.
"Each year, I choose one country in the world to come and 'give back' to the dance community. I learned from my mentors that the best things in life are free and to just give back freely," said Benson.
"I've experienced and got so much in this life from dance that now I just want to inspire others," he added.
A fourth-round finalist on FOX TV's popular show So You Think You Can Dance, season 9, Benson is known for his innovative, explosive and fun breakdancing and hip-hop choreography.
"You don't really need much to dance. You don't need fancy studios to dance. On December 24, I'm going to instruct people in different types of hip-hop and breakdancing," he told Viet Nam News.
"It's not about me, but about the community and dance as a whole, because I feel we can spread dancing all over the world and the world can become a better place. Any time I teach, inspire and motivate people, I would like to give them self-confidence. Eventually, their self-esteem will rise. They will feel better and happier after the class.
"I always inspire ‘my students' to change their moves and make their own moves. I always ask them to think outside the box because we can create moves from what we see out there on the streets and in life."