AANHPI & APIDA Heritage Month
May is Asian American Native Hawaiian Pacific Islander Desi Heritage Month. Celebrating and honoring the beautiful diaspora, I will be highlighting wonderful local creatives and artisans. Learning and connecting can help support and uplift our community.
Cuong Tran, dancer aka Koi Roi.
Meet Cuong Tran, a street dancer here in Indianapolis. Dance started out as a way for expression. Over the years, it quickly became a way for Cuong to connect with the dance community. He has formed a circle of lifetime friends. Dance has taken him to places, international and all over the states. Cuong continues to grow as he learns the history behind dance. He is inspired by his teachers who are role models of what a dance can become.
Cuong’s Vietnamese culture has influenced the way he moves which helps him stand out. He is proud of his culture and heritage. His dance name is Koi Roi. Koi represents the smoothness in his Cuong’s dance style. Roi means puppet in Vietnamese.
King Koi Roi. Koi represents the smoothness in Cuong’s dance style. Roi means puppet in Vietnamese.
Cuong’s family, wife, and work brings him joy. Ultimately, where there is a balance between all the things he loves to do is what brings him joy. Cuong shares “I feel like my life is like running water, it flows and crashes. It’s never still. Being stagnant makes me stale.” His favorite food to eat is Vietnamese food all day, especially pho.
One question on favorite moment, Cuong says “People say I inspire them all the time, it’s really weird. Because I am simply doing what I love to do and the fact that I inspire others, it’s an amazing feeling.”
An important tradition is every year on his birthday, Koi Roi meets up with all of his dance friends for dance battles. A round for every year of how old he is.
His advice for aspiring dancers and those interested in dance, “if you’re looking to get into dance, know that it’s not about the end result, but the journey to get there. It will be hard but enjoy the process of learning and growing.”
He hopes that there will be more opportunities and events for the street dance community to be part of such as battles, parties, and shows. He would like for more people to learn popping which is Koi Roi’s dance style.
If you ever wanted to get started in dance, Cuong runs a free dance session every Saturday, 7-9pm.
