A Teaching in Constant Motion

Minh Tran [dance 2008–2022]

Back in the late ’80s, I attended Reed’s summer dance festival in the sports center and dreamed that one day I could go to Reed and take classes in its dance program. Twenty years later, my dream came true, not as a student but instead as a dance professor at Reed.

Working at Reed was both intellectually rewarding and challenging. Every day I looked forward to interacting with my students in the classroom and studio, and they never ceased to amaze me with their capabilities. Over the years, I continued to strive to be a better educator and challenge them in both their physical and intellectual performances.

I learned from the students through these classes and applied those experiences to provide a better journey to share with my students in the following years. In all the classes I taught at Reed, not a single syllabus was the same, because every single Reed student I encountered had a unique intellectual and physical capacity that transformed my teaching. I was alway seeking new and relevant methodology to share with the next batch of students; my dance teaching experience at Reed was in constant motion. The students in the Reed dance department filled my energy with their impressive facility, both mentally and physically, in addressing the intellectual curiosity that is inherent in their traits both as students and artists in the field of dance.

I have used teaching, dancing, and choreography to explore my personal experiences as a political refugee, a Vietnamese native, a gay man, a Vietnamese opera performer, a Balinese Dance form investigator, and a contemporary dance maker. I value all dancers with whom I have worked—including dance students whose thoughts and energy nourished my work. I have always endeavored to promote cultural diversity among the artists I have encountered. Most of all, I enjoy sharing my devotion to dance with students, artists, colleagues, staff, and general audiences. A special shout-out to my colleagues Carla Mann [dance], Victoria Fortuna [dance], Charlie Wilcox [performing arts support staff], and the rest of the faculty and staff members of the performing arts department for making my journey at Reed a memorable experience. After losing both of my parents in 2018, then as my husband turned 78 this year, I realized life is precious and I needed to shift my priorities and cherish my family time. I view my departure from Reed in 2022 as a step towards another journey but never far away from Reed. The college has generously offered me a title as visiting scholar to enable me to continue my research in the field of dance. I am happy to announce that I will be back as a guest artist to create a new work for a dance course in the fall of 2023.