Hi fellow dancers. This is Malaya here and I am excited to have you all plugged in. Please feel free to send me messages, add comments, ask questions, or just fill me in on what's happening in your life. I will read all of my mail and promise to respond at my earliest convenience. For those of you who are inquiring to my socket for the first time, I would be more than happy to tell you a little bit about myself.....

I am originally from Saigon, Vietnam. Only spending my first year of life there, I, along with my mom and seven brothers and sisters, left and came to the United States. We ended up in Denver, Colorado where I would live until the age of 19. I believe I was dancing before I could walk but I didn't have any formal training until my junior year in high school( I was 17 years old). Before that, I would perform in local street fares or school talent shows. I even brought a tape recorder to school one time and did my own personal performance for my fourth grade class during our gym hour(what was I thinking?). At the age of 17, I started in Classical Ballet, modern(Graham and Horton), and Jazz. That same year, I went to my first convention where I was awarded a scholarship to come out to Los Angeles to take free classes at the Edge. I fell even more in Love with dance and was determined to then move myself out of Denver and into a city that challenged me more as a dancer(especially because I knew I wanted to pursue this as a profession). I didn't move to Los Angeles until I was 19. Having just started formerly training, I knew I wasn't quite ready(technically) to leave Denver. So I stayed in Denver a year after high school to continue my training before I made the move. And I have lived here ever since.....

I continue to train as much as possible and perform whenever the opportunity arises. My wish is to dance until my time on earth is over(to be somewhat dramatic.....but I AM a dancer). As a teacher and choreographer, I have other intentions that I hope to fulfill. I am hoping that I am able to inspire others to reach those parts of themselves that they never knew existed. The parts of them that were meant to be expressed through their art. The parts of them that were meant to be expressed in this lifetime. I believe as humans, we all live with fears that hold us back from growing. Eventually, if courageous enough, we can work through those obstacles and become better people for it. As artists, it is imperative that we tear down those walls in order to express. There is nothing more powerful than truth. It cannot be questioned, denied, or manipulated. In its truest form, I believe it transcends. Nothing is more beautiful than seeing any kind of artist expressing truth. We all know when an actor doesn't believe their lines or when a singer doesn't feel the message they are whaling. That stuff reads as boring. But when truth comes through the actor or singer, we laugh,cry, get angry..all of the above. Basically, we believe what we see and hear. Well, the same rule applies for dancers. Truth comes through our movements and others(dancers and non-dancers alike) will feel the expression and will believe what they see because truth is truth.

So to make a long story longer :).....My intention as a teacher, choreographer, and dancer is to inspire other artists to seek their truth. To own who they are and to let that shine as bright as possible. We are all meant to be unique. We are the Universe expressing itself physically. The Universe itself is constantly evolving and we are part of that evolution. If we all hide in fear of the special things we have to offer, the Universe suffers for it. And because we are all a part of the Universe, we all miss out. Dancers and fellow artists... stand proud, explore, evolve, take chances, make mistakes, forgive, shine, Love, and most of all, stay true to yourself and your Universe.

Enjoy!!!!
Malaya