Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2007)
man Minh Tran collaborates witlrfellow Vietnamese choreographer for cross-cultural artist residency by Rebecca Ragain ortland dancer and choreographer Minh Tran jokes that he owes his U.S. residency to the Vietnamese sandwich. Actually, he says it only partially in jest. Tran’s mother did sell bread in Ho Chi Minh City. And she did send that money with Tran and his three brothers when they fled Vietnam in 1979 to avoid being drafted. Tran was 13 at the time. But as the youngest of eight children in a close-knit family, Tran, looking back, figures he had the emotional maturity of an 8-year-old. He admits to being spoiled when he was growing up. Although Tran’s parents were original ly farmers from North Vietnam, they escaped to the South when Ho Chi Minh came to power. While living in a shack on the outskirts of Saigon, Tran’s father won the lottery, literal ly becoming a millionaire. The family moved into the upscale part of Saigon, which Tran compares to New York City’s Fifth Avenue, and built a six-story building for their residence. His parents read Confucius to Tran and tixik him to see Vietnamese opera, a derivative of Chinese opera. That was when Tran knew he wanted to be a performer. Sitting in the audience at the opera, Tran remembers thinking, “Whatever it takes, I want to be in the limelight like that." Though it was rare to have an artist in a Vietnamese family, Tran’s family sent him to the prestigious National School of Fine and Performing Arts, where he studied opera. He admired . his sister, who was part of a dance group. That all changed when Communist forces overtook the city in 1975. The new govern ment confiscated Tran’s family’s house, allowing them tcUease the top three floors as their residence while turning the bottom three floors into a factory producing handmade duvets. Tran’s family worked there for no pay. As the power struggle for the city*took place, Tran doesn’t remember being afraid. From a child’s perspective, the purple streaks trailing the missiles through the sky seemed like fire works. In fact, Tran and his siblings would climb onto the roof to watch the show. (His par ents, of course, ordered them to come back down.) “It was quite magical as a kid,” he recalls. At one point, Tran remembers joining a group in looting an American embassy. For his part, Tran looked mainly for the green tins of peanut butter he had previously seen handed out by U.S. soldiers. After all, the Vietnamese didn’t have peanut butter, says Tran, and he loved the sticky stuff. Meet CeeCee - AKC Champion and Survivor. ceCce, our 1-year-old Bearded Collie, came to Northwest Veterinary Specialists near death. ■ She had been referred by our regular vet in Eugene. After NWVS ran tests, we discovered that ^^-/Cee had severe heart and immune system problems. NWVS doctors administered treatment. Once healthy again, Cee went on to finish her AKC championship. But on her third birthday she was stricken with birther health problems. She became lethargic, refused to cat, had pale gums - something definitely was amiss and by the next day we were at NWVS. This time her immune system was attacking her red blood cells and platelets. And, again, NWVS savod her lite. Today at age 6, Ccc is happy and healthy! Thanks to NWVS she is a living, barkin' miracle!” — CxeCee*» Owner»: Marty & Joanne Johnson, Eugene, Oregon 24/7 Emergency Service & Critical Care r24/7 VKTRRINARY ’EMERGENCY SERVICE Internal Medicine • Oncology • Ophthalmology • Neurology • Surgery Providing Speciality Veterinary Care at the Highest Level NWVS
