James Pham is a member of Chunky Move and the winner of the 2014 Outstanding Achievement by a Male Dancer award.
Where were you born?
Subiaco in Perth, WA.
What is your nationality?
I am Australian, but of Vietnamese heritage.
How did your parents come to settle in Australia? What is their occupation?
My parents were refugees from the Vietnam war. They are both working as interpreters for the Vietnamese community in Australia.
Do you have any siblings and are they also in the arts?
Yes. I have a step brother who lives in Houston, Texas. He’s quite opposite to me so he doesn’t have much to do with the arts.
Where did you train?
I did my early training in ballet at the Graduate College of Dance in Perth during my late years in high school. I also did casual hip hop classes at the Green Room Entertainment and casual contemporary dance classes with Alice Lee Holland.
I then did tertiary training as a contemporary major at the New Zealand School of Dance.
Why did you take up dance?
I originally took up dancing to boost my confidence. I remember getting stage fright when I had to perform as a music student in high school. I also hated sport so dancing seemed like a good combination of fitness and artistic expression.
Before I knew it I fell in love and became obsessed with dance and the adrenalin and excitement it gave me!
What was your first public performance?
When I was about 16, I had finished a rehearsal at Steps Youth Dance Company and a bunch of us decided to do a public dance improvisation in the streets.
We were such a crazy bunch of teenagers with too much energy ... and probably too much sugar consumption.
When and how did you come to join Chunky Move?
I joined Chunky Move in 2012. When Anouk took the role of director she held an audition which I attended. I was lucky!
What have been some especially memorable or important performances for you?
I can definitely say that An Act of Now was an incredibly memorable process for me. It was my first professional experience and it was such an epic one. I learnt so much through working with incredibly talented and experienced artists who are now very dear friends.
Another memorable performance and process was Gentle is the Power for the Brisbane Solo Festival.
I found this experience one of the most challenging overall ... mentally, physically and emotionally. It was just a relentless solo! So many times I felt alone and didn’t have any other dancers to share the roller coaster ride with ... though every time I made it through a run I was so overwhelmed with joy. The sense of achievement and conquering was the underlying theme of the solo so for me it was very real and therefore very personal. Being able to share that vulnerability with audiences was pretty incredible.
What is your favourite performance venue?
Two nights ago (from writing this) I performed in the Stadsschouwburg theatre in Amsterdam (247 Days with Chunky Move). It was the first international theatre I’ve ever performed in and it’s so beautiful!
I think it will always have a special place in my memory bank. I’ve always dreamed of being able to share the stage with close friends in a big theatre somewhere in the world.
Do you have a pre-performance ritual?
Ha ha – a guilty one – blasting ‘I will always love you’ by Whitney Houston and singing very loudly to it. Also dancing very badly to it as well.
Other cheesy love ballad classics are also used.
What do you always take with you to a performance?
As a viewer? A clear mind.
What do you admire in people?
Empathy and kindness.
What word would you use to describe your feet?
Complicated.
This "Limelight" feature appeared in the February/March issue of Dance Australia.