CIRCULATION DESK: On Migration | Lyon Dat Nguyen

CIRCULATION DESK was born out of the need to reimagine dance criticism. Many iconic artists have circulated through Salt Lake City. They leave to live in other places across the nation, but sometimes they also return. The goal is to have conversations across the nation that connect different geographical hubs for experimental dance. This programming is designed to get at the heart of the complex realities that have inspired and questioned artists across the nation.

On Migration

This season we are thinking about migration in its multiplicity of meaning in hopes to honor the complex way artists migrate today. 

• geographically, the mobility of an artist today and the need to travel to work in various places to make a living in dance. 

• thematically over time, how artists’ ideas migrate over a longer span of time.

• even in how artists migrate through different mediums and career paths and how that impacts the field and cultural landscapes.

Each event date will be an hour long, live, virtual conversation with Halie Bahr (editor of loveDANCEmore) and guest artist/s. We look forward to these personal conversations between artists made public. Please tune in to this pilot program of arts journalism.

Lyon Dat Nguyen (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) 

Aug. 20, 2026 @ 9:00am MST

Tickets, suggested $15 with sliding scale/pay what you can options!

Online event is held via Zoom Webinars. Access link will be delivered via email the day before the event.

Lyon Nguyen is a movement artist whose work explores connection - between bodies, stories, and communities. His performances blend theatricality, psychology, film, and technology, and have been presented at venues and festivals across the United States and Vietnam. Now living and working in Vietnam, Lyon’s current practice centers on community engagement and accessibility in the arts. He leads workshops, programs, and collaborates on projects that invite people of all backgrounds to explore movement as a form of expression. He founded “nhan thay chuyen dong,” a series that connects the Vietnamese creative community with dance through dialogue and experimentation. Recently, he launched The Echoes of Our Touch, a mentoring initiative for Deaf communities that combines free arts education with collaborative performances supported by sign language, creating spaces where Deaf and hearing participants learn and create together beyond words.