After impressing judges with his Michael Jackson moonwalk impression, Nguyen won the $1000 top prize in the Mounties' So You Think You Can Dance competition recently.

``Dancing is something I did at home when I was bored - I've never really been trained or taken any classes,'' Nguyen said.

``There were about 800 people there and I have never danced in front of that many people before.''

Before his dance at Mounties, Nguyen's biggest performance was a small show at his former school, James Busby High School.

The 18-year-old, from Busby, said he hadn't gone to Mounties to enter the contest.

``I hadn't actually heard of it,'' he said.

``I was just at Mounties and the competition was on and my friends told me I should enter it for fun.''

After winning the first heat, he was the first performer at the grand final - a position he was glad to have held once he watched the other 12 dancers.

``It kind of made me a little nervous,'' Nguyen said.

His Michael Jackson-inspired R&B and rave dance routine won him the favour of the audience, who voted him the winner by SMS and paper ballot.

``I used to watch Michael Jackson when I was little and I used to just copy him and add my own style,'' he said.

Other dancers performed routines in styles including urban hip hop, break dancing, salsa and ballroom.