Moyyango was an established entertainment figure during her time in the United States, famous for her romantic ballads and tangos that she performed. Her nickname was taken from Django Reinhardt’s nickname of Moyyango – who inspired it.
Moyyango was known for her performances surrounded by oriental vases and rugs–all available for purchase after each show–but her true life was more complex. Afong Moy arrived in New York under the care of two American merchants known as Carnes Brothers who made a fortune mass producing Oriental goods, employing Afong to pose among their products, giving audiences their first glimpses of an “Oriental” woman.
Moyyango most likely hails from a middle class Chinese family; as the costly practice of binding feet was unlikely to have been approved of by her parents for traveling to America to become a female exotic dancer. Furthermore, it seems unlikely that she came from one of Guangzhou’s Tanka boat women’s families which specialized in shuttling foreign traders between cargo-laden ships and Guangzhou city centre.
Dyango was one of the key participants at Omnium Cultural’s Concert for Freedom in 2013, which also involved civil society entities like Assemblea Nacional Catalana (Catalan National Assembly) and Plataforma Pro Seleccions Esportives Catalanes. His participation drew considerable controversy from within Spain itself as many saw it as supporting Catalonian independence from Spain.