AAPI Dance Festival
Kanon Sugino among the AAPI dancers performing for the Asian American Arts Alliance’s two-day festival
A4 AAPI Dance Festival at APAP
Saturday, January 11 from 1:45 p.m. until 3:45 p.m.
Sunday, January 12 from 4:15 p.m. until 6:15 p.m.
The Ailey Citigroup Theatre – 405 W. 55th Street
General Admission: $25 | Two-Day Pass: $30
The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company and Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) present two afternoons of thrilling AAPI dance, with performances from the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Jadin Wong Fellow Kanon Sugino, Jadin Wong Artist of Exceptional Merit Nikaio Bulan Sahar Thomashow (they/he) and KAŌS Dance Collective, Jadin Wong Artist of Exceptional Merit Luna Beller-Tadiar, Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company, and J CHEN PROJECT.
The AAPI Dance Festival at APAP is a part of the Dance Managers Collective Showcase. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit A4’s website.
Day 1 Program
1:45 p.m. – TBD by Nikaio Bulan Sahar Thomashow (they/he) and KAŌS Dance Collective
“As the Roots Undo” centers around the idea that the longer you stay in a new place, the more you distance yourself from the version of you that existed before. The original piece is meant to be a snapshot depicting the feeling of living through each seemingly identical day, understanding the necessity of adaptation in order to survive. The dancers see that they’re not alone and find strength in collective perseverance.
2:00 p.m. – “Mirage no Wana” by Kanon Sugino
This work is an exploration of Japanese culture, heritage, language, societal norms, body image, and mental health, portraying the multidimensionality of the culture and its people. Amidst the richness and beauty of Japan is a concealed toxic and self-deprecating culture.
Dancers: Manatsu Aminaga, Kira Shiina, and Kanon Sugino
2:15 p.m. – “Leaving Pusan” by Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company
“Leaving Pusan” tells the story of Dana Tai Soon Burgess’s great grandmother’s emotional and physical departure from Korea in 1903. She voyaged to Oahu, Hawai'i, on the Gaelic, the first steamship that delivered Koreans to work on the sugar cane and pineapple plantations, and worked on the Del Monte plantation her entire life.
2:45 p.m. – “AAPI HEROES” (Excerpt) by J CHEN PROJECT
“AAPI HEROES” entertains and pays homage to the vibrant legacy of Asian American history. We follow our young explorer, Kai, on a captivating journey across time to discover iconic Asian American figures such as Anna May Wong, Hollywood’s first Chinese American star, and Bruce Lee, a legend in martial arts and philosophy. It also brings to life the mythic NuWa, Goddess of Creation, and the global K-POP phenomenon.
Dancers: Chieh Hsiung, Sumire Ishige, Maya Lam, and Carl Ponce Cubero
3:15 p.m. – Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
Experience the artistry of Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, celebrated for its authentic and diverse programs that spotlight AAPI dance and foster cross-cultural collaboration. This dynamic performance highlights the Company’s innovative approach to blending tradition with modernity:
“Lion in the City”
A thrilling reimagining of the beloved Lion Dance, celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop. Nai-Ni Chen’s collaboration with Rokafella and Kwikstep unites Chinese movement with urban dance in a joyous prayer for peace.“Tiger and Water Lilies”
Grace and power converge in this BalletMet commission, blending Asian traditions with contemporary ballet as dancers portray the duality of motion versus stillness.“Carousel”
Step into a dreamlike world inspired by European carousels and equestrian elegance, filled with whimsy and vibrant characters.“Unfolding”
A poetic collaboration with Korea’s Hanulsori troupe, inspired by shared cultural heritage and the timeless principles of Yin and Yang.
Day 2 Program
4:15 p.m. – “All the Pretty Visitors” by Nikaio Bulan Sahar Thomashow and KAŌS Dance Collective
In “All the Pretty Visitors,” we question: How are we the visitors – when our souls are tied to this land? Why must we be forced into shadows and shame – when our rejoice is just as sacred? We, the Aswang, dance in celebration and defiance – dance the dances of those we’ve devoured.
4:30 p.m. – “Mercury” by Luna Beller-Tadiar
In “Mercury,” a mercurial body becomes a substrate, a platform for shifting codes of use, uncannily animated by unseen forces. Undeniably live, yet, to a modern/colonial viewer, not quite human, this figure plies the continuities between brown colonized bodies, robots, NPCs, and AI. Inspired in part by “invisibilized” Filipino service labor, in this piece social worlds erupt into the nowhere, non-space of the virtual, making sensible the ghost in the machine.
4:45 p.m. – “Leaving Pusan” by Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company
5:15 p.m. – “AAPI HEROES” (Excerpt) by J CHEN PROJECT
5:45 p.m. – Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
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