Continuing its efforts to highlight underrepresented voices working in the ballet aesthetic and develop more diverse representation in the field of ballet, the Kennedy Center presents a week-long celebration recognizing Asian and Asian-American creatives June 18–23 with seven performances on the Opera House stage. Curated by the Center and Phil Chan, a Kennedy Center Next 50 leader and co-founder of Final Bow for Yellowface, 10,000 Dreams: A Celebration of Asian Choreography features two repertory programs of works, including several East Coast premieres, all by Asian and Asian-American choreographers performed by acclaimed ballet companies from across the U.S. The celebration will also include a special one-night-only event with national and international artists on June 21 with a focus on the contributions of Choo San Goh, the late Singaporean-born choreographer of Chinese descent who served as resident choreographer and associate artistic director for The Washington Ballet for nearly a decade and was hailed artistically for his major contributions to the ballet field.
“It’s a tremendous honor to be able to introduce a new generation to the works of Choo San Goh while recognizing his place as a great American choreographer,” said Phil Chan. “Only a few years ago, Goh might have been the only Asian choreographer a company had ever commissioned, which makes this festival even more thrilling to be able to share so many diverse choreographic voices on the program—who all just happen to be of Asian heritage.”
This celebration serves as an extension of Final Bow for Yellowface’s mission of making ballet more inclusive. Conceived in 2017 following a meeting with New York City Ballet’s former Artistic Director Peter Martins about Asian stereotypes in The Nutcracker, the globally recognized initiative works to “replace caricature with character”—to speak out against yellowface on ballet stages and create Asian representations that are culturally meaningful and engaging to all audiences. This work has manifested into the formation of the Gold Standard Arts Foundation, a service organization for Asian-American creatives working in dance.
In addition, leading up to the celebration, a free film screening of 10 short dance films all by Asian choreographers and creatives will take place on Friday, June 14 as part of the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage film series at the REACH film wall at dusk. A digital resource and learning space on the Kennedy Center’s website will also launch in the spring and will focus on connections between the artists, companies, and legacy of Asian voices in ballet.
Program A (June 18–20)
Opening the week, the first program features three companies in a shared program of works. The Washington Ballet brings Japanese-American choreographer Brett Ishida’s home-coming. A work for 11 dancers, Ishida draws on the themes of loss and recovery from the haunting narrative of her grandparents, Japanese Americans who were forcibly dislocated from California during the Second World War. Set to music by film composers Nicholas Britell and Michael Nyman, the work also utilizes a Greek chorus to evoke shared human experiences and pathos. Pacific Northwest Ballet will perform Taiwanese-American Edwaard Liang’s first work for the company, The Veil Between Worlds. First premiered as a digital release during the company’s 2020–2021 season, Liang was inspired by connections and barriers that exist between people and how intersections can facilitate stronger understanding. Accompanied by Oliver Davis’ score, a cast of 10 seeks each other within the place between perceived reality and fantasy. The final piece on the program includes Ballet West performing a new work either by Caili Quan or Zhongjing Fang, which will premiere in Salt Lake City in May 2024. Specific work to be announced at a later date.
Special One-Night-Only Event Honoring the History and Legacy of Choo San Goh (June 21)
A roster of national and international companies and artists come together for this special one-night-only performance honoring the legacy and impact of the late award-winning choreographer Choo San Goh. Having passed at the age of 39 in 1987, Goh contributed works for American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, Paris Opera, the Royal Danish Ballet, Houston Ballet, Boston Ballet, among many other companies around the world in addition to his role at The Washington Ballet.
Featuring six works, inclusive of three Goh ballets, the evening comprises: Singapore Ballet performing Goh’s Momentum, a work for 10 dancers set to Sergei Prokofiev’s First Piano Concerto; Phil Chan’s Amber Waves, a meditation on “America the Beautiful” set to music by Chinese-American composer Huang Ruo and performed by dancers from Ballet West; Goh Ballet featuring dancers from National Ballet of China perform Goh’s Ballade, a work for five dancers set to music by Gabriel Fauré and directed by Chan Han Goh, niece of Choo San Goh; Washington, D.C.-based Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company performs an excerpt from Burgess’ A Tribute to Marian Anderson, which pays homage to renowned operatic contralto Marian Anderson’s voice and grace while underscoring the racial barriers she overcame; Goh’s Fives, performed by The Washington Ballet, a vibrant work showcasing many of the choreographer’s hallmarks, including his use of ensemble patterns, line, and unexpected gestures; and Georgina Pazcoguin, co-founder of Final Bow for Yellowface, will perform a special work for the occasion.
A video tribute along with special guest speakers Phil Chan, Georgina Pazcoguin, Janek Schergen (Artistic Director of Singapore Ballet), Chan Hon Goh (niece of Choo San Goh), and more will honor Goh throughout the evening.
Program B (June 22–23)
Closing the week, the second program beginning on June 22, features works from Houston Ballet, The Washington Ballet, and Ballet West. Houston Ballet brings Chinese choreographer Disha Zhang’s Elapse. Exploring the idea of aging and the passage of time, Elapse is set to an original score by Zeng Xiaogang and is Zhang’s first-ever piece created on an American company. Choo San Goh’s Fives returns to the stage with The Washington Ballet. Described by Goh as “music ballet”—in which the movement comes from the music itself and the audience “sees” as well as “hears” the music—Fives is created for 10 women and five men and is set to Ernest Bloch’s Concerto Grosso No. 1. Ballet West rounds out the program with a new work either by Caili Quan or Zhongjing Fang, which will premiere in Salt Lake City in May 2024. Specific work to be announced at a later date.
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