'BOYLE HEIGHTS' RESIDENCY REPORT
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UPCOMING:

CALIFORNIA

Performance:

IT'S GREAT 2B AMERICAN

7:00PM Wed. May 27, 2009

George Nakano Theatre, Torrance Cultural Arts Center

3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance

Ticket info: (310) 781-7171

Dan's newest show returns to Southern California!

Featuring new choreography, video sequences, and a post-inauguration kick!

IT’S GREAT 2B AMERICAN is a funny, fierce, highly political piece inspired by Kwong's Southern California upbringing and his recent travels in Asia. A darkly humorous search for national identity beyond arrogance, denial or guilt, Dan confronts the Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde within the American psyche: from champion of democracy to imperialist bully.

Along the way, IG2BA inspects the carry-on baggage that comes with a U.S. passport and an Asian face, embracing the irony of being “oppressed minority” at home and privileged citizen of the great global power abroad.

Equal parts documentary travelogue, satirical dance review, irreverent history lesson, and poignant storytelling.

From the Japanese American internment camps of WWII to the secret American bombing of Cambodia to tourist shopping in Bali to the events of September 11th, this is a timely, hard-hitting work that boldly and humorously speaks to America’s place in the world -- its checkered past, troubled present and hopeful future.

Part of the "Whose Story Now?" series curated by John Powers, presented in association with the Japanese American Citizens League, Japanese American National Museum, Japanese American Historical Society, JACCC, and more.

www.torrancelive.us


CALIFORNIA

Workshop:

Collaboratory VII: "The Blue Marble"

Seeking diverse, environmentally-conscious, emerging artists to create collaborative performances and develop leadership skills.

Dan will be directing another cycle of this 8-week mentorship program sponsored by Great Leap. Intended for those who are interested using the arts as a vehicle for social change, this is a fantastic opportunity to develop as an individual artist and a team-player.

Guest teachers present master classes, participants go on field trips to cultural & community centers around the city, intensive hands-on work learning collaboration methods, plus LOTS of time working with Dan and Co-facilitator Young-Ae Park.


THEME: CARING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT

COST: FREE! Participants are required to create a final project at conclusion of program (for details see link).

WORKSHOP PERIOD: June 13 to July 25 MEETINGS: Twice a week. Wed 7-10PM & Sat 10AM-4PM.
FINAL REHEARSALS: EVENINGS Mon-Fri. July 27-Aug 1; Aug 3-7

PERFORMANCES: Sat. Aug 8th 3PM & 8PM DEADLINE: Monday May 15 (IN OFFICE, NOT postmark)

APPLY NOW! Go to: http://www.greatleap.org/collaboratory/

(Sorry that's not a clickable link, I don't know how to do that yet. Paste and copy into your browser)


VIDEO CLIPS FROM IG2BA:

NOTE: Some of these are newly edited (4/09) with footage from Nov '08 performances at L.A. Theater Center!

 

new excerpt: Unilateral Culture Exchange

 

 

new excerpts: Letters from an American + Preachin' to the Choir

 

 

new excerpts: Passport to Conquest + Navy Blue & Gold

 

new excerpts: Land of Smiles + Abu Ghraib Masked Ball

 

new excerpt: Laos+Dance of The Big Stick

 

excerpt - Classroom Patriots 

 

excerpt - in Cambodia

 

excerpt - Cognitive Dissonance


MINI-REPORTS

WISCONSIN

Lecture/Demo:

From Inner Worlds

University of Wisconsin, Madison

February 23, 2009: Dan gave a 90 minute talk with video screening, plus mini-performance excerpt about his latest work. We were hosted locally by the wonderful Li-Chiao-Ping and her husband Doug Rosenberg.


WISCONSIN

Performance:

IT'S GREAT 2B AMERICAN

Beloit College, Beloit, WI. Wilson Theater

February 26, 2009: Dan performed the full show for the good folks at Beloit, and taught an introductory workshop on autobiographical writing & performing for the Theater Department.


ILLINOIS

Lecture/Video presentation:

From Inner Worlds

School of the Art Institute of Chicago

February 26, 2009: Dan screened video and talked about his latest work in this visit to his beloved alma mater, hosted by the Visiting Artists Performance Seminar series.


CALIFORNIA:

IT'S GREAT 2B AMERICAN

Los Angeles Theater Center, Co-directed by SHISHIR KURUP

November 14-16, 2008: This production featured new choreography and spiffed up video sequences, and a definite post-election kick!

Part of LATC's "Face Of The World Festival".


CALIFORNIA:

Be Like Water

East West Players Theater, Directed by CHRIS TASHIMA

Sept 17-Oct 12, 2008: Dan's play had its world premiere!

"Dan Kwong has penned a powerful, emotive, yet at times playful tale..." ~ Rafu Shimpo

"The beauty of "Be Like Water" is that it's about families like yours that struggle with identity, racism and insurmountable family expectations. It's about your heartbreak and strength." ~ Pacific Citizen

"Kwong... can still deliver a roundhouse kick to the emotions." ~ L.A. Times

"...Hayashida and Sun Lee deftly handle playwright Kwong’s venerable skill in writing monologues that forward story line while allowing character depth." ~ View From A Loft

"Playwright Dan Kwong reveals an ability to adapt the huge issues (racism, mother-daughter stalemates, application of ancient wisdom) to living-room scale. He balances these disparate dimensions so that the expansiveness, danger and instruction of unseen story are just as active as the day-to-day trials of his familar characters." ~ Theater Times

Synopsis:

Chicago, 1978. Disco rules. It's been 5 years since the tragic and untimely death of legendary martial artist Bruce Lee.

Tracy Fong is a 13-year old tomboy who has become a street-fighting, ass-kicking, gung-fu/Bruce Lee-fanatic. Her best friend at school happens to be named Bruce Lee - but he's a scrawny little nerd who loves disco dancing as much as Tracy despises it.

While Dad plays it cool, Mom pressures their daughter to be more of a "normal" girl.

As Tracy squares off against a nasty bully, her overbearing mother, and the dreaded annual disco dance, along comes the Ghost of Bruce Lee (in a glass of water!) to help Tracy on her journey.

Produced by EWP in association with Cedar Grove Onstage.


CALIFORNIA:

IT'S GREAT 2B AMERICAN

Highways Performance Space, Santa Monica

July 10-13, 2008: Dan premiered his first full-length solo performance in 9 years!


MINNESOTA:

IT'S GREAT 2B AMERICAN

2nd Natl Asian American Theater Conference Mixed Blood Theater, Minneapolis

June 5-7, 2008: Kwong performed a 10 minute excerpt from his new work as part of the Writer/ Performer Showcase, and also sat on a couple panels at the Conference: "Surviving as a Solo Artist" and "Shaping the Remix", the latter which included discussion of the Collaboratory mentorship program he has been directing for Great Leap since 2005.


 

 

 

 

MINI-REPORTS (cont):

 

JAPAN:

Performance as Self-Expression/Realization

Kobe University, Japan

May 8, 2008: On Dan's second visit to Kobe U. he gave a lecture to faculty and students on his teaching methods and philosophy, and taught an introductory performance workshop.

Sponsored by Kobe U's Prof. Hideyuki Yamamoto and the Innovative Ethics Research Project, Faculty of Letters.


CALIFORNIA:

From Inner Worlds

Cal State University Northridge

March 12, 2008: Dan performed excerpts from his book as part of the CSUN multicultural program.


CALIFORNIA:

Collaboratory V: "Leaps of Faith"

National Center for the Preservation of Democracy, Los Angeles

March 8,9 2008: Led by Project Director Dan and Co-Facilitators Young-Ae Park and Nobuko Miyamoto, ten artists worked together for 7 weeks visiting various religious/spiritual centers in Los Angeles, meeting with local mentors/elders/ “wisdom-keepers”, experiencing master classes with guest teachers, and sharing their own personal stories of faith with each other.

They combined autobiographical material along with historical and contemporary sources in a highly collaborative approach, addressing questions such as: How can multi-dimensional religious identities live side by side? How do we navigate religious conflicts with intelligence and compassion? How can we create progressive and respectful visions for the future?

One of our most successful Collaboratory residencies ever!


NEW HAMPSHIRE, MASSACHUSETTS:

Sleeping With Strangers

Bowker Auditorium, University of Massachusetts, Amherst

February 8, 2008: Kwong & Peng presented their critically-acclaimed blend of performance art and Chinese opera to a full house. sponsored by the UMass Asian Studies Department. Two days later they taught workshops and performed for Derryfield School in nearby Manchester, New Hampshire.


JAPAN:

Being Naked without Being Nude

Kobe University, Japan

December 13, 2007: Dan gave a video presentation and lecture about his autobiographical performance work for students at the Faculty of Letters. Students found the provocative title utterly confusing...


WASHINGTON:

From Inner Worlds

Whitman College, Walla Walla WA

August 26-September 29, 2007: Dan guest-taught a very successful intensive course on Autobiographical Writing & Performing for the Theater Department of Whitman College. A remarkably talented group of students presented their solo pieces to full-houses as the opening production of the Whitman Theater Department's season.


CALIFORNIA:

Collaboratory IV:
"Third Stone"

FarmLab, Los Angeles

July-August, 2007: Dan and Young-Ae Park facilitated a free 8-week residency for emerging artists-of-color interested in collaborative performance and community leadership. Sponsored by Great Leap, the Collaboratory is designed to nurture the next generation of artist-leaders in Los Angeles. The theme for this round was "caring for the environment".

The residency included field trips to various cultural centers in communities of color, guest teachers, and seminars with community elders, mentors, and wisdom-keepers.

Collaboratory IV culminated in a weekend of performances created by participants, directed by Kwong and Park, and hosted by FarmLab, a progressive organization in downtown L.A. which is dedicated to finding new ways to bring the urban environment more in harmony with nature.


PUBLICATION:

A History of Asian American Theatre

Recently published by Cambridge University Press, this is the definitive book on the subject, written by Esther Kim Lee, Asst. Professor of Theatre at the University of Illinois Champaign Urbana.

It acknowledges the significance of Kwong's body of work within a larger historical context of Asian American theater, spanning from 1965 to 2006.

Quote from the book:

"Dan Kwong empowers the Asian American identity and challenges American identity by telling stories of his life. And he has inspired others to use his workshop techniques to continue breaking the cycle of silence of Asian American men and women."

(ISBN-13-978-0-521-85051-3)

(The book also features a photo of Dan performing at Highways. Photo credit should be: Marcel Schaap.)


OKLAHOMA:

Sleeping With Strangers

Tulsa Performing Arts Center

March 2007: Dan & Peng performed their critically-acclaimed collaboration to a packed audience for New Genre XIV, the innovative arts festival in Tulsa produced by Living Arts of Tulsa. They really know how to treat artists right over there...


CALIFORNIA:

Sleeping With Strangers

HIGHWAYS, Santa Monica, CA.

February 2006: The successful world premiere of this multidisciplinary collaboration with traditional Chinese opera artist Peng Jingquan from Beijing, China. Receiving rave reviews, the show also toured to Duke University NC, New York University, and Whitman College in Walla Walla, WA.

An outrageous blend of Chinese opera (real and fake), Western drama, multimedia, puppetry, slapstick, poetry and storytelling, "Sleeping With Strangers" shares the highs and lows of international relations between China and the U.S., between fathers and sons, and between friends.


PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA:

Sleeping With Strangers

Nordica TC/G, Kunming

September 2005: A work-in-progress version of Kwong & Peng's collaboration was presented in this very cool Swedish(!) experimental gallery/performance space in the city of Kunming. The eclectic audience - Chinese college students, European ex-patriots, and a handful of locals who wandered in not knowing what the heck was going to happen - all seemed to appreciate it...


CAMBODIA:

The Mekong Project Phase II

Phnom Penh; Siem Reap; Battambang

November 2004: Returning to SE Asia, Dan again helped facilitate this international residency. The Mekong Project brought together 14 artists from China, Vietnam, Laos, Burma, Cambodia, Thailand and the U.S. Traveling together for 3 weeks in Cambodia, the project visited Siem Riep (site of famed Angkor Wat and many other spectacular temples) and Battambang before culminating in a weekend of performances in Phnom Penh. A very successful project!


CANADA:

A.T.H.E. Conference

Toronto, Ontario

July 30-31, 2004: The annual conference for the Assoc. for Theatre in Higher Education included hundreds of academics and practitioners from across the continent and beyond. Dan performed, taught a workshop, was part of a panel discussion, participated in an interview and did a book-signing session - all in 2 days...


U.S.A.

From Inner Worlds to Outer Space

Book Release Show

HIGHWAYS, Santa Monica, CA.

July 22-24, 2004: To celebrate the publication of his new book, Dan performed a medley of pieces from his repertoire at Highways Performance Space. Featuring excerpts from the book, the performance marked Dan's reunion with his brilliant director, Christine Sang. All went exceptionally well with the exception of a costume malfunction that made Janet Jackson's look tame in comparison.


INDONESIA:

The Art of Rice

Pengosekan, Ubud, Bali

August 2003: Dan returned to Bali, Indonesia to complete work on The Art of Rice. This international collaborative multidisciplinary multi-media performance featured eleven outstanding artists from China, India, Burma, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Dominican Republic and the U.S. all working together to create a performance about that humble life-sustaining grain.

After a month in Bali developing the show, the group traveled to Hawaii and performed on three different islands. It made its L.A. premiere to full houses at the Japan America Theater, Pomona College and UCLA. Dan had the opportunity to practice Balinese shadow puppetry and 'topeng' (mask) performance. It was a wonderfully intense experience with lots of very fast collaboration and creation.


CALIFORNIA:

Rite of Passage

HIGHWAYS, Santa Monica, CA.

May 10, 2003: Dan had his head shaved onstage as part of Highways' 14th Birthday Celebration. Assisted by performers Bennett Schneider and Pete Lee, Kwong sat stoically as audience members donated $10 each to come onstage and snip off a lock of his hair. Meanwhile a videotape was projected showing emails Dan received, cheering him on to dome-hood, along with photos of Dan from age 3 months to present, sporting all manner of hairdos.

Audience-barbers received groovy certificates of participation. Final shaving of the Kwong-Dome was executed by Pete, to the strains of Also Sprach Zarathustra. The ritual raised over $500 for Highways.


THAILAND, LAOS:

The Mekong Project Phase I

Chiang Mai; Louang Prabang

March 2003: Dan was a Co-Facilitator on this 3-week residency in northern Thailand and Laos, helping artists and staff work together successfully. The Mekong Project was a multi-year project funded by the Rockefeller Foundation and administered by Dance Theater Workshop in NY, to develop resources for Southeast Asian artists in the Mekong region.

Highlight of the residency was a 4-day boat ride down the Mekong River to Louang Prabang, Laos which inspired the creation of a new solo performance, "On The Mekong".


Boyle Heights Residency


Read a thoughtful recap of Dan’s performance residency in conjunction with Great Leap as part of the Japanese American National Museum's January 2003 exhibition Boyle Heights: The Power Of Place.

> CLICK HERE <



GOOD NEWS!

Award From JAHSSC

April 9, 2005: The Japanese American Historical Society of Southern California honored Dan for outstanding contributions to Japanese American history and culture at a lovely banquet event. Also honored that evening were videographers John Esaki and Amy Kato, and traditional dancer Sumako Azuma.

Award From LACAD

April 27, 2005: The Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department announced the recipients of its COLA grant for mid-career artists, and Dan was among the group. The award resulted in the creation of a new performance presented in May 2006 at Barnsdall Gallery Theater (see above).

Award From CCF

June 30, 2004: The California Community Foundation announced recipients of its individual fellowships for "Outstanding Mid-Career Artists" (at least 15 years of professional experience). From 300 applicants, 5 California artists were selected for this highly-competitive fellowship. Recipients were Enrique Celaya, Karen Kimmel, Rika Ohara, Eloy Torrez and DK. Congratulations to all the winners!

   

CONTENTS ©2003 DAN KWONG / van der steur design