10,000 DREAMS
choreography festival
spotlighting asian creative voices since 2021
“10,000 is the biggest number in a lot of Asian languages.
It means an outlet for Asian American excellence, and that’s really what this festival stands for.”
-Phil Chan
President and Founder of Gold Standard Arts Foundation
There is an uncomfortable dynamic for Asians in classical ballet. Ballet companies continuously program “The Nutcracker,” “La Bayadere,” “Le Corsaire,” and other orientalist ballets season after season — yet as a field we face an absence of choreographers of Asian descent to make work on our terms. This problematic dynamic presents a barrier for our field to get Asian families to feel truly included when in the audience (and perhaps enroll their children in our schools). It is also counterproductive to efforts to diversify our Boards, when people of color rarely get to see themselves centered, and instead are faced with orientalist tropes on stage instead of mirroring their culture they hold with pride.
Following the horrific 2021 shooting in Atlanta that killed 8 people, including 6 women of Asian descent, ballet directors reached out to us to see how they could support. Despite having many orientalist fantasy depictions of Asian people and culture on the ballet stages, many companies had yet to hire an Asian choreographer. Our challenge to them was simple — hire an Asian choreographer. The response back was underwhelming: “We don’t know any. No one is a good fit. Do YOU know any?”
6 weeks later we launched the first 10,000 Dreams Festival, a virtual showcase that featured a different AAPI choreographer every day during the month of May. From that first program, we paired 5 choreographers with ballet companies (4 of them women) which has resulted in in-person festival programming with some of the leading ballet companies in the world.
The direct impact of our challenge on the field is clear: according to Dance Data Project, only 3 Asian choreographers were given commissions with American ballet companies in the ‘19/’20 season. That number has since shot up to 34 choreographers in ‘23/’24 season, ten times the number of opportunities in just 5 years.
“What began with a mission to update the classical canon — most notably the section of “The Nutcracker” known as “Tea” — has since blossomed into a larger platform celebrating Asian dancers and choreographers.”
— NY Times
“The festival’s content is powerful because it isn’t tangled up in trying to define Asianness for the white gaze. Rather, dance as a form is challenged to prove itself worthy of what each choreographer of Asian descent has to say through their exploration of the human condition.”
— ThinkINGDance
TIMELINE
In response to the a lack of Asian choreographers receiving commissions, we launched the first virtual iteration of the festival.
31 choreographers were featured throughout the month of May, which garnered 5 choreography commissions with American ballet companies
In partnership with Hubbard Street Dance Chicago,, we produced “Unboxed” featuring the “Nutcracker Tea” dance reimagined by Edwaard Liang, Yin Yue, and Peter Chu
Our efforts where profiled in NYTimes and The Washington Post
2022:
Dancing Moons Festival at OAKLAND BALLET
Partnering with Oakland Ballet, the Dancing Moons Festival is the first program by an American dance company dedicated to choreography exclusively by AAPI choreographers. The first festival featured world premieres by Phil Chan, Megan & Shannon Kurashige, Michael Lowe, and Caili Quan, and has since been presented by the company annually.
2024:
10,000 Dreams at the Northrop
Building on the successes of the new commissions, we began working with presenters to showcase this new Asian repertory through a series of new festivals.
Our first program was hosted at the Northrop at the University of Minnesota and featured the Oakland Ballet Company, The Washington Ballet, and BalletMet performing works by Phil Chan, Choo San Goh, Brett Ishida, Edwaard Liang, and Caili Quan.
10,000 Dreams at the Kennedy Center
Co-curated by The Kennedy Center and Phil Chan, our week-long festival in the Opera House featured Ballet West, Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company, Goh Ballet with the National Ballet of China, Houston Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Singapore Ballet, and The Washington Ballet in 2 mixed repertory programs and a one night sold-out gala tribute to trailblazing choreographer Choo San Goh.
“Phil Chan is a phenomenal collaborator.
For 10,000 Dreams at Northrop, he participated in the curatorial process start to finish, from introducing me to new artistic directors, to sharing his story with our audience from the stage. We shaped the program together - and it was a glorious program, full of ballets and choreographers Phil nurtured, and loved by our audience.
Phil brought ballet nerd knowledge, good humor, fashion sense, and above all Arts Justice to 10,000 Dreams at Northrop. I'm so proud and grateful to call him a colleague.
- Kristen Brogdon
Director, Artistic & Community Programs - Northrop at University of Minnesota
“To celebrate 10,000 Dreams, what it means and stands for, was an honor for us. This project was important for each of us individually, the art form, and leaders of the field collectively. The thoughtful approach, curatorial perspective, and invitations to our colleagues across the country were meaningful.
I believe that the 10,000 Dreams concept and continued dialogue around this type of work will be vital moving forward.”
-Deborah Rutter
Former President of the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Photos:
Laura Sukowatey