PRESS 2020
2020 By Date
DREAMING OF A BETTER NUTCRACKER - Zocalo Public Square, December 24, 2020
To be clear, by traditional Nutcracker standards, what I teach is nowhere near as offensive as the yellowface, Fu Manchu mustaches, and geisha wigs that appear in so many Nutcracker Chinese variations across the United States—so racist and so prevalent that an organization called “Final Bow for Yellowface” was founded in 2017 to confront these harmful Asian stereotypes in theater productions.
Check Out These Historical Photos Of “The Nutcracker” From The World’s Largest Dance Archive - Buzzfeed News, December 24, 2020
About George Lee: From Phil Chan, Dance Research Fellow at The New York Public Library and cofounder of Final Bow For Yellowface: "George Lee was student at The School of American Ballet when he was invited to dance the lead in Chinese Tea. You have to wonder, was he talented, or was he the only Asian person in the organization? He didn’t end up joining the company, he just did this round of Nutcracker. We don’t really have a ton of information about him even though so many of his contemporaries are very well documented."
Here's Your 2021 Dance Horoscope - Dance Spirit, December 23, 2020
Aries: Think outside yourself in 2021, Aries. This year is going to be all about activism and innovation for you, so focus on bettering your community, rather than just yourself. Consider how you can make change in the dance world—for the better. Research organizations that are already having an impact, like Broadway for Racial Justice, Final Bow for Yellowface, and the International Association of Blacks in Dance, or follow your passion and strike out on your own. It's your year to take risks.
The Dark Fairytale that Inspired The Nutcracker Ballet - UnTapped New York, December 22, 2020
Former dancer Phil Chan and New York City Ballet soloist Georgina Pazcoguin have prompted ballet companies to take the “pledge to End Yellowface,” a promise to end the stereotyping of ethnic cultures in performances and to increase diversity in companies and casting. In 2017, former artistic director of New York City Ballet Peter Martins worked with Chan to modify the costume and choreography of The Nutcracker’s “Tea” segment, changing the dress and makeup of the male dancer and completely removing the pointed fingers from the choreography. Several other ballet companies have followed suit, making changes to the choreography and dress to modify aspects of “Tea.”
Spectrum with Phil Chan - Chinamerica Radio, December 20, 2020
Interview between Phil Chan and Steve Warren.
The Year in Ballet Books: 9 New Reads for Dance Fans Young and Old - Pointe Magazine, December 18, 2020
In 2018, Phil Chan co-founded Final Bow for Yellowface with New York City Ballet soloist Georgina Pazcoguin to help change outdated representations of Asians in ballet. Since then, he has become a go-to consultant for ballet companies as they grapple with problematic roles and story lines in classics like The Nutcracker and La Bayadère. His book Final Bow for Yellowface: Dancing Between Intention and Impact dives into issues of racial representation onstage, why they are important to address, and how we can have meaningful conversations about them. He chronicles his own experience as an Asian American, as well as his journey from helping NYCB make adjustments to its Nutcracker Tea variation to consulting Ballet West on their 2019 reconstruction of Balanchine's Le Chant du Rossignol. Chan offers advice for arts organizations on how to have these discussions about race with understanding and open ears, as well as outlining what ballet must do to stay relevant as audiences grow more diverse.
Wendy Perron’s NOTABLE DANCE BOOKS OF 2020 - Wendyperron.com, December 18, 2020
Phil Chan exposes the demeaning stereotypes in classical ballet. Exactly why does the choreography for the Chinese dance in Nutcracker call for head-bobbing, finger-pointing and shuffling? What is the historical basis, and how can these stereotypes be changed? With sections titled “Caricature vs. Character” 58 or “Appropriation vs. Appreciation,” Chan provides informed, rich, and nuanced discussions. He asks questions like “Being Asian in America: Do We Belong?” “Who Gets to Decide?” “Did We Do Enough?”
A New Nutcracker Challenges Orientalism - ThINKINGDANCE, December 14, 2020
Called Mystery Nutcracker Theater, the film will feature Chinese shadow puppets riffing on a Ballet West archival performance. I sat down with Chan over Zoom to discuss this upcoming work.
Whose ‘Nutcracker’? Rethinking a Christmas staple - Christian Science Monitor, December 11, 2020
“The original Balanchine ‘Nutcracker’ version is essentially an emasculated Chinese coolie,” Mr. Chan says. “Instead of that, Peter chose a cricket, which in Chinese culture is a symbol of spring. And just as Balanchine dancers are the most musical of ballet dancers, crickets are also the most musical of insects.
FINAL BOW’S PHIL CHAN TALKS BOOKS AND STORYTELLING WITH ISABELLA BOYLSTON - All Arts, December 11, 2020
With “Nutcracker” season at the front of our minds, Ballerina Book Club host Isabella Boylston corresponded with Chan about storytelling, presenting archival footage with outdated racial depictions and what he hopes to see in for the future of ballet.
Sight Lines | Georgina Pazcoguin & Phil Chan of Final Bow for Yellowface - Opera News, December 7, 2020
(VIDEO) F. Paul Driscoll interviews Georgina Pazcoguin and Phil Chan about how their movement to change outdated representations of Asians in the Nutcracker and other ballets has brought about a seismic shift that has reached beyond the world of dance.
Winter Wonderland: George Balanchine’s “The Nutcracker” - New York Public Library, December 2, 2020
Although there is no denying that The NutcrackerⓇ is a beloved holiday tradition, it must also be acknowledged that it has been at the epicenter of debate over depictions of race in ballet in recent years. The second act of the ballet, which is a fantastical trip around the world, is replete with generalizations and stereotypes of indigenous cultures. In particular, the Chinese Tea Dance has been criticized for the persistence of yellowface performance. In this image, the troubling makeup and moustache on dancer George Li is quite evident, and in the pointed fingers there is an indication of why the choreography is problematic.
'Final Bow for Yellowface' Project Co-Founders Decry Racist Portrayals of Asians in Classical Ballet - Harvard Crimson, December 1, 2020
Co-founders of the “Final Bow for Yellowface” project discussed their efforts to confront and remove caricature-like portrayals of Asians in classical ballet at a virtual event hosted by Houghton Library Tuesday.
Phil Chan, author of “Final Bow For Yellowface: Dancing Between Intention and Impact,” began the panel discussion, which was moderated by Harvard English Professor Ju Yon Kim, by outlining the rise of yellowface and Asian caricature in ballet starting in the 1950’s…[while] New York City Ballet soloist Georgina Pazcoguin, a Filipina American dancer and the first Asian American to be promoted to an upper tier in her company, said she became acutely aware of her “otherness” as soon as she joined the company at the age of 17.
Context Over Cancel Culture: What Companies Can Do With Problematic Nutcracker Footage - Dance Magazine, November 28, 2020
With most live Nutcracker performances canceled this year, many companies are planning to present footage of past productions digitally instead. But for some, there's a snag: The video is from a few years ago, and the second act might come across as racist. Now what? How can companies still provide digital access for their communities to the beloved ballet—the one that attracts the most audience members all year—while not offending folks during the holiday season?
5 Ways to Feel the Holiday Spirit in a "Nutcracker"-less Year - Dance Spirit, November 4, 2020
While it still feels like the world is on pause, it might be the perfect time to imagine a better future. While we *love* The Nutcracker and almost all that goes with it, some versions of the ballet suffer from outdated and culturally insensitive interpretations in choreography and costuming.
If your studio's version of the Nutcracker includes choreography or costumes that border on racial caricature, consider reaching out to your studio directors with how you feel and offer up some resources, like the Final Bow For Yellowface pledge.
(VIDEO) Representation in Ballet and Beyond - The Musco Center for the Arts, October 22, 2020
Professional dancers, advocates, educators, and co-founders of Final Bow for Yellowface Phil Chan and Georgina Pazcoguin share their personal lives, careers, and transitions as Asian-American dance-artists. They will be joined by Brynn Shiovitz and Dr. Stephanie Takaragawa to discuss Asian representation, yellow face in dance, and the state of the movement arts as insiders informed by their extensive performance careers and creative pursuits.
Taking the Stage | Ep. 27 - The Dallas Opera, October 8, 2020
(VIDEO) Phil Chan of Final Bow for Yellowface joins Kristian and Quo for a conversation about representation, relevance, and making change through common goals.
“When the important aren’t perfect: George Balanchine” - THe Michigan Daily, October 4, 2020
Also beneath the surface rests ballets like “Le Chant du Rossignol,” an early Balanchine work that told the story of a sick Chinese emperor and relied heavily on destructive Orientalist tropes from its 1925 origins. When Ballet West revived the work in 2019, Final Bow for Yellowface co-founder Phil Chan spent the better part of his year facing off against historians who seemed to be too invested in respecting Balanchine’s genius to recognize the need to respect their Asian American peers.
“Advice bureau” - Royal Academy of Dance’s Dance Gazette, Issue #3 2020
Phil Chan advises on eliminating stereotypes in classic ballets. What advice does he have for us?
“Camille A. Brown’s School, the “Bayadère” Debate, and Nel Shelby” - The Dance Edit Podcast, September 10, 2020
Choreographer Camille A. Brown's virtual school lifts up social dance styles. The pandemic has thrown Los Angeles' dance studios into crisis. Ballet companies begin to grapple with "La Bayadère"'s patronizing Orientalism. Dance filmmaker Nel Shelby leaves a message for the dance community.
A "La Bayadère" for the 21st Century: How Companies are Confronting the Ballet’s Orientalist Stereotypes - Pointe Magazine, September 1, 2020
For many dancers and audience members, La Bayadère is a beloved 19th-century staple of the classical canon, a product of the time in which it was created. But for those who find the ballet offensive—and there are plenty—what can be done to update it for the 21st century?
EP: 2 Blackface & Yellowface On Stage: Should It Be A Controversy? - Stairway for Ballet, July 22, 2020
In this episode, we are going to talk about racial stereotyping on stage in ballet. We dive into the historical background of the usage of racial stereotyping in ballet such as Blackface and Yellowface to the current controversies that surrounds them. We also discuss the meaning of traditions and if those traditions are unassailable when prioritizing diversity and inclusiveness in our world.
NYCB Soloist Daniel Applebaum Shares the Importance of “What’s the Tea,” a New YouTube Series Interviewing Ballet Dancers of Asian Descent - Pointe Magazine, June 30, 2020
Watching, "What's the Tea?", commonalities begin to emerge: Asian dancers being conditioned to brush off microaggressions and remain quiet; an implicit understanding that our adjacency to whiteness gets us in the room, but not a seat at the table; thinking that positive change could be achieved by working harder….By confronting our traumas and realizing that they are, in fact, shared, "What's the Tea?" has given dancers of Asian descent something that has never existed before: a sense of community.
Library for the Performing Arts Announces 2020 Dance Research Fellows - Broadway World, June 19, 2020
The Jerome Robbins Dance Division has selected its new class of Dance Research Fellows. Selected from a record number of applicants, these researchers and artists will delve into the Dance Division's archives to explore the theme of dance and immigration.
A Christmas without ‘Nutcracker’ - My Pointe is…, June 19, 2020
Ballet’s commitment to a “tradition” has made this economic catastrophe even harder to mitigate. Before, they had a choice: your current racist Nutcracker, or a new one that respects the cultures it depicts on stage. The pandemic has taken that choice away — now, it’s a racist Nutcracker, or no Nutcracker at all. And it reveals just how many companies chose racism until it was no longer convenient.
Ballet Needs to End Its Use of Yellowface; It’s Phil Chan’s Mission to Make That Happen - The New York Observer, June 18, 2020
Chan’s approach to discussing race eschews blunt confrontation. Recognizing that the conversation is triggering for everyone involved, he begins by acknowledging the situation, then moves onto discussing its unintended, cringe-inducing effects. Following up with questions about the actual intent, he helps create choreographic solutions that fit the context of a ballet with specific details that make sense to a modern audience. Sometimes that requires updating a ballet’s plot. For instance, instead of a pirate spectacle filled with Arabic stereotypes and ‘happy slaves’, Chan has reimagined Le Corsaire as a beauty pageant at Atlantic City. In Chan’s words, “We have a responsibility as American artists to reinvent the old way of doing things.” This is particularly true if ballet is to remain relevant to younger audiences who have zero tolerance for racism.
Belonging in Ballet: Towards a More Inclusive Future - ThinkingDance.net, June 10, 2020
The historic portrayal of individuals as “other” onstage has an undeniable long-term impact on both minority and majority groups. The feeling that certain people are not like everyone else persists, consciously or subconsciously, long after the theater curtains fall. Though Chan focuses specifically on Asian representations in ballet, his experiences and lessons are more broadly applicable. Looking closely and questioning what we see on stage is a small step toward creating art that is diverse, vibrant, and all-around better, leading to more inclusion in the dance world and beyond.
Ghost lights and Instagram likes: 'Creole Giselle' and the power of rewriting ballet - The Michigan Daily, June 10, 2020
What’s stopping other major ballet companies from reconsidering their 19th century reproductions? Could “Swan Lake” happen on the shores of Lake Michigan? Wouldn’t “Le Corsaire” work well on a Navy ship? Perhaps “Coppelia”’s doll factory could be set in industrial-age America. More recently than Mitchell, “Final Bow for Yellowface” author Phil Chan told Megan Fairchild in an interview in May that he’s been working on a new version of “La Bayadere” set in 1930s Hollywood rather than an ill-represented India. The new approach, Chan said, “makes that story about us instead of them.” When Mitchell moved DTH’s “Giselle” to the Antebellum South in 1984, he was doing just that: Through a simple set change, his show could tell the stories that belonged to his dancers and not the all-white group from 150 years prior.
Megan Fairchild: Interview with Phil Chan about Diversity in Ballet - Youtube, May 24, 2020
“It felt like a real gift you have given to everyone that, in a safe place like a book, to start to work on understanding these ideas around diversity and making our minds more flexible."
Interview with Phil Chan: Final Bow for Yellowface - Dance Dispatches, May 23, 2020
The subtitle of my book is “dancing between intention and impact,” which is the key communication approach we’ve adopted when having this sensitive, delicate, and sometimes difficult and triggering conversation. Instead of questioning someone’s intention (“You’re racist!”), we instead focus on the impact (“Did you mean for the Chinese dance to look like an ugly caricature that might offend audience members?”) It’s in this space that constructive and positive conversations can happen, and when choreographers can creatively ask themselves, “Okay – what else can this dance be?”
This Director Is Bringing Classic Musicals Into the 21st Century - Dance Magazine, May 13, 2020
"For Millie, I'm not Asian, and I would not presume myself to be the authority on what the portrayal of Asians in that show might feel like to an Asian person. That's why I had Ashley Park playing Millie and playwright Lauren Yee and Phil Chan as advisors to the production—people who could speak with authority, people I could listen to."
Final Bow For Yellowface - HAPA Magazine, Issue 11, May 13, 2020
In his recently released book, Final Bow for Yellowface: Dancing Between Intention and Impact, Phil discusses his perspective on how we should be approaching race in both the dance and real world. He also addresses his personal journey toward accepting his mixed cultural identity.
Final Bow for Yellowface: An Interview with Phil Chan - Society of American Archivists, May 11, 2020
Since Phil Chan and Georgina Pazcoguin launched the Final Bow for Yellowface initiative in 2017, “almost every American ballet company” has signed its pledge. Phil’s new book documents how some dance companies have taken the next step by beginning to make changes to the classic ballets in their repertory to become more inclusive and how he has assisted them in achieving this goal. For Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Phil graciously agreed to answer a few questions about the research process that has informed the ongoing work of Final Bow for Yellowface.
New book: War against yellowface in the arts won a victory in Salt Lake City - The Salt Lake Tribune, May 9, 2020
Phil Chan is fighting racism in America, one ballet company at a time. The rather sticky process surrounding the Utah revival of George Balanchine’s “Le Chant du Rossignol” is detailed in Chan’s book “Final Bow For Yellowface: Dancing between Intention and Impact.”
“PODCAST: Final Bow for Yellowface: Book Part 1 & Part 2”- China America Radio, May 10 & 17, 2020
Spectrum is our weekly Public Service program featuring conversations with a wide variety of artists, educators, professionals, travelers, business leaders, performers, and entrepreneurs, sharing their lifestyle experiences and stories of interest to the Chinese-American community.
Book Review: “Final Bow For Yellowface” Lays Out A Route Toward Inclusion - Danceplug, April 24, 2020
Final Bow for Yellow Face, Phil Chan’s moving, excellent new book detailing the racially charged history of Asian stereotype in dance is going to prove a valuable resource. It repeatedly strikes resonant chords with America’s problematic history with race and Chan’s own complex upbringing and mixed race identity. Divided into two parts the book offers plenty of historical information about the tropes of Asian representation in classical ballet from Nutcracker, to La Bayadère, Scheherazade, and others. Importantly, the book also offers a guide for charting a route forward for dance companies and their hierarchies as they grapple with the elements of inclusion in redesigning modern versions that respectfully represent Asians and Asian culture without abandoning entire ballets to the dust bin.
Phil Chan On Penning Final Bow for Yellowface: Dancing Between Intention & Impact - The Dance Enthusiast, April 7, 2020
Instead of repeating tired and outdated tropes, seeing nuanced and authentic portrayals of Asians across the media and entertainment spectrum that reflects our diverse society—which include Asian friends, family, colleagues, and neighbors—help quiet the rumblings of racism and xenophobia when they inevitably rear their ugly heads. This idea lies at the very heart of my book.
Online Release Party: Phil Chan’s Book Final Bow for Yellowface Addresses Caricatures of Chinese People in Ballet and Beyond - Dance.land, March 25, 2020
Combined with the pledge, which has been signed by most major American ballet companies, Final Bow for Yellowface has a readily accessible topic of discussion and a simple first step that should then lead to additional artistic action.
“BBC News: The Cultural Frontline” - BBC, March 15, 2020
Two dancers on a mission to replace caricature with character. Georgina Pazcoguin and Phil Chan of the campaign group Final Bow for Yellowface tell us why they’re working to eliminate offensive stereotypes of East Asians on our stages.
“UNCENSORED: FINAL BOW FOR YELLOWFACE” - Arts Uncensored, March 13, 2020
Final Bow for Yellowface was founded by Georgina Pazcoguin, New York City Ballet soloist, and Phil Chan, arts administrator and educator, with a simple pledge, "I love ballet as an art form, and acknowledge that to achieve a diversity amongst our artists, audiences, donors, students, volunteers, and staff, I am committed to eliminating outdated and offensive stereotypes of Asians (Yellowface) on our stages." We discuss the issues surrounding productions (ballet, theater, film etc. ) using outdated offensive stereotyped caricatures vs. authentic characters of ethnical & racial backgrounds. Find out why & how this initiative was founded, supported and challenged! As well as its impact globally.
LA BAYADERE (PA Ballet): Overcoming criticism - Phindie, March 13, 2020
Although it is a gorgeous and beautiful ballet, it contains some controversial aspects from today’s standard. It is set to a kingdom of ancient India, but the music does not have a single element of India. The choreography, though it has been elaborated since the premier, has developed simply to present more grandiose physicality and artistry of the dancers while ignoring the authenticity of the culture and history. As it may have been expected, the company has met rather intense criticisms for staging this ballet.Pennsylvania Ballet sincerely accepted those opinions and was responsive to such criticisms, taking extra steps to make this experience more inclusive for those who want to be involved. Pallabi Chakravorty, professor of dance at Swarthmore College and Phil Chan, co-founder of the Final Bow for Yellow Face, were invited to amend some of the mimes and gestures for enhanced authenticity and inclusiveness. They also held open discussion forums at the Pennsylvania Academy of the FIne Arts and at the Guggenheim in New York City for sharing a deeper understanding of the historical background of the ballet and their visions for the future of the classical ballet. Although some may say it was not enough, it matters that the company made extra efforts with an open mind to be better and more progressive, instead of dismissing the opinions or caving in and choosing not to put such ballet on stage out of fear for criticisms at all.
Confronting Ugliness in Ballet’s Beauty - thINkingdance.net, March 12, 2020
I commend Corella and PAB for facing the ballet’s disturbing issues directly and instigating this discourse while preserving the work’s value in the classical repertoire. Many of the modifications in this restaging were, I find, improvements, and the company’s commitment to rethinking various aspects of the ballet are promising. And, I heard directly from PAB artists that they very much enjoyed and appreciated Dr. Chakravorty’s involvement, for it added depth to their understanding of the ballet, its cultural references, and their characters. Their thinking and dancing have been enriched, and their relationship to the past problematized, as a result of these initiatives—as have mine as their spectator. Changes like that don’t result from erasure.
Corella’s ‘Bayadère’ for Pennsylvania Ballet has merit, but stereotypes persist - The Philadelphia inquirer, March 6, 2020
Corella’s choreography revamped some caricature-like gestures and movements from previous versions, partly through the assistance of Swarthmore professor Pallabi Chakravorty and Phil Chan, the cofounder of an organization called Final Bow for Yellowface. But the ballet would need a larger overhaul to truly remove the Orientalism, or Westerners’ often-distorted stereotyping of Asian culture. It would help if down the road he could commission sets and costumes. The ones rented from the Boston Ballet look too much like The Jungle Book, especially the sets. Most of the Bayadère costumes featured turbans, veils. Nearly every woman’s costume has a bare midriff. Shirtless fakirs lope across the stage on hands and feet.
But as a work of dance, it still has merit.
Corella aims to erase stereotypes from his otherwise familiar ‘La Bayadère’ - The Philadelphia Inquirer, March 4, 2020
Phil Chan, cofounder of Final Bow for Yellowface, an organization that works with dance and theater companies to remove racist representations of Asians, is one of the consultants Corella hired to make the changes. He says that political correctness — which he says means not to give offense — is not the aim here. “I don’t think that’s a very good end goal to making good art,” he said before a behind-the-scenes forum on the ballet last week at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. "Because then [choreographers and dancers are] walking on eggshells, and you’re not actually focusing on doing something really creative or beautiful or revolutionary. Instead, you know, I try to help frame the conversation of: Does the intention of what you’re trying to do match the impact? And when those two things aren’t congruent, that’s when people get offended.”
“Goings On about town” - The New Yorker, February 14, 2020
In 2015, the former American Ballet Theatre star Angel Corella took over the Pennsylvania Ballet. The Spanish-born dancer has been busily transforming the troupe’s repertory; his latest addition is a new version of “La Bayadère,” a late-nineteenth-century ballet set in an exotic version of ancient India and centered on the love between a temple dancer and a handsome warrior. How does one stage such a ballet in 2020? On Feb. 23, Corella will discuss this question with the diversity advocate Phil Chan, and a handful of dancers from the company will show excerpts of the new production.
“Final Bow for Yellow Face - how this initiative works to eliminate outdated Asian stereotypes and we as an audience can help” - Spectacle Arts, January 17, 2020
Think about this for a moment: Germans, those outside of Bavaria, don’t feel appropriately represented by wearing dirndl and with a beer in our hand. I for one, would roll my eyes. But Germans would be deeply offended if artists wear swastikas to show they portray Germans. I can already see the outrage. So why would we hang on to stereotypes of other cultures that are just as offending?
“Opinion: Misty Copeland shouldn’t have to fight ballet’s racist past alone” - LA Times, January 12, 2020
Think of it this way, all you defenders of old Russian stereotypes. What if the exaggerated demonization of Russians during the Cold War had become a set of popular characters in much-repeated Western ballets performed around the world? What if Americans cherished and defended the roles of The Godless Communist, or the Russian Bear who abuses children that were actual stereotypes of the time? Is it OK just because it’s history?
“'Dance is not a museum': how ballet is reimagining problematic classics” - The Guardian, January 9, 2020
“As society’s views change, ballet has to adapt. We’re slow on the uptake in a lot of different ways – our full length ballets mostly feature an outdated power dynamic. It doesn’t take much to remove the offensiveness. There are a lot of traditionalists who think tinkering with anything is blasphemy. But removing brownface from Bayadère is not ruining the ballet. It’s simply employing your suspension of disbelief.
We’re at a breaking point with humanity. We have to really try to see each other. I think ballet is a conduit for inspiring that connection. Even though I’m on stage I have a direct connection to the audience. It’s different to visiting a museum, it’s very much a present art, an actual physical exchange between the dancers and the audience. That’s where the magic of ballet is.”
“Calling It: The Dance Trends We're Predicting for the '20s” - Dance Magazine, January 6, 2020
“Just few years ago, you could expect pushback on any suggestions that the choreography of classic ballets should change because it might be offensive to today's audiences. "It's tradition," they'd argue. "It's how Petipa made it," they'd say. "If you change one part, where do the changes stop?" they'd ask. Now, thanks in large part to Phil Chan and Georgina Pazcoguin's work with Final Bow for Yellowface, companies are realizing that there are appropriate ways to make respectful updates without losing any of the original magic.”
“Are We Too Precious With Classic Dance Works?” - Dance Magazine, January 3, 2020
‘“There are these works from the Western canon that have a lot of artistic merit , but they’re not the most respectful because they just didn’t have Asian collaborators in the room,” says Chan. “So now that we’re in this position, how can we keep these works, keep the intensions of the choreographer, while making it so that audiences today can still enjoy it?”