| Dan Kwong | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 26, 1954 United States |
| Occupation | performance artist writer teacher |
| Nationality | American |
| Genres | solo performance |
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www.dankwong.com |
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Dan Kwong is an American performance artist, writer, teacher and visual artist. He has been presenting his solo performances since 1989, often drawing upon his own life experiences to explore personal, historical and social issues. He is of mixed Asian American heritage (Chinese American/Japanese American). His works intertwine storytelling, multimedia, dynamic physical movement, poetry, martial arts and music. Kwong is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He is an Artist with the performing arts organization, Great Leap,[1] and a Resident Artist at the 18th Street Arts Center[2] in Santa Monica, California.
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These works explore subjects such as cultural confusion and discovery in a mixed heritage family; allergic reactions to “Model Minority Syndrome”; dysfunctional family “Asian American-style”; Asian male identity; Japanese American internment during WWII; the impact of HIV/AIDS on Asian Americans. Kwong has performed in venues across the United States and in England, Hong Kong, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia, Mexico, Canada, China and Korea.
Kwong's first play, Be Like Water, was developed with Cedar Grove OnStage, and received its world premiere at East West Players in Los Angeles, in September 2008, as part of the EWP mainstage season.[3]
In 2010 Kwong directed and edited the award-winning environmental music video B.Y.O. CHOPSTIX, featuring music by Nobuko Miyamoto, for Great Leap. In spring of 2011 he will direct & edit MOTTAINAI, again featuring music by Nobuko Miyamoto and produced by Great Leap as part of their environmental music video series.
Kwong's essays and performances have been published in The Journal of American Drama and Theatre, Getting Your Solo Act Together, High Performance Magazine, and various anthologies including On A Bed of Rice - A Feast of Asian American Erotica; Yellow Light - The Flowering of Asian American Art, and Living in America - A Pop Culture Reader. His visual artwork is included in Let’s Get It On - The Politics of Black Performance published by the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. His book, "FROM INNER WORLDS TO OUTER SPACE - The Multimedia Performances of Dan Kwong", a collection of his performance texts from 1989 to 2000, was published by University of Michigan Press in 2004.
As a teacher Kwong has led numerous workshops in autobiographical writing and performing throughout the U.S. and in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Thailand, Canada and Japan. In 1991 he founded “Treasure In The House,” L.A.’s first Asian Pacific American performance and visual art festival, presented at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, California and served as its curator through the 90s. Beginning in 1994, his ground-breaking performance workshops ("Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Asian Men...") ultimately led to the spawning of similar groups in New York, New Haven, Philadelphia and beyond, playing a key role in the development of the national Asian American performance community. Since 2005 he has served as Project Director of "Collaboratory", Great Leap's mentorship program designed to develop the next generation of artist-leaders in Los Angeles.
Kwong is recipient of numerous fellowships, including awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, Asian Cultural Council, Art Matters Inc., Brody Arts Fund, Franklin Furnace, N.Y., Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department, California Community Foundation, Durfee Foundation, and has been nominated twice for the Alpert Award in the Arts. In 2004 he was honored for "Outstanding Contributions to Japanese American Culture" by the Japanese American Historical Society, as well as with "Outstanding Mid-Career Artist" awards from the C.C.F. and LA Cultural Affairs Dept.