10,000 Dreams: A Celebration of Asian Choreography
June 2024
Curated by the Kennedy Center and Phil Chan, this weeklong festival shines the spotlight on Asian and Asian American choreographers.
10,000 Dreams: A Celebration of Asian Choreography
Opera House
A blossoming initiative to recognize and elevate Asian creatives working in ballet will grace Kennedy Center stages as a weeklong festival! Curated by the Kennedy Center and Phil Chan, 10,000 Dreams: A Celebration of Asian Choreography shines the spotlight on Asian and Asian American choreographers.
Jun. 18 - 23, 2024
Genre
Ballet
Presenting Sponsor
A blossoming initiative to recognize and elevate Asian creatives working in ballet will grace Kennedy Center stages as a weeklong festival! 10,000 Dreams: A Celebration of Asian Choreography shines the spotlight on Asian and Asian American choreographers representing their ethnic heritages of Singapore, China, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and more.
Curated by the Kennedy Center and Phil Chan, a Kennedy Center Next 50 leader and co-founder of Final Bow for Yellowface, this celebration will feature a gala and two mixed repertory programs of works all by Asian choreographers, including several new premieres.
The Washington Ballet, Pacific Northwest Ballet, Singapore Ballet, Goh Ballet, Dana Tai Soon Burgess Dance Company, Ballet West, Houston Ballet, and dancers from the National Ballet of China will be joining the festivities.
The gala night will have a special focus on the late Choo San Goh, who Chan believes “should be recognized as a great American choreographer and a trailblazer for our community.” A Singaporean-born choreographer of Chinese descent who died in 1987 at the age of 39, Goh served as resident choreographer for Washington Ballet for nearly a decade, contributing works to American Ballet Theatre, Alvin Ailey, Paris Opera, the Royal Danish Ballet, Houston Ballet, and Boston Ballet, among many others companies around the world.
This festival serves as an extension of Final Bow for Yellowface/Gold Standard Arts Foundation, with a shared mission of making ballet more inclusive. Conceived in 2017 following a meeting with NYCB's former Artistic Director Peter Martins about Asian stereotypes in The Nutcracker, the globally recognized initiative works to “replace caricature with character”—to speak up against Yellowface on ballet stages and create Asian representations that are culturally meaningful and engaging to all audiences.
> Why 10,000 Dreams? 10,000 is the “biggest” number in many Asian languages—suggesting a number so large it is almost uncountable!
Tue., June 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Wed., June 19 at 7:30 p.m.
Thu., June 20 at 7:30 p.m.
THE WASHINGTON BALLET
home-coming
Ballet West
Play on Impulse
PACIFIC NORTHWEST BALLET
The Veil Between Worlds
Fri., June 21 at 7:30 p.m.
Join us in honoring the history and legacy of trailblazer Choo San Goh. This one-night-only program features national and international companies performing works by Goh, Phil Chan, and Dana Tai Soon Burgess.
Further honoring Choo San Goh from the stage, the evening includes other special performances and speeches by Janek Schergen, Chan Hon Goh, Georgina Pazcoguin, and more.
SINGAPORE BALLET
Momentum
BALLET WEST
Amber Waves
GOH BALLET WITH DANCERS FROM NATIONAL BALLET OF CHINA
Ballade
DANA TAI SOON BURGESS DANCE COMPANY
A Tribute to Marian Anderson
GEORGINA PAZCOGUIN
TBA new work
THE WASHINGTON BALLET
Fives
Sat., June 22 at 1:30 & 7:30 p.m.
Sun., June 23 at 1:30 p.m.
HOUSTON BALLET
Elapse
BALLET West
Somewhere in Time
THE WASHINGTON BALLET
Fives
Explore more in-depth information about the festival and the participating choreographers and companies.
Presented as part of 10,000 Dreams, a one-night-only special performance honors late choreographer Choo San Goh. Co-curator Phil Chan, and three representatives of participating companies—Artistic Director of Singapore Ballet Janek Schergen, Artistic Director of The Washington Ballet Edwaard Liang, and Artistic Director of Houston Ballet Julie Kent—spoke on the lasting legacy and impact on contemporary dance of the Asian dance pioneer.
“We want ballet to survive and be relevant. Ballet could be radical and relevant and moves you and makes you feel alive.”
All events and artists subject to change without prior notice.
All ticket prices are subject to change based on demand. Purchase early to lock in prices and the best seats!
Support the Kennedy Center's Dance program when you designate your Membership to Ballet and Dance.
June 2024
Curated by the Kennedy Center and Phil Chan, this weeklong festival shines the spotlight on Asian and Asian American choreographers.
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Alonzo King LINES Ballet makes its Kennedy Center debut with an elegant, soulful work created in collaboration with Grammy Award®–winning vocalist Lisa Fischer and Kennedy Center Artistic Director for Jazz Jason Moran, who join the company to perform live.
CityDance Elevation Celebration Gala Performance
Sun. May 19, 2024
Support the vision of creating a new dance world and join us for a benefit performance celebrating the extraordinary talent and artistry of CityDance Conservatory. The performance will feature acclaimed professional artists and award-winning young dancers of the CityDance Conservatory. Proceeds will support more than $150,000 in merit scholarships and financial aid awarded to the nation's most promising young talent.
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May 22 - 26, 2024
Internationally acclaimed choreographer Annabelle Lopez Ochoa curates a special evening, including her lauded 2019 TWB commission, Delusional Beauty. Other works from emerging choreographers selected by Ms. Lopez Ochoa will elevate diverse voices and new perspectives in dance. Don't miss this unforgettable night of dynamic and groundbreaking performances.