Performers
Lion Dance Me
Flying Angels
Swing Cats
Lotus Dance
Fat Chance Belly Dance
Hot Bloods
Hula Sistahs
Emcee: Maggie Wong
The Chinese Culture Center announces Dancing on Waverly 2019, featuring diverse dance styles and performers that celebrate the community.
The 6th annual Dancing on Waverly builds upon the Chinese Culture Center’s 2019 theme, “Remembrance” with a diverse range of performances that embody both the contemporary and the traditional. Featuring Chinatown as a crossroads of local and international creativity and focusing on the community as an arts destination featuring music and all-day performances, Dancing on Waverly is the place for locals and visitors alike to experience one of San Francisco’s celebrated cultural communities. Dancing on Waverly highlights the various businesses, restaurants, and shopping on Chinatown’s historic Waverly Place.
“Dancing on Waverly is the perfect opportunity for people to experience what Chinatown has to offer,” said Ben Mok, CCC Project Manager. “Bringing multicultural performances really showcases Chinatown as the place for art and culture."
The free afternoon dance festival will feature an eclectic mix of performers whose styles--ranging from traditional Chinese such as Lotus and Lion Dances to swing and hula--showcase creative expressions of dance from different cultures and time periods. Audience members are invited to participate in dance lessons taught by local experts and learn a culturally enriching and interactive art form.
Returning to perform at Dancing on Waverly 2019 are community favorites, Lion Dance ME, a dance group formed in 2011 with the goal to expand lion and dragon dance. In 2012, they finished in the top 48 on America’s Got Talent. They have started after-school programs at elementary, middle, and high schools, with a current reach of over 2,000 students across 30 schools in the San Francisco School System.
Another highlight of Dancing on Waverly will be the community dance lessons, which are free to visitors and do not require a partner or any dance experience. One of the lessons will be taught by local swing dance performance troupe SwingCats. Established in 1998, they specialize in dances and styles from the swing era.
Other performers include local groups: first time performers Hot Bloods, Flying Angels with contemporary renditions of a Chinese dance tradition, Lotus Dance, named after a traditional Chinese dance over 800-years-old, and polynesian Hula dancing from the Hula Sistahs. Returning again to this year’s festival is Fat Chance Belly Dance, a popular San Francisco institution that pioneered the American tribal dance. The festival will be emceed by TV and radio host, and beloved community fixture, Maggie Wong.
With over six million visitors a year, San Francisco’s Chinatown is the most visited Chinese community outside of Asia. It is the oldest Chinatown in North America and a major catalyst for social, economic, artistic and cultural changes in America for more than 150 years. Dancing on Waverly is part of CCC’s “Building a Museum Without Walls” to activate underutilized public space and build community through art and vibrancy.
Join in on the fun on Saturday, July 27th from 11am-4pm with a fun-filled afternoon of dancing, music, and activities for kids! Follow #dancingonwaverly2019 and @cccsanfrancisco to see photos and engagement from the festival.
Dancing on Waverly is supported by the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development, San Francisco Foundation, Grants for the Arts, and CCC Contemporaries.
For more information, contact Project Manager, Ben Mok, ben@cccsf.us, or at (415)986-1822, ext. 026.
