East Moves West- PAD Showcase SESSION

Welcome to Week Seven (7) of the PAD Showcase SESSIONS! This week we celebrate the diverse works, artistic forms, and cultural vernaculars that have roots in Asia and Oceania.

From classical technique and indigenous ritual integrated with modernist storytelling, to traditional aesthetics intersecting with contemporary corporealities, these artists boldly embody a broad range of transnational experiences and not simply ways of American belonging, but the journey of becoming American.  

—Michael Sakamoto

Meet the host: Michael Sakamoto

Photo credit: Cedric Arnold

Michael Sakamoto is an artist, scholar, educator, and curator in dance, theatre, photography, media, and culture. His creative works have been presented in 15 countries, including at Dance Center of Columbia College-Chicago, Vancouver International Dance Festival, REDCAT, TACTFest Osaka, and other venues. Recent works include: Flash, a butoh/hip-hop collaboration with Rennie Harris; the dance theater trio, Soil, featuring Thai, Vietnamese, and Cambodian performers; and blind spot, an intermedia performance with digital musician Christopher Jette. Michael’s current project is time/life/beauty, a dance-music-multimedia project with composer-musician Paul D. Miller aka DJ Spooky inspired by artist-activist Ryuichi Sakamoto. Hisscholarship appears in journals and anthologies across disciplines. His book monograph, An Empty Room: Imagining Butoh and the Social Body in Crisis, an autoethnography of butoh history, practice, and theory, was released by Wesleyan University Press (2022) and shortlisted for the Dance Studies Association's de la Torre Bueno Prize. Michael serves as director of programming and Asian and Asian American Arts and Culture program director for the University of Massachusetts Fine Arts Center. 

Meet the Artists

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company

Photo courtesy of the artist

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is a leading force in creating innovative cultural experiences that capture the hope, resilience, and energy of the immigrant journey. Each performance sheds light on the struggles, triumphs, challenges, and joys of this experience. Through its productions, the Company fosters cross-cultural understanding while addressing important themes of identity, authenticity, and equality.

Our vision is that the immigrant’s journey of crossing culture and adapting to the new home provides endless inspirations and opportunities for creative expressions that can enrich the human experience. Each one of our productions is aimed to increase the visibility of the struggle, triumph, despair and joy on this amazing, timeless journey.

Mythili Prakash

Photo credit: Jorge Vismara

Mythili Prakash belongs to a new generation of classical Indian dancers. She is one of the most celebrated and respected young Bharata Natyam dancer/choreographers today. A second generation Indian and American artist, Mythili has positioned herself as a global and cosmopolitan artist through her unique experiences and collaborations Her repertoire is an embodiment of narratives of the many worlds that shape her.

Mythili has toured her solo productions worldwide, including the UK, France, Singapore, the US, and Mexico. She was featured on NBC’s Superstars of Dance as a Bharata Natyam soloist and worked with Ang Lee in Life of Pi as Pi’s wife. Nominated by Akram Khan as “choreographer of the future,” she premiered HERE and NOW at Dance Umbrella’s 2019 Festival. A recipient of multiple prestigious grants, including NEFA’s National Dance Project Touring Grant for She’s Auspicious, she also performed in Akram Khan’s Outwitting the Devil. In 2022, she created a trilogy of works, starting with AR | DHA for Jacob’s Pillow’s 90th anniversary and concluding with ONE | ALL at Qatar's Festival in Motion during the World Cup.

Ananya Dance Theatre

Photo courtesy of the artist

Ananya Dance Theatre (ADT) is a professional ensemble of BIPOC women and femme dance artists creating powerful, socially engaged choreography. Founded in 2005, ADT has premiered an original evening-length work with a commissioned score annually, led by Artistic Director Ananya Chatterjea and developed with guest artists and designers in music, spoken word, and stage design. Their work extends beyond the stage through movement workshops, public art gatherings that foster connection and dialogue, and artist mentorship via the NextGen Choreolab. Rooted in the experiences and dreams of BIPOC women and femmes from the global majority, ADT merges artistic excellence with social justice to challenge mainstream narratives and build community through dance.

Ragamala Dance Company

Photo credit: Steven Pisano

Ragamala Dance Company was founded in 1992 by Ranee Ramaswamy and is led by Co-Artistic Director Ranee Ramaswamy, Executive Artistic Director Aparna Ramaswamy, and Choreographic Associate Ashwini Ramaswamy. Rooted in the South Indian dance form of Bharatanatyam, the company creates multidisciplinary works that explore the intersection of tradition and modernity, highlighting intercultural and immigrant narratives that reflect shared humanity. Trained under the legendary Alarmél Valli, the Ramaswamy family infuses their work with beauty, truth, and spirit. Through stage performances, community engagement, and educational programs, Ragamala bridges ancient and contemporary forms, embodying the idea that while history is time-bound, stories are timeless.

Kenny Endo

Photo credit: Toyo Miyatake

Kenny Endo is a pioneering taiko artist known for blending traditional Japanese drumming with global rhythms and original compositions. Trained as a jazz musician, he began his taiko career with Kinnara Taiko and San Francisco Taiko Dojo before studying classical drumming in Japan, becoming the first non-Japanese national to receive a natori (master’s license) in hogaku hayashi. Endo has performed at prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center, Lincoln Center, and Japan National Theater, and collaborated with artists like Hiromitsu Agatsuma and Bobby McFerrin. His trio Island Breeze with Grammy winner Jeff Peterson and Riley Lee was nominated for two Na Hoku Hanohano Awards (Hawaii’s version of the Grammys) in 2015 for Album of the Year and Instrumental Song of the Year for Na Pali. Endo’s innovative work continues to push the boundaries of taiko, inspiring audiences worldwide with his creativity and technical mastery.

Tau Dance Theatre

Photo credit: Elyse Butler Mallams

Tau Dance Theater (TDT), founded in 1996 by Native Hawaiian artist Peter Rockford Espiritu, is the only professional dance company in Hawaii rooted in Native Hawaiian traditions. Based in Honolulu, TDT has garnered critical acclaim for its innovative performances that blend contemporary dance with cultural storytelling. Notable works include Poli'ahu: Goddess of Maunakea, presented at the Smithsonian Museum of the American Indian, and Hanau Ka Moku at UC Davis’ Mondavi Center. TDT has also performed at the Lincoln Center's Festival of Firsts and the Crazy Horse Memorial. A 2021 recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts Challenge America grant, TDT developed its unique movement modality Pōhuli. Celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2021, the company made history by presenting the first locally produced dance concert on primetime TV in Hawai'i. Through its works, TDT celebrates the richness of Hawaiian culture while advancing the evolution of contemporary Native Hawaiian dance.