Joyce Lien Kushner's parents are from Taiwan, but she grew up practicing Western dance forms like contemporary jazz, ballet and tap.
"In none of those dance forms was I ever asked to tell stories of my family lineage or my family's history or immigration story, any of that," Kushner said.
Kushner, who runs TILTshift Dance and has spent decades as a dancer and educator, realized others had a similar experience.
"There wasn't really a space or a place for those of us that identify as being both Asian and American to tell our stories within our dance forms," she said.
She cofounded the Asian American Dance Festival (AADF) with grace shinhae jun, PhD, who teaches dance at UC San Diego and founded the hip-hop performance collective BKsoul in 2001.
In a sun-drenched dance studio offered by Malashock Dance for the festival's residency and workshops, the two women reflected on what they hope the AADF will accomplish in the region.
For jun, the festival is about the future.
"Really thinking about the next generation and filling them with support — in the ways that both Joyce and I didn't receive as we were coming up in our dance fields," jun said.
These emerging artists take center stage on Friday, in a showcase at Light Box Theater. The AADF collaborative residency project supports emerging and early career artists by pairing them with experienced mentors in the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders dance community. Jun and Kushner are excited to see their students perform, including Hannah Joo and Forest Lee.
"(Lee is) half Chinese, half white, identifies as trans. And with all that entails, coming from a conservative Asian background … from a family of divorce, all of that wrapped up into it. This is the first time they're creating work that's going to encompass all of that," Kushner said.
Kushner and jun want to deepen connections within San Diego's Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders community.
"We're very separated here in San Diego. We all live in our different, separate communities, right? It's kind of insular. So I think through art is a great way to bring people together. And through dance, we move physically in space together. It provides an opportunity to open up conversations that maybe we won't always have," Kushner said.
The Asian American Dance Festival kicked off last week with a dance film screening (which is still available to stream). Public performances will range from hip-hop and contemporary to traditional forms like Odissi dance.
The Collaborative Residency Showcase is at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4 at Light Box Theater.
Upcoming festival events include a Mainstage Showcase on Sept. 12 at City College's Saville Theater, featuring jun along with Adie San Diego, Aisha Reddick, Kimie Parker and Odessa Mae Uno.
A free community day is scheduled in City Heights for Oct. 3. For ticketed events, festival passes, and individual tickets are available.
