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DAN KWONG
is a veteran performance artist, writer, teacher and visual
artist who has been presenting his solo performances since 1989.
Hailed by critics as “a master storyteller”, Kwong
draws upon his own life experiences to explore the personal,
the historical, the social and the unspeakable. With keen insight
and a generous sense of humor, he intertwines storytelling,
multimedia, dynamic physical movement, poetry, martial arts
and music.
MAJOR
SOLO WORKS INCLUDE:
“SECRETS
OF THE SAMURAI CENTERFIELDER”
”TALES FROM THE FRACTURED TAO”
“MONKHOOD IN 3 EASY LESSONS”
“CORRESPONDENCE OF A DANGEROUS ENEMY ALIEN"
“THE DODO VACCINE”
“THE NIGHT THE MOON LANDED ON 39th STREET”
“IT'S
GREAT 2B AMERICAN"
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’s lifelong
goal to become the First Performance Artist in Space; and the
ironies of having a U.S. passport and an Asian face.
Touring
extensively, Kwong has performed all across the United States
and in England, Hong Kong, Canada, Thailand, Indonesia, Cambodia,
Mexico and China. He is recipient of numerous fellowships recognizing
his excellence in performance art from the National Endowment
for the Arts, the Rockefeller Foundation, Asian Cultural Council,
Art Matters Inc., Brody Arts Fund, Franklin Furnace, Los Angeles
Cultural Affairs Department, and has been nominated twice for
the Alpert Award in the Arts.
In July 2004 he received a major fellowship for Mid-Career Artists
from the California Community Foundation and was honored by
the Japanese American Historical Society for outstanding contributions
to Japanese American history and culture.
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
Art in London. In July 2004 he released his first book, a collection
of his performance texts entitled, FROM INNER WORLDS TO OUTER
SPACE - The Multimedia Performances of Dan Kwong, published
by the University of Michigan Press.
As
a teacher Kwong has led numerous workshops in autobiographical
writing and performing throughout the U.S. and in Hong Kong,
England, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Canada.
He
was founder and curator of Treasure in the House, L.A.’s
first Asian Pacific American performance and visual art festival,
presented at Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica since
1991.
He served on the Board of Directors for Highways for 18 years.
His
first stageplay, Be Like Water,
premiered at East West Players' David Henry Hwang Theater in
Los Angeles in September 2008. The story of a 13-year old Asian
American girl who is visited by the ghost of Bruce Lee, Be
Like Water was produced in association with Cedar Grove
OnStage, directed by Chris Tashima.
Kwong
is a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago
and a Resident Artist at the 18th Street Arts Center in Santa
Monica. Currently he is Project Director of Great Leap's Collaboratory,
a mentorship program to develop the next generation of artist-leaders
in Los Angeles.
