Lost Chinatowns explores the destruction, lost vibrancy, and historical erasure of Santa Cruz’s Chinatowns from 1860-1955.  Santa Cruz, now known for being the ultra-liberal “leftmost” city of the US, was once the center of virulently xenophobic anti-Chinese racism in California in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries.  This ensemble dance-theater work brings together a dynamic cast of all Asian American women, imbuing the history of Santa Cruz’s Chinatowns with a sense of community care and resilience while embodying a diverse vision of Asian America.  The work aims to make connections between the historical othering of Asian bodies and current-day Islamophobic and anti-Latinx xenophobia in the US.

Choreography, script, and performance: Cynthia Ling Lee with contributions from the performers

Performers: Clarissa Dyas, Lynn Huang, Zoe Huey, and Cynthia Ling Lee

Dramaturgy: Scott Trafton

Sound Composition: Anna Friz

Assistant Direction: Shyamala Moorty

Lost Chinatowns has been developed in part through Borders Resurfacing, a long distance creative exchange by the Post Natyam Collective.  It has been developed with the support of 3Girls Theatre Company, San Francisco, California; a Hellman Fellowship; the Dancers’ Group’s CA$H grant program; and a CounterPulse 2018 Performing Diaspora residency.