Invisible Traces
Invisible Traces is an artistic response to examining the legacy that racist laws have on our Asian American community. The work premiered on June 12, 2021 as a dance film to foster healing during dNaga’s 20th anniversary season.
Interviews conducted by Claudine Naganuma brought together members of San Francisco Chinatown to talk about our history, the vibrancy of Chinese culture, and ways to support each other and promote healing.
Artistic Director
Claudine Naganuma
Video Editing
Ellie Kerwin and Srinidhi Seshadri
Sound Editing
Joel Davel and Claudine Naganuma
Design
Dale MacDonald
Animation
Elmira Bagherzadeh
Music Composition
Bun-Ching Lam, Genny Lim, Jon Jang, and Joel Davel
Featured Dancers
Selma Apara, Jennifer Chan, Mel Hilario, Janey Madamba, and Cathy Wake Quides
dNaga Dancers
Yael Berrol, Lucie Jerome, Ellie Kerwin, Erin Landers, Janey Madamba, Leila Massoudi, and Claudine Naganuma
Interviewees
Nancy Hom, Barbara Hong, Pam Tau Lee, Genny Lim, JoAnn Mary Naganuma, Eloise So, Judith Ong Szeto, and Tom Bing Tam
Excerpt: In Memoriam
On March 16, 2021 a mass shooting in Atlanta took the lives of 8 individuals, 6 of whom were Asian women. This killing was one of many acts of violence against Asian Americans in the past year. The prevalence of anti-Asian violence in the U.S. has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to this and other acts of Asian hate, dNaga set out to explore the history of Asians in America, focusing on Chinese-Americans in San Francisco Chinatown through Invisible Traces: SF Chinatown.
One section of Invisible Traces includes an In Memoriam for the victims of the Atlanta shooting. Media portrayal of the massacre framed the Asian-American women that were killed as working in the sex industry. The ages of the victims help put the situation into perspective.
Thank you to our individual donors and to the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center
dNaga is fiscally pondered by Dancers’ Group
dNaga Dance Co. and its Dance for PD® program is in residence at Danspace
dNaga’s GIRL Project is in residence at EastSide Cultural Center
Presented virtually in association with the Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center as part of the 24th annual United States of Asian America Festival.
