Jessica is Artistic Director and Founder of J CHEN PROJECT, a 501c3 non-profit mondern dance company based in New York City. J CHEN PROJECT, formed in 2008, explores how we perceive and create identities within the collective human experience through innovative and culturally-based dance works and community engagement initiatives.  The Company provides high-caliber dance education and professional career advancement workshops to pre-professional dancers, as part of its Mentorship Program, and hosts an annual choreography festival, ‘TRANSLATE (voices of dance),’ in partnership with Dixon Place, to present emerging and established dance makers in NYC.  

Within the past 10 years, the Company has been fortunate to receive generous funding from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Center, Jerome Foundation, and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center in NY.  J CHEN PROJECT’s work has been commissioned by Rutgers University, DeSales University, Orange County School of the Arts, Yangtze Repertory Theater, and Women in Dance, with press featured in The Huffington Post, The Dance Enthusiast and Dance Magazine.

AAPI HEROES: MYTHS AND LEGENDS

Directed and Choreographed by Jessica Chen

J CHEN PROJECT presents an immersive evening of dance that reimagines the past, present, and future through an Asian American cultural lens. Take a journey through the spaces of the Museum of Chinese in America and explore different worlds filled with AAPI stories of strength, resilience, and resistance in the face of ongoing challenges and discrimination.  AAPI HEROES aims to educate, raise awareness, and inspire audiences to stand in solidarity and take action to address and combat these issues while also honoring the rich fruits of AAPI history.  

This evening will include new works inspired by two iconic Asian American figures who have significantly impacted American culture and society: Bruce Lee and Anna May Wong. The performances will pay tribute to the enduring influence of Bruce Lee's martial arts and philosophy and the trailblazing career of Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American Hollywood movie star. https://www.jchenproject.com/aapiheroes

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