It’s Great 2B American

The Nakano Theatre in the Torrance Cultural Arts Center brings a performance art piece by Dan Kwong about the experience of being an Asian American visiting Asia.

The 2009 Works in Progress series continues with the presentation of IT’S GREAT 2B AMERICAN by performance artist Dan Kwong on Wednesday, May 27, at 7 PM in the Nakano Theatre, Torrance Cultural Arts Center. Inspired by Kwong’s discoveries while traveling in Asia, IT’S GREAT 2B AMERICAN inspects the carry-on baggage that comes with a U.S. passport and an Asian face, embracing the Ugly American within before shipping it off to rehab for de-programming. Packed with physicality, video, whacked-out props, costumes, and ironic tales of patriotism run amok, IT’S GREAT 2B AMERICAN is Kwong’s first full-length solo show in nine years.

Dan Kwong has presented 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. Touring extensively, Kwong has performed 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.

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