Two Asian American dancers challenge the world’s leading ballet companies to jettison Asian stereotypes from beloved classics like The Nutcracker in a vivid account of cultural missteps and creative evolution.
Classical dance’s illusion of beauty contains an ugly truth, hidden in plain sight: It perpetuates racial stereotypes. Entrenched practices—including yellowface, blackface and cultural misappropriation—foster the “otherness” of Asians and people of color. Two dancers are trying to change that. Phil Chan and Georgina Pazcoguin, New Yorkers of Asian descent, are challenging the tradition-bound ballet world to eradicate offensive racial stereotypes so it can thrive in the 21st century. He’s a choreographer and she dances with the New York City Ballet—the first Asian American promoted to soloist. Their movement, Final Bow for Yellowface, calls on dance companies worldwide to pledge to rid the art form of racist tropes. ABOUT FACE follows the pair as they work with dance companies to revamp offensive sections of classics like The Nutcracker and La Bayadere. They respond to inevitable pushback with a fresh, revealing look at an ancient art form.
Jennifer Lin, a former foreign correspondent in China, is known for her documentary work spotlighting Asians and Asian Americans in the classical arts. After a career in journalism, she created Beethoven in Beijing, a feature-length documentary about the Philadelphia Orchestra's China legacy. The film premiered nationally on PBS's Great Performances and received funding from the National Endowment for Humanities. Her next film tells the lost story of George Lee, an 89-year-old Chinese blackjack dealer in Las Vegas with an unheralded place in ballet history. The short documentary premiered at Film at Lincoln Center's Dance on Camera festival and was featured in the Sunday New York Times. Currently, Jennifer is finishing Beyond Yellowface about two NYC dancers who are successfully challenging the ballet world to jettison offensive racial stereotypes from the stage. Jennifer is also the author of three books, including her acclaimed family memoir, Shanghai Faithful.
Director - Jennifer Lin
Producer - Jennifer Lin
Producer - Jon Funabiki
Producer - Cory Stieg
