Te Ao Mana
Te Ao Mana creates opportunities for Ta’ata Moana Nui (Pacific Islanders) to connect to their artistic heritages, explore their creative processes, and present contemporary performances to Pacific Islander and Non Pacific Islander audiences. These opportunities share holistic depictions of contemporary Pacific Islanders that disrupt dominant cultural narratives about Pacific Islander people.
Te Ao Mana envisions a flourishing Ta’ata Moana Nui (Pacific Islander) performing arts community grounded in cultural integrity, flying freely with artistic agency
Website: teaomana.org
Facebook: @teaomana
Instagram: @teaomana
McKoy Dance Project (MDP)
McKoy Dance Project (MDP) is a dynamic 501(c)(3) contemporary dance organization rooted in equity, advocacy, and artistic excellence. As an inclusive dance company and service organization, MDP exists to break down barriers to access in dance by amplifying the voices of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. The company champions opportunities for people of diverse backgrounds to connect and grow through performances, youth and adult education, and public cultural events. Led by Founding Artistic Director & CEO Derick McKoy, Jr., MDP uses bold storytelling, community engagement, and high-impact performance as tools for healing, visibility, and systemic change.
Since its first performance in 2019—a collaboration with the Opus 87 Piano Quartet on the evening-length ballet Looking Out: A Stonewall Memorial—MDP has premiered original works, produced dance films, launched the Collective Voices Dance Festival, the Choreographer’s Institute, Black Dance Series, and several school residencies through their Community Grooves program, and performed across New York City and Westchester. In seven seasons, the company has served over 3,000 individuals across the NYC metro area.
In 2021, MDP was honored with a special invitation to perform on Juneteenth, the newest U.S. federal holiday and the first in 38 years. With each project, the company fosters connection and critical reflection by confronting societal inequities and amplifying underrepresented histories.
MDP artists and staff are community leaders—educators, collaborators, and cultural curators—who archive and elevate queer and BIPOC dance legacies. We are not just a company; we are a movement, reclaiming space and rewriting what dance can look like—from the street to the stage.
Website: www.mckoydanceproject.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mckoydanceproject/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mckoydanceproject/
Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@mckoydanceproject
YouTube/Vimeo: https://www.youtube.com/@mckoydanceproject7801
WHITE WAVE Young Soon Kim Dance Company
WHITE WAVE Dance, led by visionary Artistic Director Young Soon Kim, is an internationally acclaimed contemporary dance company celebrated for its daring innovation, emotional depth, and expansive global reach. The company’s name and logo reflect its identity: “WHITE” honors Korea’s national color and cultural spirit, while “WAVE” symbolizes the dynamic rise of Korean culture—Hallyu—throughout the world. For decades, Kim has been recognized as a pioneering force in this movement, bringing Korean artistry into vibrant dialogue with the international dance community.
Since its founding, WHITE WAVE has appeared on major stages across the United States, Europe, and East Asia, including the National Theater of Seoul, National Theater of Taipei, Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, the 1988 Summer Olympics World Dance Festival, SIDance Festival, Arko Theater, Sungnam Arts Center, and the Asian Cultural Center for the Opening Celebration of the 2019 FINA World Championship Masters’ Games. In North America, the company has performed at BAM Fisher, Dance Theater Workshop’s Bessie Schönberg Theater, La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival, Ailey Citigroup Theater, Vancouver International Dance Festival, and New York’s SummerStage. Most recently, WHITE WAVE received enthusiastic acclaim at the 2025 Mostra Internacional de Dança de São Paulo in Brazil and the ChangMu International Dance Festival in Seoul.
The company’s work has been widely featured in the media, including WWOR TV, Fox 5’s Good Day New York, PBS’s NYC ARTS, and CNN’s Inside Asia. Honors include a 2025 ITI Award nomination, the 2023 Bessies Angel Honoree Award, and a nomination for the KBS Global Korean Award. A landmark achievement was receiving a Jerome Robbins Foundation grant to document Eternal NOW at BAM, now part of the permanent Dance Division Collection at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Nearly four decades into my artistic journey, Kim has also become one of New York’s leading dance curators, producing and presenting large scale festivals that champion rising choreographers and new voices in contemporary dance. Through groundbreaking multimedia works—including the Here NOW Series and the internationally celebrated iyouuswe—WHITE WAVE continues to push the boundaries of movement, technology, and human expression.
Website: www.whitewavedance.org
Facebook: http://facebook.com/whitewavedance
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/whitewave_dance/
YouTube/Vimeo: https://youtu.be/-RDJ33PRGQ0?si=7JQckBHiDIFRaiRn
