a film by MiYoung Margolis
I have presented the original Contemporary Korean Fusion pieces inspired by Korean folktales.
Once again, I would love to talk about “One World” through the Korean Contemporary fusion dance piece since I deeply feel that is what we all need for especially in this pandemic.
To me, living in this one world together means ‘Love’.
And as we all know, Love is All you need.
Embracing our unique heritage,
while celebrating our common life journey.
Though we all come from different backgrounds,
We can come together to create a beautiful performance.
In my choreography,
I enjoy blending
Eastern to Western
Western to Eastern
To create a fusion of cultures
and a performance we can all connect to.
I am proud to present an original Contemporary Korean Fusion piece that once again draws from my Korean Heritage
and borrows from another Korean folktale.
The tragic love story of So-Hwa,
A Court Lady,
who’s unreturned love for the king,
left her waiting forever and dying Alone.
her remains transformed into the imaginary Flower, the “Trumpet Creeper” Which to this day, still wait for the kings return
This story is told by a diverse cast of extremely talented MiYoung Margolis Dance Collective dancers.
We hope you enjoy this piece.

About MiYoung Margolis:

MiYoung Margolis is a lifelong dancer and artist who has trained mainly in ballet, modern, and traditional Korean dance styles. She graduated with a BA in Dance and a MS in Physical/Dance Education, classically trained with Ballet, Modern (mainly Martha Graham) and Korean Traditional Dance through her Undergraduate Degree from Korea National Sports University in Seoul. As a student, she performed internationally.MiYoung is the creator of MiYoung Margolis Dance Collective or MMDC, a Seattle-based dance company specializing in performance art that blends contemporary dance with various cultural traditions, including those inspired by MiYoung’s Korean heritage.She is the founder of ‘O-Jak Bridge Dance and Art Festival’ (Nov 5th, 7 pm at Broadway Performance Hall).Besides being a dancer, choreographer and dance film producer, also MiYoung is a fashion designer of “Seattle Aphrodite”, founder & owner of “Gallery B612” and art, dance & Korean Culture & Language teacher.

http://mmdc.dance
http://www.instagram.com/mikkukfriend

a film by Joy Muhammad & Mu Knowles
produced by iMPACT LENS
What does it mean to be liberated? to be free? for yourself and those you love? In life is a gift, Mu Knowles (born & raised on the Hilltop in Tacoma, WA) takes us on a journey through these questions.

About Joy Muhammad:

Joy (she/her) is a writer with a passion for multimedia storytelling! Raised in the Hilltop, Joy strives to use art as a way to connect, collaborate, and heal. She believes art can be a gateway for reimagination and creating the change we want to see in ourselves, community, and world.

About CHIMAERA + iMPACT LENS:

CHIMAERA is a Black, non-binary, trans, queer multidisciplinary artist and organizer from Tacoma, Washington located on the stolen ancestral lands of the Puyallup people and Coast Salish Territories.

In 2018, CHIMAERA founded Cathartic Muse, a media production company focused on using trauma informed storytelling and immersive creative experiences to elevate marginalized voices in media that included the SKINFOLK documentary series highlighting the cultural history of the headwrap among Black people, and the Wa Na Wari documentary in partnership devon de Leña and Vanishing Seattle.

For two decades, CHIMAERA’s body of work has focused on engaging BIPoC folx in transformative, intersectional healing justice practices that includes using trauma informed storytelling to bear witness to the experiences of stolen people on stolen land including the most recent installment of the iMPACT LENS Narrative Justice Film Fellowship centering Tacoma, Washington’s historically Black Hilltop neighborhood.

https://impact-lens.org
https://www.instagram.com/impactlenslab

a film by Theo Calhoun
produced by iMPACT LENS
NEIGHBORHOOD explores the connections between gentrification and settler colonialism in the Hilltop neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington.

About Theo Calhoun:

Theo is a Black queer filmmaker based in Tacoma, WA on the stolen ancestral lands of the Puyallup people. Theo is passionate about telling place-based, trauma-informed stories that capture both joy and struggle. Descending from a long line of truth-tellers, Theo honors their lineage by carrying on the tradition of storytelling. Their work draws on themes of identity, community, liberation, and collective healing. Through their work, Theo hopes to inspire reflections about where we’ve been, where we are, and where we’re going.

About CHIMAERA + iMPACT LENS:

CHIMAERA is a Black, non-binary, trans, queer multidisciplinary artist and organizer from Tacoma, Washington located on the stolen ancestral lands of the Puyallup people and Coast Salish Territories.

In 2018, CHIMAERA founded Cathartic Muse, a media production company focused on using trauma informed storytelling and immersive creative experiences to elevate marginalized voices in media that included the SKINFOLK documentary series highlighting the cultural history of the headwrap among Black people, and the Wa Na Wari documentary in partnership devon de Leña and Vanishing Seattle.

For two decades, CHIMAERA’s body of work has focused on engaging BIPoC folx in transformative, intersectional healing justice practices that includes using trauma informed storytelling to bear witness to the experiences of stolen people on stolen land including the most recent installment of the iMPACT LENS Narrative Justice Film Fellowship centering Tacoma, Washington’s historically Black Hilltop neighborhood.

https://impact-lens.org
https://www.instagram.com/impactlenslab

a film by June Nho Ivers
The Bridge explores the diaspora of Korean War Orphans who sit in the blurred lines of American Imperialism. This is a non-sequential visual poem telling the story of children in survival.

About June Nho Ivers:

June Nho Ivers (she/her) is a multi-faceted filmmaker from Chicago, educated at Northwestern University, and field-tested in the world of broadcast commercials and music videos in Los Angeles and New York.

As a conscientious collaborator, she aligns herself with filmmakers who tell a story with vision and heart. From producing broadcast commercials to documentaries; from social media engagement and events, June celebrates human-centered stories using her powers of production for good.

https://www.june-films.com
https://www.instagram.com/junefilms

a film by Rana San
Hammered into 16mm found footage of a police propaganda film, subtext emerges letter for letter from the redundancy of repeated text—a reclamation of bodily autonomy from those who pose as protectors.

a film by Rana San
On my birthday I arrive at the ocean, previous night’s dream in tow. The film, wrapped around a circular glass pane, loops back on itself—exposed in the exposure under layers of sun-baked lemon lavender, topped with sand and salt water. 16mm cyanotype capsule of a solar return.

About Rana San:

Rana San is an intermedia artist, curator, and night dreamer pondering language and lineage, intimacy and interdependence.

https://www.instagram.com/ranitasan

a film by Vee Hua 華婷婷
In Spike Lee’s Malcolm X, the scene of Denzel aka Malcolm walking to his death is set to Sam Cooke’s “A Change is Gonna Come.” It is an exceptionally powerful moment despite the somber implications of the scene – and revisiting the film this year, I can’t help but connect it and Malcolm X with 2020 – as it is an epic milestone in the fight for racial justice. A change has long been coming. A change is definitely going to come. I see part of that change as the dissolution of structures that no longer serve the collective good, to be replaced by those which are more equitable. Victories have and will be gained in this time of great change – but one must remember that they are also temporary gains. The only constant is change, even though it comes in waves. This piece was filmed COVID-safe with an extremely barebones crew and separate shooting locations for both performers, Shaina Shepherd and Duff McKagan. It is the blend of live performance footage with my many years of experience as a video artist and VJ for live bands and electronic artists. Most of it is constructed in post-production – and the resulting piece has one foot in this world’s historical memory and one in the timeless eternity of nature. Together, we find that everything flows in cycles. Yes, a change is gonna come. But after that change, some rest… before the change begins again.

Created for Seattle Musicians Access to Sustainable Healthcare – SMASH – and produced by All is Well Studios.

About Vee Hua 華婷婷:

Vee Hua 華婷婷 (they/them) is a writer, filmmaker, and organizer with semi-nomadic tendencies. Much of their work unifies their metaphysical interests with their belief that art can positively transform the self and society. They are the Editor-in-Chief of REDEFINE, Interim Managing Editor of South Seattle Emerald, and Co-Chair of the Seattle Arts Commission. They also previously served as the Executive Director of the interdisciplinary community hub, Northwest Film Forum, where they played a key role in making the space more welcoming and accessible for diverse audiences.

In 2017, Vee released the narrative short film, Searching Skies — which touches on Syrian refugee resettlement in the United States — and co-organized The Seventh Art Stand, a national film and civil rights discussion series against Islamophobia. 2022 sees the release of Reckless Spirits, which is a metaphysical, multi-lingual POC buddy comedy for a bleak new era, in anticipation of a feature-length project.

Vee is passionate about cultural space, the environment, and finding ways to covertly and overtly disrupt oppressive structures. They also regularly share observational human stories through their storytelling newsletter, RAMBLIN’ WITH VEE!, and are pursuing a Master’s in Tribal Resource and Environmental Stewardship under the Native American Studies Department at the University of Minnesota.

REDEFINE Media LLC
https://veehua.com
linktr.ee/hellomynameisvee
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a film by Vee Hua 華婷婷
A gender-fluid Latine performance artist and a neurotic Asian American therapist are led by a series of uncanny circumstances into a world of chakras, spirits, and cult leader fanaticism.

a film by AI-CHUN HUANG 愛淳 黃
Life is like a path during mountain-hiking, all the way going up and down and encountering the obstacles. When we climb up to the very top of the holy mountain, we also reach the goal of life. The holy mountain” is the place for serenity in our mind.

About AI-CHUN HUANG:

AI-CHUN HUANG is an interdisciplinary artist from Taiwan. She graduated from National Taiwan University of Arts with a master of Fine arts. She is interested in experimental animations, digital installation, paintings, soundscape, and public art. Her artworks focus on life limitations and social expectations from a female Asian perspective and uses metaphors from Asian cultural icons. The journey from home to the destination which often appears in her animation is not only a physical road, but also an intangible, metaphorical, psychological one in her mind.

AI-CHUN has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions, including those at the CICA museum in South Korea, Taipei Fine Arts Museum, C-LAB and Pier-2 art center in Taiwan, Cornish college of arts….etc. Her animations “The Holy Mountain” got the first prize internationally in Jing Shan Classic, Cultural & Creative Arts Award, and the animation ”Nomad Chaos” was selected in Shoreline short short film festival.

lovingpure.weebly.com

a film by Blanca Santander
This Digital Exhibition showcases a variety of artwork by Blanca Santander, expressing her thoughts, emotions, and concerns for the children suffering at the southern United States border. The video features narration from college students of the testimonies of children who were and are separated from their families at the border.

About Blanca Santander:

My journey as an artist begins in Peru, where I was born. Since I was a child I knew that art was a big part of my life. When I finished school, I went to the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru in order to get a degree in fine arts. I began work immediately during my last years of university, doing illustrations for children’s books, among many other jobs in order to get by. I came to Seattle in 1996 away from terrorism in my country. Since I worked for NGOs and nonprofits, my life was constantly in danger. Here, I reestablished my career as an artist, exhibiting my art in many places, and teaching as an artist in residence in different schools across the city. In recent years I’ve been proud to have permanent installations in public spaces, working to contribute to communities through my artwork.

https://BlancaSantander.com
https://www.facebook.com/BlancaSantanderArt