We were lucky to catch up with Jiao LI recently and have shared our conversation below.

Jiao, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My name is Jiao Li, school director of the New York Chinese Cultural Center. Founded in 1974, the New York Chinese Cultural Center (NYCCC), a nonprofit cultural and educational institution, is dedicated to deepening the understanding and appreciation of Chinese culture through the arts in the global and local communities. NYCCC fulfills its mission by offering professional classes, workshops, and performances while nurturing creative and innovative new works through artist residency programs that reflect the rich cultural heritages and diverse communities of today.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

As an immigrant artist that the most important thing is I can speak up for my community. I aim to appeal to the very large Chinese immigrant community of Queens and Flushing, a population that has almost no current dance production aimed toward them. Indeed, even though Chinese immigrants are of Chinese heritage, most are not overtly familiar with the tropes of Chinese traditional/folk dance, the way many Americans are not, because they never had formal exposure and education to the meanings behind the movements and costumes. This is why the direct appeal to meaning and emotion that is fundamental to modern and contemporary dance ought to improve the reach and appeal of my work both to Chinese and non-Chinese audiences, as the movements, props, and other appeals to senses ideally can transcend culture, gender, and other biological and social differences inherent to being a human being.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

To be honest, society should support live performances more. Since covid, many independent artists have given up their work and they have gone to other jobs. Especially in New York City, there are many dancers who never come back after leaving New York. I think this is a great pity.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: Jiao_v587
• Facebook: Jiao Li
• Linkedin: Jiao Li