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Humanities Center invites WVU community to presentation on orientalism, ballet and eliminating stereotypes on and off the stage

Phil Chan

The WVU Humanities Center invites the University community to attend its first presentation of the spring semester, featuring dancer, choreographer and activist Phil Chan as he leads a discussion on racial diversity in ballet, particularly related to the Asian American culture and orientalism.

On Many a Vase and Jar: Orientalism in Ballet with Phil Chan will take place on Monday, Jan. 24, at 7 p.m. via Zoom. 

While Chan’s medium is dance, specifically ballet, his activism can be seen beyond the boundaries of his artistic form through his choreography in renowned dance productions and his lifelong work on and off the stage.

He has worked towards eliminating offensive, outdated racial stereotypes of Asian Americans on stage and strives to raise awareness on how orientalism has become a device “that allowed expression of Western ideas of magic, sexuality and fantasy that might otherwise have been too taboo in traditional Western settings.”

Register for this Jan. 24 event.  

Learn more about Chan and upcoming Humanities Center events.