Season 1

EIGHT/MOVES’ inaugural season brought together three collaborative works created by Mia J. Chong with choreographers Keerati Jinakunwiphat, Rena Butler, and KT Nelson. Across the program, Season 1 explored emotion, memory, identity, climate anxiety, and the possibilities of creating across artistic and cultural perspectives.

Common Gradient

Choreography: Keerati Jinakunwiphat + Mia J. Chong
Dancers: Crystaldawn Bell, Allyson Chin (apprentice), Cora Cliburn, Kira Fargas, William Brewton Fowler Jr., Colin Frederick

Common Gradient explores the range of human emotions through abstract gesture, collective flurries, and dynamic moments. Fellow Princess Grace Award recipients Keerati Jinakunwiphat and Mia J. Chong bring their distinct movement qualities into conversation, developing a shared vocabulary and inventive choreographic structures through their collaborative process.

Themes of Remembering…

Choreography: Rena Butler + Mia J. Chong
Dancers (Friday): Crystaldawn Bell, William Brewton Fowler Jr., Kira Fargas
Dancers (Saturday + Sunday): Crystaldawn Bell, Cora Cliburn, Colin Frederick

Co-choreographed by Mia J. Chong and Rena Butler, Themes of Remembering… examines nostalgia, memory, and recollection through the senses. Fellow 2019 Princess Grace Award recipients, Mia and Rena bring their artistic and cultural backgrounds into conversation through an exploration of universal themes.

Throughout the process, Mia and Rena exchanged stories of their experiences and considered their shared desire to transcend categories and create freely, without boundaries. Themes of Remembering… embodies this approach, using narrative, abstraction, theatricality, and athleticism as tools for artistic play.

Steam

Choreography: Mia J. Chong, KT Nelson, and the Company
Dancers + Co-creators: Crystaldawn Bell, Allyson Chin (apprentice), Cora Cliburn, Kira Fargas, William Brewton Fowler Jr., Colin Frederick, Lani Yamanaka

Co-choreographed by Mia J. Chong and KT Nelson, Steam explores the impact of climate change on human anxiety and behavior. The work examines the tipping point when we can no longer ignore the changing natural world and must decide how to collectively move forward into the unknown.

Rooted in an intergenerational conversation about environmentalism, Steam brings Mia and KT’s different generational and cultural perspectives into dialogue through rigorous physicality, emotional truths, and a shared sense of urgency and hope.

Season 1 was made possible by the support of the Zellerbach Family Foundation.

EIGHT/MOVES Season 1 was presented August 16–18, 2024, at Z Space in San Francisco.

Season 1 Reflections

“Beauty, power, hope, commitment.

The dancing was just incredible…the cast had such strong technique and a palette of embodied skills…The [dances] are simply stunning, and the dancers give 110% through and through. The craft and intention sweeps you in.”

— Jill Randall

“For years, Mia J. Chong has stood out as a dancer with several of the Bay Area’s boldest companies, including Post: Ballet and ODC/Dance. Now she’s stepping out with her own choreography — but with some powerhouse mentors by her side.”

— Rachel Howard

“If the debut performance was any indication, this company is certainly going to be one to watch in the coming years.”

EIGHT/MOVES Season 1

SEASON 1