2024 JADIN WONG FELLOWSHIP IN DANCE

The Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) is pleased to administer, with support from the New York Community Trust, the 2024 Jadin Wong Fellowship for an emerging New York City-based Asian American dance artist who seeks to make an impact on the Asian American community to develop new or existing work.

A4’s mission is to ensure greater representation, equity, and opportunities for Asian American artists and cultural organizations through resource sharing, promotion, and community building. In line with these efforts, it is the aim of the Jadin Wong Fellowship to support an early-career individual Asian American artist living in New York City to develop work that will continue to fuel Asian American and creative discourse.

This award is a tribute to the life and work of renowned Chinese American actress, dancer, and comedienne Jadin Wong. Ms. Wong was a lifelong pioneer and innovator in the field of performing arts and strove to ensure opportunities for Asian Americans through her efforts as a performer and talent agent.

A4 will grant a fellowship to one early-career Asian American dancer/choreographer, age 30 or younger at the start of the fellowship, whose work shows outstanding promise, and who may benefit from further professional artistic development.

The fellowship recipient will receive an unrestricted cash stipend of $7,500 and an eight-month fellowship tailored to respond to the unique needs of their practice. The fellowship includes artistic mentorship with an established or mid-career dance professional, leadership coaching, and a range of technical support.

A4 will administer an open application process.

In addition to the cash stipend of $7,500, the fellow will participate in an eight-month program beginning in May 2024 and ending in December 2024. The fellowship is structured in three phases, each facilitating a different area of professional development.

Phase 1: Career Coaching
May – July 2024
The selected fellow will receive three coaching sessions from an esteemed career coach. The coaching will cover core value strengthening and goal setting/vision planning. These sessions are meant to offer personal and professional development tools for the fellow to empower themself as a leader of their vision, craft, and field.

Phase 2: Artistic Mentorship
July – September 2024
The selected fellow will receive artistic mentorship from an established or mid-career dance professional. The mentorship will include one-on-one meetings with the appointed mentor. The mentor will be chosen by A4 staff based on field recommendations and with input from the fellow, giving consideration to their interests and preferences.

Phase 3: A4 Public Program
October – December 2024
The selected fellow will work with A4 staff to develop and present one community workshop or public presentation in December 2024 based on their experience with the fellowship or work generated through the process.

DEADLINE: APPLICATION FORMS MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY BY 11:59 PM ET ON MONDAY, MARCH 25, 2024.

Requirements

The applicant MUST:

• Be of Asian heritage
• Be 30 years of age or younger at the start of the fellowship (your birthday must fall on or after May 2, 1993)
• Not be currently enrolled as a full-time or part-time student in a degree-granting program in a field related to dance during the fellowship period; exceptions may be made for post-graduate students in a field unrelated to dance
• Be a resident of New York City (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, or Staten Island)
• Be currently living in the US and primarily based in New York City during the fellowship period (May – December 2024)
• Have at least two years of experience in presented dance

NOTE: Current A4 staff, board members, and review panelists are not eligible. Immediate family of A4 staff, board members, and review panelists are not eligible.

Review and Selection Criteria:

The fellow will be selected through an open call and jury process. A jury composed of established professionals in the field will evaluate the submitted applications based on the following criteria:

• Artistic merit: Technical skill, performance quality, clarity of vision and originality of work will be evaluated.
• Development of new or existing work: Description of the project to be developed or completed during the fellowship.
• Community impact: Articulation of interest or hopes to make a significant impact on the Asian American and New York City artistic community as a whole, based on narrative responses in the application.
• Potential for growth: Extent to which the fellowship will advance the applicant’s goals and career.

Review panels are composed of a diverse group of respected professionals in the field. All are distinguished artists and arts professionals.

Key Dates:

February 21, 2024 – Public announcement of open call
February 28, 2024 – Virtual information session, 12–1:00pm ET (recording here)
March 25, 2024 – Submissions close by 11:59pm ET
March - April 2024 – Panel review period
April 30, 2024 – Notification of award
May 9, 2024 – Public announcement of fellow

Application Instructions

All applications are submitted online via Jotform.

Artistic Statement:
Identify your unique artistic approach to your chosen medium. (300 words max)
Optional: Describe the influences, legacies, and/or heritages in your work. (100 words max)

Professional Growth:
Describe where you are in your professional and artistic career as a visual artist in New York City. Share key moments, accomplishments, and/or learnings in your career thus far. (300 words max)
Describe upcoming goals and how this fellowship may help you achieve those goals (300 words max)
Describe an existing or new body of work you wish to develop during the 8-month fellowship (300 words max)

Community Impact:
How do you hope to impact the Asian American artistic community through your work? (300 words max)

Fellowship Benefits:
If awarded the fellowship, how do you plan to use the unrestricted cash grant? (100 words max)

Letter of recommendation (from an educator or dance professional experienced with the artist’s work)
Resume and headshot
Work samples (up to three work samples total)
Three recent (within the past 4 years) video work samples demonstrating the applicant’s best performance or choreography. Each sample should be no more than 4 minutes in length. Provide time stamps for viewing.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Who was Jadin Wong?
Jadin Wong (1913‐2010) was a Chinese American actress, dancer, and comedienne. She performed at San Francisco’s legendary all‐Asian nightclub, Forbidden City, and toured throughout America, Europe, and Asia. In 1960, Ms. Wong moved to New York City. She appeared in Broadway shows and founded Jadin Wong Management in hopes of helping more Asian American talent to be cast in significant roles in theater, film, and television. Ms. Wong’s final performance was on October 11, 1997, at a gala benefit for a new national Chinese American museum.

You can read more about Jadin Wong’s life and work here.

What is a dance artist?
Any performative dancer engaged in creating original choreographic work in the field of dance.

What constitutes an “emerging dance artist”?
For the purpose of this year’s award, an emerging dance artist is one who is between 18 and 30 years of age, shows potential for great artistic achievement in dance and choreographs original dance works. However, you cannot be currently enrolled as a full-time or part-time student in a degree-granting program during the fellowship period (May – December 2024).

How do you define “outstanding promise”?
The ideal applicant is an early-career dance artist who shows extraordinary clarity of thought and creativity in their artistry and may realize greater achievement with additional professional development support.

Do I have to be Asian American to apply?
Yes. The fellowship is awarded to an artist of Asian descent. Ethnic origins include Central Asian, East Asian, Pacific Islander, South Asian, Southeast Asian, West Asian, Middle Eastern, and Multi-regional (Mixed race).

Is the age requirement strict?
Yes.

Is the fellowship open to US citizens/permanent residents or people of all immigration statuses?
Anyone who lives in New York City and has a SSN (Social Security Number) or ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) is eligible to apply.

If I am a PhD student in an unrelated field to dance, am I eligible to apply?
We are willing to make exceptions for post-graduate students in a field unrelated to dance. Please email jlee@aaartsalliance.org to confirm.

While I predominantly live and work in NYC, I currently rent an apartment in Jersey City. Considering my residence situation, am I eligible to apply?
Unfortunately, no, you have to be a NYC Resident to be eligible to apply. There is a place in the application to upload proof of residency.

What does a good work sample look like?
A good video work sample employs proper lighting, clear audio, and best represents the applicant’s artistry. The work may be in studio or a performance with a clear view of the dancers.

How is the 2024 Jadin Wong Fellow selected?
The fellow will be selected through an open call and jury process. Submitted applications will be reviewed by a jury composed of dance professionals. Current board and staff members of A4 will not participate in the review process.

If I have multiple/ongoing projects, is there a preference for a specific type of project or a project at a certain point in development?
The project you apply to the fellowship for is completely up to the discretion of the applicant. The applicant is encouraged to be aware of the 8 month long timeline, as the hope is for you to present something at the culmination of the fellowship. In addition, you are encouraged to be thoughtful of the reviewer’s perspective. They want to see evidence that you are dedicating yourself to a project that will be worked on and supported by the fellowship - ensure to keep your proposal focused and balanced.

Do I need to share how the cash grant will be used?
You do not need to provide a detailed budget or information on how the cash award will be used, just provide a general idea. Be honest about how you will use the money (i.e. if you need it to pay your rent in order to continue your practice, that is completely reasonable and understood by the panel). It is not the most important part of how your application will be evaluated.

What if I have more questions?
You are welcome to inquire further by contacting Justine Lee, Programs Director, at jlee@aaartsalliance.org.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to attend the virtual Information Session for 2023 Jadin Wong Award on Wednesday, February 28 from 12:00pm – 1:00pm ET.

A4 hopes that this workshop will not only provide applicants with the nuts and bolts of a strong Jadin Wong Fellowship application, but also offer suggestions for other fellowship opportunities. Part info session and part workshop, this 1-hour session will include background and logistics of the awards process and advice on preparing a strong application.

UPDATE: The information session has already happened; a recording can be found here.