The Amp Holiday Party
2025-12-18 18:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Welcome to Chinatown Hub, 115 Bowery, New York, NY, 10002, United States
Join A4 in celebrating the third print issue of The Amp! Pick up a free copy of the new issue featuring cover art by Rama Duwaji and designed by Helen Yin Chen. The event will include fun Amp-related activities, opportunities to win A4 merch and time to mingle with editor Shannon Lee, contributors, readers, and featured artists. Special thanks to Welcome to Chinatown for hosting us.
This year’s print issue features artists including Sheida Soleimani, Eiko Otake, Wen Hui, Rujuta Rao, Charlene Kaye, Ishita Mili, and CAO Collective; and writing from Amp contributors like Ashna Ali, Yasi Alipour, Hannah Bae, Caroline Cao, Lili Emtiaz, Joyce Keokham, Isabel Ling, Zachary Lee, Sophia Park, Pallavi Surana, Jenny Wu, and Hannah Zhang.
Drinks and dumplings will be served. This event is FREE and open to the public, but RSVP is required. The suggested minimum donation is $5; donations of $20+ will receive a special gift, and donations of $100+ will receive a special swag bag featuring past issues of The Amp in addition to an A4 bandana designed by artist Somnath Bhatt.

Kanpai Nights: Kanpai to 2025
2025-12-18 18:30 - 20:30 | Japan Society, 333 East 47th Street, New York, NY, 10017, United States
Step into an evening of art and celebration at the inaugural Kanpai Night—a new Japan Society gathering that celebrates Japanese culture as a bridge for global dialogue and community.
In partnership with The Seventh Committee and Friends of the UN, Kanpai to 2025 brings together diplomats, cultural enthusiasts, and community members for an evening of meaningful exchange. The program features opening remarks by Alexander Hassanein, Founder of the Seventh Committee, and Japan Society President and CEO Dr. Joshua W. Walker.
Guests are invited to explore the galleries and encounter Chiharu Shiota: Two Home Countries, the acclaimed artist’s first New York solo museum exhibition. Marking the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, Shiota’s immersive, site-specific installations investigate themes of memory, identity, loss, and belonging. Her work—which draws from personal struggles with nationhood and the human experience—invites viewers into intimate, transformative spaces.
Throughout the evening, enjoy a thoughtfully curated selection of drinks available for purchase, creating the perfect backdrop for conversation, connection, and discovery.

White Wave Dance - Here NOW So Long (Preview)
2025-12-18 19:00 - 20:30 | New York Center for Creativity and Dance, 287 East 10th Street, New York, NY
Here NOW So Long explores the turbulence of human emotion, weaving together panoramic video imagery, a live original composition for guitars and electronics, and the fluid, dramatic movement of WHITE WAVE’s stunning dancers. Comprising ten interconnected scenes, the work delves into love and inner conflict, pushing the boundaries of contemporary dance through an evocative synthesis of sound, imagery, and movement.

Artistic Director / Choreographer: Young Soon Kim
Rehearsal Director: Mark Willis
Dancers: Michael Bishop, Kaylan Bradford, John Crim, Benjamin De Andrade, Bella Donatelli, Soomin Eum, Shujung Kim, Ellie Swainhart, Juan David Viveros

Documenting Stories: Oral History Production and Best Practices
2025-12-18 20:00 - 21:30 | NY
Join us for a presentation on oral history production, equipment, software and set ups with a focus on productions with small budgets!
Oral Historian, Artist, Writer, Alan Nakagawa will base this workshop on his thirty-nine years of interdisciplinary art projects using oral history as a base for working with diverse communities.
Nakagawa has worked for educational, non-profit and government institutions with varying budgets and scopes. Keeping a flexible production methodology while listening to the needs of the collaborators, he has built a portfolio of experiences reflecting diverse needs.

Laughing Lassi – The #1 South Asian Stand-Up Comedy Show in New York City!
2025-12-19 - 2025-12-26 | Broadway Comedy Club, 318 W. 53rd St, New York, New York, 10019
Laughing Lassi is New York City’s premier South Asian stand-up comedy show, featuring the best Desi and Indian-American comedians from NYC and beyond.
As featured in TimeOut NYC, The New Yorker, and India Tribune, this monthly comedy event has become a must-see cultural experience — a place where laughter meets identity, storytelling, and community.
Whether you’re South Asian or simply love smart, diverse humor, Laughing Lassi promises a night of non-stop laughter and unforgettable energy. Each lineup features top comedians who have performed on Comedy Central, Netflix, and major festivals around the world.

Godzilla Minus One Vs. Past Lives: Romantic Histories and Historic Romances
2025-12-19 18:00 - 19:30 | Asian American / Asian Research Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, Suite 1000, New York, 10036, United States
Prof. Jayashree Kamblé will present on her essay in CUNY FORUM Volume 11:1, focusing on love and gender roles in the recent globally successful films Godzilla Minus One and Past Lives.

Yuletide Celebration with National Asian Artists Project
2025-12-20 15:00 - 16:00 | Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, New York, NY, 10013
MOCA is honored to partner with National Asian Artists Project to present their annual yuletide celebration, sharing our heartfelt wishes for a joyful holiday season. In this festive program, the NAAP Chorus will serenade you with beloved Christmas songs, classic carols, and Broadway favorites with the music direction and arrangements of Dan Pardo.
We invite you to join us for an afternoon of warmth, community, and song—whether you come to celebrate tradition, discover new favorites, or simply enjoy the spirit of the season. Come gather with friends, family, and fellow arts lovers as we welcome the holidays together at MOCA.

What Flows Between Us: A Festival of India’s Classical Arts in Cross-Cultural Dialogue
2025-12-21 11:00 - 21:00 | NYC 92Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue, New York, New York, 10128
92NY Harkness Dance Center announces What Flows Between Us: A Festival of India’s Classical Arts in Cross-Cultural Dialogue, a day-long immersion into the depth, rigor, and expansive imagination of the Indian classical arts. Curated by renowned kathak artist, choreographer, educator, and 92NY Artist in Residence Rachna Nivas, the festival gathers extraordinary women from North and South Indian classical music, dance, percussion, and poetry—artists whose lifelong devotion to mastery is matched by their thoughtful engagement with cross-genre collaboration. Vendor markets will be active throughout the day, offering traditional food and artisanal goods and the festival culminates with the New York premiere of SPEAK, a groundbreaking rhythmic conversation between kathak and American tap featuring Nivas, Fulbright scholar Rukhmani Mehta, MacArthur Fellow Michelle Dorrance, and tap legend Dormeshia.

Japanese Holiday Market ホリデーマーケット
2025-12-21 12:00 - 18:00 | Japan Village, 934 3rd Ave, Brooklyn, NY, 11232, United States
It’s the perfect place to find unique, one-of-a-kind holiday gifts while supporting independent creators.
Celebrate the holiday season with us at Japan Village in Brooklyn!
Discover over 15 talented Japanese artists and makers, showcasing their handmade crafts, jewelry, accessories, home goods, and more.
It’s the perfect place to find unique, one-of-a-kind holiday gifts while supporting independent creators. Enjoy the festive atmosphere, connect with the artists, and experience the charm of Japanese craftsmanship and design

Hyeonseon Baek & The Bridge
2025-12-21 21:00 - 23:00 | Dada, 6047 Myrtle Avenue , NY, Queens, NY, 11385, United States
Korean-born jazz vocalist and songwriter Hyeonseon Baek blends jazz tradition with soul, improvisation, and cultural storytelling.
Hyeonseon Baek & The Bridge is a New York–based jazz quartet led by Korean vocalist and songwriter Hyeonseon Baek, whose debut album Longing (2024) was named one of Jazz Weekly’s Top 10 New Releases of the Year and received a ★★★★ review from All About Jazz. The group performs modern, straight-ahead jazz that blends lyrical storytelling with vibrant ensemble interplay.
For this performance, Baek is joined by pianist Hyuna Park, bassist Koji Cassetta, saxophonist Chris Ferrari, and drummer Alex Yoo—four dynamic voices from New York’s contemporary jazz scene.

Introduction to Teaching AAPI Studies K-12
2026-01-07 16:00 - 17:00 | NY
In partnership with UFT Teacher Center, the following virtual workshop provides CTLE credit for New York City educators.
Join the Asian American Education Project for a 60-minute professional development workshop that provides an overview of The Asian American Education Project’s lesson plans and the five thematic units on: citizenship, civil rights, identity, immigration, and racism. It will cover the importance of including AAPI history in school curricula by exploring the contributions of AAPI in activism, the fight for school integration and citizenship rights, and the intersectionality of AAPIs and other communities.

Serica Storytellers: ROSEMEAD & The Realities of AAPI Mental Health
2026-01-07 19:00 - 20:00 | NY
Watch a clip from ROSEMEAD + join ROSEMEAD producer Mynette Louie, lived-experience storyteller Lisa Oberholzer-Gee, and therapist Jeanie Y. Chang for an honest conversation about AAPI mental health, caregiving, and the power of breaking silence. Followed by Q&A.

Present Armat: Live Art × Meditation Ritual
2026-01-09 18:30 - 20:00 | Museum of Chinese in America, 215 Centre Street, New York, NY, 10013
In collaboration with the Chinatown Partnership/Chinatown BID, the Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) invites you to Armat, an evolving art initiative by artist Yadi Liu that merges live digital drawing with meditation and contemplative presence. For this special session, Yadi partners with meditation teacher Michel Pascal, whose gentle guidance and occasional live vocal elements create a serene, multi-sensory environment.
Participants are invited to pause, breathe, and step into the program from within, becoming part of a shared ritual of presence, quiet observation, and embodied awareness.

AAPI Dance Festival
2026-01-10 - 2026-01-11 | Ailey Citigroup Theatre, 405 West 55th Street, New York, NY, 10019
Please join Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) and Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company for the AAPI Dance Festival, an annual celebration of dance and choreography that highlights the artistry and innovation of choreographers of Asian descent, presented as part of the Dance Managers Collective’s APAP showcase at City Center and the Ailey Citigroup Theatre.
The full festival pass includes access to both Saturday and Sunday showcases at Ailey Citigroup Theatre in addition to the Rising Stars showcase at City Center on Saturday, Jan 11 from 7–9 pm.

Half the Sky - Yin Mei Dance
2026-01-10 - 2026-01-11 | Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10021
How does a woman inhabit her own body? How can she claim ownership of it in the shadow of history—if that is even possible? It then extends the inquiry: in what ways can art and movement heal or simply acknowledge all the ghosts that inhabit this body?
Half the Sky merges dance, projection, and installation art into a choreographic and visual act of reclamation: rescuing the “blank page” from blankness. It’s a laboratory for “becoming”, where there is room for the unexpected moment to strike through space and time, leading to the breakthrough of true creative power. Yin Mei explores how the “becoming” of sensation must happen in an unexpected moment, a moment of silence where the body’s unspoken histories surface.
This project is supported by Wuhan Institute of Design and Sciences (WIDS) Jackie Chan Movie and Media College, Baryshnikov Arts, Topaz Arts, Danse Mirage Foundation, MAP Fund, and RF CUNY. Half the Sky was a 2024 New England Foundation for the Arts National Dance Project Finalist.

Winter Wellness with Kamwo Meridian
2026-01-10 15:00 - 16:30 | Think!Chinatown Studio, 1 Pike Street, New York, NY, 10002
In harmony with the winter, journey inward with Traditional Chinese Medicine. Experience the art of winter nourishment through black foods, herbal teas, and gentle rituals that strengthen the Kidneys, awaken inner warmth, and prepare your body for spring’s renewal — cultivating balance, resilience, and radiant vitality. Join us in collaboration with Kamwo Meridian Herbs for an evening of ear seeding, self-acupressure exercises, and seasonal herbal recipes designed to nourish and strengthen our body’s immunity, and align with the season’s call for balance and renewal.

Metamorphosis Exhibition Closing Party, Featuring Sutra Unveiling
2026-01-10 15:00 - 17:00 | China Institute, 40 Rector Street, 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10006
Join us for the Metamorphosis Exhibition’s intimate Closing Party with a surprise unveiling

End Metamorphosis on a note of wonder with an intimate closing party and the long-awaited unveiling of the hidden golden sutra and mandala inside Bingyi’s Dream Chamber!

AAPI Dance Festival: Rising Stars
2026-01-10 19:00 - 21:00 | New York City Center, 131 West 55th Street, New York, NY, 10019
We are thrilled to present for the first time at AAPI Dance Festival: Rising Stars, a showcase celebrating emerging choreographic voices from the Asian American community in New York. Performers include Gotham Dance Theater, Aishwarya Madhav, Stephanie Shin, Jie-Hung Connie Shiau, Compound Playground, Umami Playground Dance, and more.

Morris Lum Book Talk: Chinatowns | Tong Yan Gaai
2026-01-11 16:00 - 17:30 | 1 Pike St, 1 Pike Street, New York, NY, 10002, United States
Book talk by Photographer Morris Lum, on his recently published book titled “Chinatowns: Tong Yan Gaai.”

Join us for a thought-provoking afternoon book talk by Photographer Morris Lum, on his recently published book titled “Chinatowns: Tong Yan Gaai”, chronicling the rapid architectural & economic transformations of Chinatowns across Canada and the U.S.
Following the book talk there will be a Q&A, and you can get your own copy of “Chinatowns: Tong Yan Gaai” and get it signed by Morris Lum!
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“Chinatowns: Tong Yan Gaai” by Morris Lum
Through the lens of a large-format camera, Lum traces the architectural history of Chinatowns in major cities like Toronto, San Francisco, and Montreal. His work investigates how built environments shape and express “Chinese” identity.
His colorful photographs offer a poignant visual record, spotlighting both historical and modern-day cultural landmarks—small family-owned businesses, iconic Chinese restaurants and vital community organizations—that define these neighborhoods.

Vong Pak’s BINARI
2026-01-11 19:30 - 21:30 | Jalopy Theatre, 315 Columbia Street, Brooklyn, NY, 11231
Vong Pak’s BINARI is a powerful contemporary reimagining of the Korean shamanic blessing ritual known as Binari—a traditional performance offered to bring good fortune, protection, and prosperity to the community. Award-winning performer Vong Pak, recognized for his mastery of Korean percussive traditions, guides audiences through a transformative musical experience that bridges ancient ritual and modern improvisation. With Pak’s commanding vocals and expressive percussion at the center, the performance expands into a dynamic trio featuring Rick Parker on trombone and Kevin Zubek on drums. Together, they create an evocative soundscape where ancestral rhythms meet jazz influences, meditative textures, and bold experimental energy. Each performance becomes a living conversation between tradition and innovation—inviting audiences into a space of reflection, healing, and renewed hope. Vong Pak’s BINARI is not only a concert; it is a ceremonial offering for collective hope, resilience, and prosperity.

AAWW & The Strand Present – Chanel Miller + Jia Tolentino
2026-01-12 19:00 - 20:30 | Strand Book Store, 828 Broadway 3rd Floor, Rare Book Room, New York, NY, 10003
Join us for a launch event with bestselling writer and artist Chanel Miller, discussing her new children’s book THE MOON WITHOUT STARS.

Hidden Voices: Asian American and Pacific Islander History
2026-01-13 09:00 - 15:00 | NY
Join the Department of Social Studies and Civics as they explore ways to integrate the Hidden Voices: Asian American and Pacific Islanders Curriculum Guide. Attendees of this full-day, in-person workshop will become familiar with Hidden Voices and some of our Civics for All comics. We will consider different ways to integrate resources into the classroom setting. Participants will tour the Museum of Chinese in America’s exhibition “With a Single Step: Stories in the Making of America” and do a connecting activity with Hapa.me, a groundbreaking follow up exhibition to Part Asian, 100% Hapa.
Lunch will be provided.

AI Alliance Kickoff Summit
2026-01-13 13:00 - 18:00 | Houlihan Lokey, 245 Park Ave, New York, NY, 10167, United States
The AABDC AI Alliance Launch brings together leaders across technology, business, and policy to establish a unified perspective on AI advancement, education, and responsible innovation.

Committee of 100 Conversations – Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes - Leroy Chiao
2026-01-13 18:00 - 19:30 | NY
We are pleased to invite you to attend the ninth Committee of 100 Conversations – “Recollections, Pioneers and Heroes” event that will feature Leroy Chiao, Former NASA Astronaut and Co-founder and CEO, OneOrbit, whose career has been defined by exceptional achievement as an Astronaut, a business leader, educator, and his dedication to community service.

Talk with Leroy Chiao, Ph.D. NASA Astronaut Co-founder and CEO, OneOrbit
2026-01-13 18:00 - 20:00 | NY

Duration of Mountains and Seas (穿越·山海经): Music Showcase
2026-01-13 20:00 - 21:30 | Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10021
Duration of Mountains and Seas (穿越·山海经) is a music showcase that reimagines ancient mythology, creating a fantastic universe where Chinese music meets electronica to traverse through time and space. Conceived and created by composer/ musician Hu Chenyun, the showcase includes the electronic music duo Frankfurt Helmet and a group of renowned musicians from the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra. This contemporary performance is inspired by the great classic of ancient Chinese mythology, Classic of Mountains and Seas (3rd Century B.C.), exploring a world of mythical beings and vast geographies. The creative intermingling of Chinese instruments such as suona, pipa, and konghou with electronic voices creates a space where technology and nature—and past and future—are placed in vibrant dialogue.
Presented in partnership with the China Shanghai International Arts Festival.
Curation/Composition/Performance (Suona): Hu Chenyun
Electronic/Composition, Arrangement, and Production: Frankfurt Helmet
Flute: Gao Ya; Pipa: Liu Jia; KongHou: Liu Xuanyi; Erhu: Lu Lu; Percussion: Hu Jiaqian;
Visual Artist: Feng Bingxin; Sound Engineer: Yang Zili

AAPI Immigration
2026-01-14 10:00 - 11:00 | NY
In partnership with UFT Teacher Center, the following virtual workshop provides CTLE credit for New York City educators.
Join The Asian American Education Project for a 60-minute workshop exploring Immigration, the desire for AAPI immigrants to come to the United States, and the past and present challenges they face. We also explore past and present immigration policies, the motivation behind the creation of these policies, and their impact.
Immigration for certain groups of people is not always welcomed to the United States. Barriers are often placed to bar and restrict certain groups of people, even in the present. The Immigration unit covers the contribution of Chinese Transcontinental Railroad workers, the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which gave way to the passage of the Immigration Act of 1965 the Southeast Asian refugees’ migration in the aftermath of the Vietnam War, and the Asian American DREAMers.

Navigating the Shifting DEI Tides — A Guide for Nonprofits
2026-01-14 13:30 - 14:30 | NY
Navigating the Shifting DEI Tides — A Guide for Nonprofits: Start 2026 with clarity, a playbook, and a community of support. The DEI policy environment has shifted — your mission hasn’t. Get legal insights, risk assessment tools, and stakeholder talking points you need to move forward with confidence. Featuring Christina J. Thomas, Project Director and Research Scholar at the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging at NYU School of Law.

From Data to Demands: AAPI Policy Priorities for Congress in 2026
2026-01-14 15:00 - 16:00 | NY
Congress is entering 2026 with looming budget fights, and these high-stakes policy decisions made in the coming weeks will have direct consequences for AAPI communities across the country—from healthcare affordability and economic security.
NCAPA invites you to join From Data to Demands: AAPI Policy Priorities for Congress in 2026, a community briefing featuring experts from the NCAPA coalition who will outline the federal policy priorities AAPI communities need Congress to act on this year.

Batang West Side
2026-01-14 17:30 - 22:30 | Asia Society, 725 Park Avenue, New York, NY, 10021
Asia Society welcomes filmmaker Lav Diaz for a 25th anniversary screening of Batang West Side— which had its U.S. Premiere at Asia Society on July, 24, 2001 as the Centerpiece Screening of the 25th Asian American International Film Festival— as part of our ongoing series Films to See Before You Die. Co-presented by Asian CineVision.
Batang West Side
Lav Diaz, Philippines, 2001, 35mm, 301 min.
In English, Tagalog, and Filipino with English subtitles
With an extended introduction by Lav Diaz.
Investigating the murder of the young Hanzel (Yul Servo), shot dead one winter night on West Side Ave, police detective Juan Mijares (Joel Torres) plumbs the depths of the Filipino youth gangs of Jersey City who trade in shabu – crystal meth. Talking to the boy’s mother, remarried to an American, to his grandfather, an ex-soldier as well as to his American-born girlfriend, bigger questions emerge: what dark history has pushed so many Filipinos to migrate this wintry land? Why are these the conditions of their children? What past does this detective emerge from?
Shot at the freezing turn of the millennium by a young and fearless Lav Diaz (Norte, The End of History), Batang West Side is a timeless epic about Filipino immigration over generations. Diaz’s sole film shot in the United States, and the longest film to be made by a Southeast Asia director at the time, Diaz does not shy away from the power of cumulative answers, revealed intricately over the course of the epic runtime and Dostoyevskian themes that would become hallmarks in the oeuvre of the Filipino master. (Kani Releasing)
35mm Print Courtesy of the Austrian Film Museum.
A limited amount of complimentary tickets will be available to NYC college students with ID at the box office on the day of the screening.
Lav Diaz’s latest film, MAGELLAN, opens Friday, January 9 at Film at Lincoln Center.
