Collaborate With Us

Dennis Nahat – General Director

Dennis Nahat began his training in Detroit, Michigan, at the age of eight. At seventeen, he was awarded a full scholarship in dance with a minor in music at the Juilliard School of Music training under Martha Hill, Martha Graham, Jose Limon,  Donald McKayle, Anna Sokolow, Antony Tudor, and Louis Horst. Nahat performed with the newly formed City Center Joffrey Ballet and later with American Ballet Theater where he danced as a principal.

Nahat co-founded the School of Cleveland Ballet with lan Horvath in 1972 and Cleveland Ballet in 1976. In 1983 Nhat assumed sole Artistic Directorship and in 1985 created the co-venture between San Jose, California and Cleveland, Ohio. known as San Jose Cleveland Ballet, later to become Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley and in October 2000, Ballet San Jose. Until January 2001, Nahat served as founding executive director/artistic director.choreographer of his ballet company for 40 years.

His choreographic credits extend from ballet to Broadway, television and Im where he has created over 104 works. Nahat’s groundbreaking ballet BLUE SUEDE SHOES, set to 36 songs of Elvis Presley, has been seen nationwide on PBS and received two Emmy nominations for that broadcast series. He has served for 10 years as Artistic Director of New York’s USDAN Center for the Creative and Performing Arts’ ballet program and among the many awards he has received the Dance Master of America Award for Lifetime Achievement in July 19, 2008. He has been invited as juror, coach, teacher and choreographer at world-renowned ballet competitions. He served as chairman of the Silicon Valley International Arts Competition and created several programs in collaboration with Ann Woo. he unveiled his new Theatre Ventures International School and Productions in April 2012. He created new productions in China entitled YULAN and TERRA COTTA NUTCRACKER, two multimedia international cultural exchange extravaganzas, both making their US premiere October and December 2013. Currently, he is Executive Manager of THE DONALD McKAYLE LEGACY.

Diana Weiping Ding

Social Entrepreneur. Founder & CEO of Silicon Valley Community Media and Ding Ding TV – The Voice of Silicon Valley Asian Americans since 2009. Diana is the Chairwoman of Silicon Valley Entrepreneur Festival, Silicon Valley Food & Art Festival, Silicon Valley Business Forum, and Producer of “Innovation Dialog” and “Civic Leadership Forum Silicon Valley”.  She interviewed hundreds of community leaders and entrepreneurs and created thousands of videos on YouTube. Diana Ding has been awarded as Asian American Hero by Santa Clara County in 2008 And California Unsung Hero by State Assembly in 2021.  

Benjamin Lyon

Benjamin enjoys enabling teams of innovators to do the best work of their lives. Most recently, he serves on the C-Team of a publicly traded Space Tech company. He is also passionate about supporting the arts and enjoys producing classical music albums.

 Benjamin’s most important role, is supporting Yang Yang and his two daughters in all of their adventures. 

Yi Guan

Guan is a national first-class actor. Born in Liyuan, China, she grew up in a family of renown musicians and singers, which planted the seed for her own artistic career. She graduated from Shenyang Peking Opera Theatre’s Youth Art Class and won numerous awards, including multiple Best Performance Awards at the regional and national level. She has also been invited to perform and share Chinese Peking Opera with global audiences, including in the SF International Musical Festival.

Guan is a versatile performer skilled in a broad range of Chinese Opera styles. Some of her famous works include “Jade Hall Spring”, “Legend of the White Snake”, “Cosmos Frontier”, “Farewell My Concubine”, “Drunken Concubine”, “The Female General of the Yang Family”, and many others in the Peking Opera repertoire. 

Sabiba

Dance de Ventre , or Classical Egyptian, is often referred to as Belly Dance. My background is contemporary and jazz but I fell in love with the poise and delicacy of Middle Eastern dance and complexity of the music. Since then I have performed in Greek, Moroccan and Middle Eastern venues, introduced the genre in classes and traveled extensively with the purpose of learning more and sharing the beauty and elegance of the dance.

Ryan Chen

Ryan Chen is an international soloist, concert violinist, and a renowned violin instructor. Ryan received his Masters of Music in Violin Performance from the Rueil-Malmaison National Conservatory in Paris. During his studies there, Ryan gave many solo performances and was also a principle with the Raspail String quartet. Immediately upon his return to Taiwan, Ryan was appointed Concertmaster of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra, performing in the United States, Taiwan, Russia, China and all over Europe. He has also collaborated with many orchestras as a soloist, including the Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley Orchestra, Taipei Symphony Orchestra, Taipei Chamber Orchestra, and the Chinese Culture University Orchestra. Ryan was the Music Director for the Bay Area concert 最強女聲 2017 及 當王子遇上精靈 2015. He is also the conductor of Chinese Music Teacher Association of Northern California, and the Founder  Director of the SoundPost Youth Chamber Orchestra.

Zhuxi Wang

Zhuxi (Jodie) Wang, a board member of the professional association of pipa virtuosos affiliated under China Nationalities Orchestra Society (CNOS), trained by multiple pipa virtuosos including the world renowned pipa master, 2017 Grammy Award winner, Wu Man. Zhuxi has toured 10+ countries as a soloist or the principal performer of multiple orchestras. She won numerous awards in national music competitions throughout her early career and performed at many diplomatic occasions for foreign political leaders, royal family members, and well-known scholars visiting China. Her talent was also showcased on China’s most popular TV networks (e.g., CCTV, BJTV, etc.) and on various television shows.

Master Yanran

1. Founder, Executive Director and Chief Instructor of Shaolin Temple USA.
2. Adjunct Professor, Wushu Department, Xian Sports University, China.
3. Team Coach, US National Traditional Kung Fu Team.
4. Cover Master, Kung Fu Magazine

Master Yanran is a 34th generation disciple of China Songshan Shaolin Temple (est.495AD). He Studied under Venerable Abbot Yongxin, and toured over 40 countries representing Shaolin Temple performing and teaching Shaolin Kung Fu. 2007, he founded Shaolin Temple USA to share Shaolin Kung Fu Chan culture with the American people at Shaolin Culture Centers in California and the Washington, D.C. area.

Shifu Hengwu

35th generation Shaolin disciple. Trained in Shaolin Kung Fu from a young age. Has toured many countries including Spain, Canada and the United States garnering praises for showcasing the unique styles of Shaolin Kung Fu. He is often invited to participate and advise in mainstream events, and serve as judge in major international Kung Fu tournaments.

Specialties: Double Broadswords, Whip Plus Broadsword, Plum Blossom Fist, Cannon Fist, Spring and Autumn Broadsword, Drunken Forms, Yijinjing, Sanshou, etc.

Shifu HengXiu

35th generation Shaolin disciple. Trained in Shaolin Kung Fu from a young age. Current Kung Fu instructor at Shaolin Temple USA. Has toured many countries on a two-year international cultural exchange project.

Specialties: Shaolin Tiger Fist, Spring and Autumn Broadsword, Monk’s Spade, Taizu Long Fist, Shepherd’s Whip, Mandarin Ducks Hooks, etc.

Shifu HengTi

35th generation Shaolin disciple. Has toured Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia performing Shaolin Kung Fu. Winner of multiple top awards at national and international Kung Fu tournaments.

Specialties: Traditional Shaolin Fist and weapons such as Cannon Fist, Seven Stars Fist, Dahong Fist, Double Spears, Double Broadswords, Double Hooks, etc. and Shaolin Harqigong Iron Jacket.

Stacey Chuang, Rhett Grant

Rhett began dancing in Modesto at the age of 10, and it was his love for ballroom that eventually led him to move to the Bay Area to continue pursuing his passion. He’s now been dancing for over 25 years, and coaches for the Berkeley Ballroom Dance Team.

Stacey, who has always been Bay Area based, started at age 12 in San Francisco. She has been dancing for 17 years now, and coaches the Stanford Ballroom Dance Team.

Together, Rhett and Stacey are a newly formed partnership with the intent to compete in Professional Latin.

NewGround Theatre Dance Company

NewGround Theatre Dance Company performs contemporary works that explore our human connection and what it means to operate as one human race.

NewGround Theatre Dance Company’s vision is to provide performance art that stirs the soul and awakens social awareness, inner change, and well-being for today’s world.  

The company  incorporates media, visual art, spoken word, and storytelling into its dance productions, and is a part of a larger organization called ArtsUnityMovement (AUM).  AUM provides educational programs and interactive workshops in conjunction with NewGround projects and performance material. www.artsunitymovement.org

Namrata Mohanty of Guru Shradha

Namrata Mohanty began learning Odissi at the tender age of five under Guru Dr. Chitra Krishnamurti, Founder-Director of Nrityalaya School of Odissi Dance in Maryland. She went on to complete her Mancha Pravesh (solo debut) under Dr. Krishnamurti’s tutelage and was a prominent performer in Nrityalaya and the DC/Maryland area. Over the last three years, Namrata has continued to hone her Odissi dance under Niharika Mohanty, with workshops under master teachers Guru Ratikant and Sujata Mohapatra, and has become a key dancer and teacher with Guru Shradha. Namrata performs solo in the upcoming Odissi International Festival

Tiantian Wang

Tian Tian is Bay Area vocal teacher and founder of the student concert, Winter Sonata. Over the past decade, Tian has been invited to participate in performances such as the Dongwan Spring Festival Gala and Feiyang Art Troupe Spring Festival Gala. Tian is a graduate Sichuan Conservatory of Music.

Xu Chen

Xu Chen is a chip design engineer, independent musician, and actor. Chen is active on various stages across the Bay Area, having founded the Bocun Singing Troupe and the Calculasian Pure Vocal Band. On social media, several of his performances have exceeded one million views. In 2017, he released the album To Be Organized.

Los Laureles

What started off as dancers coming together to commemorate their heritage has now become one of the most recognized performing arts companies in the Silicon Valley area and beyond. Since opening its doors in 2007, Los Laureles Company has managed to captivate the hearts of audiences nationwide with a variety of quality performances and shows. From creating halftime performances for NFL and MLB front offices to entertaining guests at tech companies such as Apple and Google, Los Laureles Company offers one of a kind performances for all event sizes and types. https://www.loslaureles.org/

Peninsula Ballet Theatre

Peninsula Ballet Theatre inspires passion and creates joy with live productions through a collaboration of dedicated artists, artisans, and supporters. Founded in 1967 by Dick Ford and Richard Gibson as the non-profit performing vehicle for students in their ballet school, then Peninsula Ballet School, the first professional dancers trained outside the school were hired in 1971 to form a separate permanent company. PBT is the Bay Area’s second oldest professional ballet company in continuous operation. Joining as artistic director in 2017, Greg Amato has cultivated a company of professional dancers that performs a full season of wide-ranging repertory.

Ariel Chien

Ariel Chien is a sixteen-year-old sophomore at Menlo-Atherton High School. She began piano studies at the age of 8 with Megan Chen and continued with Daniel Cheng. She currently studies with Sandra Wright Shen at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Pre-College. Ariel is a Third-Year scholarship recipient of the Chopin Foundation of the United States. She is the prize-winner of numerous piano competitions, including 2023 Arthur Fraser International Piano Competition at SEPF, 2023 USIMC Young Artist Award, 2023 MTAC Concerto Competition, 2022 Marilyn Mindell Piano Concerto Competition, 2022 US Open Music Competition, 2021 San Jose International Piano Competition and 2019 Los Angeles Young Musician International Competition. As the winner of the GSYO Piano Concerto Competition, Ariel performed with the Camilla Kolchinsky Orchestra in the 2022-23 season. She has performed in masterclasses with great pianists, including Yuja Wang, Jon Nakamatsu, Tamas Ungar, John Perry, Ann Schein, Sasha Starcevich, Ning An, Ory Shihor, and Christopher O’Riley and received instructions from Dang Thai Son, Katarzyna Popawa-Zydron, Ruth Slenczynska, Olga Radosavljevich, Wu Han and Steven Spooner.

Chiffon Fu

Internationally renowned guzhengist Chiffon Fu and her Guzheng Ensemble, established in 1998, have frequently collaborated with musicians from Taiwan, China, and the United States to create new music compositions and to promote classical traditional Chinese music and culture.  Governor Gray Davis has awarded “The most beautiful music that ever brought to California” and dedicates September 23rd as California Chiffon Fu Day.  Chiffon’s Guzheng Ensemble has travelled throughout California to perform in concerts, special invitations, community charity functions, holiday festivals and guzheng recitals.  Chiffon has dedicated her life to the promotion and the preservation of the most treasured Chinese classical music & arts.

Rayo Furuta

Rayo Furuta is a globally recognized artist celebrated for his mastery across classical, contemporary, world, jazz, and pop genres. In 2014, he became a cultural ambassador to the US and has since toured and taught worldwide. He’s performed in esteemed groups like Yo-Yo Ma’s Silkroad Ensemble, The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and The Juilliard School. Rayo has also held teaching positions at institutions such as San Jose State, Santa Clara, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Stanford. Beyond his artistry, he leverages his music for global social justice and uplifting marginalized communities.

Dr. Ching Ching Chi

Dr. Ching Ching Chi, founder of Care Comfort Cure, holds a PhD from Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, licensed in California as an acupuncturist/herbalist. Specializing in merging Traditional Chinese and Conventional Medicine, she uses guqin music for healing, rooted in its ancient use described in Huang Di Nei Jing. The instrument’s notes correspond to organs, aligning with TCM’s principles. Chi aims to let listeners enjoy music while benefiting from its healing properties.

Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose

The Abhinaya Dance Company of San Jose was founded by its Artistic Director Mythili Kumar in 1980, to present innovative and professional quality performances of South Indian classical dance forms. Since 1986, Abhinaya has staged over 50 original dance productions and has been awarded several grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and from state and city agencies. Abhinaya offers classes in San Jose and Monte Sereno. Over 130 students have graduated from Abhinaya with their solo debut (arangetram) performances.

Ensemble Continuo

Ensemble Continuo is a classical chamber choir based in Mountain View, California. The choir was founded in January 2023, but several of its members have sung together in previous projects since 2016.

The members of Ensemble Continuo share a passion for exploring the choral repertoire, including famous choir masterworks by Bach, Händel, Mozart, and Brahms, but also enjoy venturing into contemporary classical choral music by composers such as Frank Ticheli, Gerald Finzi, or Ēriks Ešenvalds. First and foremost, Ensemble Continuo loves making music together and performing it for others.

Online the choir can be found at www.ensemble-continuo.com, on Instagram (@ensemblecontinuo), YouTube (@ensemblecontinuo468), and Facebook (Ensemble-Continuo-Mountain-View).

Ballet Folklórico Mexicano – Fuego Nuevo

Fuego Nuevo was founded by Jose Luis Juarez and Miguel Angel Martinez, who were initially introduced to dance in Mexico City. The duo’s journey began with the ‘Ballet Folklorico Vicente Guerrero’, and later the prestigious ‘Ballet Folklorico Nacional de Mexico’ under Silvia Lozano’s direction. Seeking to enhance their skills, they relocated to the United States and, inspired by their passion for dance, established Fuego Nuevo in San Jose in February 2005. Since its inception, Fuego Nuevo has been a pillar of the Bay Area community, offering education in Mexico’s dance heritage through ballet-based instruction. Students explore the cultural significance of music, costumes, and props, alongside physical skills like coordination, flexibility, and stamina, fostering self-esteem and appreciation for Mexico’s dance traditions.