Phoenix Dance Chamber

Phoenix Dance Chamber

Phoenix Dance Chamber is a Chinese dance school and a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which offers classes to students of all ages, and performs Chinese dance in a variety of venues.  Our mission statement is  to create opportunities for all individuals and communities in the State of Hawaii to celebrate, share, and sustain the vitality of Chinese folk, ethnic minority and classical dance and arts for present and future generations including through dance instruction, performance, and cultural exchange.

  • Background

    The chamber was first established by Diane Letoto in 1989 when she was a Dance Ethnology student at the University of Hawaii.  Liu Youlan, Chinese Ethnic Minority Folk Dance Specialist from the Beijing Dance Academy became an artist in residence for the bicentennial and became Diane's mentor.  Diane fell in love with the nuances and diversity of Chinese dance.  She and a group of UH students became the original Phoenix Dance Chamber, which existed under the umbrella nonprofit Hawaii Foundation for Chinese Culture and Arts. Shortly after, PDC expanded to include keiki classes which grew into a curriculum of multiple levels based on that of the Beijing Dance Academy.  Diane retired in 2012 and Ivy Hsu took over as artistic director, establishing Phoenix Dance Chamber as its own nonprofit 501(c)(3) in 2016.

  • Info

    Specialty:

    Classical, Han folk dance, Ethnic minority dances, and Chinese contemporary/modern danceWebsite:

    www.phoenixdancechamber.org

    Social:

    @pdchawaii

    Contact:

    hawaii.pdc@gmail.com

    Address:

    Honolulu, HI 96816