About the Work

This year at ECS, Jiemin will present a 30-minute excerpt of Portraits of the Moon and a 10-minute work-in-progress excerpt of In the Noodle (working title), both exploring the universal themes of home, love, and family through two powerful cultural symbols in Asian heritage—the Moon and the Noodle.

After a successful premiere at Take Root at Green Space in 2024, Portraits of the Moon continues its journey, bringing its poignant storytelling to new audiences at ECS. This work intricately weaves contemporary dance, props, visuals, interview recordings, and original soundscapes, celebrating the moon’s deep symbolism in Chinese culture. Inspired by lunar myths, poetry, and Asian immigrant journeys, it honors stories of love, separation, reunion, and family, offering a moving reflection on heritage and belonging. (Read audience review).

In the Noodle delves into the symbolic significance of longevity noodles in daily life in Fuzhou, a city located in the southeast of China. Through contemporary dance, projection, media technology, costume design, and original music, this work explores how a simple noodle carries profound meaning—expressing love, emotions, and heartfelt wishes during life’s most significant moments. This project aims to preserve and share Fuzhounese cultural heritage while embracing innovative storytelling to foster cross-cultural exchange through movement, imagery, and sound.

Jiemin's work will be presented on Friday, April 25th and Saturday, April 26th at 7:30pm at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center (LPAC). This production is part of Mare Nostrum Element's Emerging Choreographer Series 2025. Ticket Link Here!

Photo by by Michael Yu featuring collaborators Carl Ponce Cubero, Richard Sayama, Maya Lam, Tsubasa Nishioka, and Mayu Yamashita.

Mission & Artist Statement

Through his work, Jiemin merges cultural heritage with contemporary dance, pushing creative boundaries to bring often untold stories to life. His mission is to empower AAPI communities and underrepresented voices, providing a platform for their narratives through movement and artistic expression. By celebrating these stories in bold and innovative ways, he aims to challenge stereotypes, expand representation, and foster a more inclusive cultural landscape. With support, he can bring these voices to the stage—amplifying stories that deserve to be seen, heard, and felt.

Photo by Yibin Wang

What Your Funds Will Support

To bring this project to life, Jiemin is seeking to raise a minimum of $1,600 to cover essential costs, including dancers' performance fees, costume designer fees, and studio rental expenses.

Your generous support will ensure that artists are compensated fairly and that the project has the resources needed to thrive. Every contribution makes a meaningful impact, helping us create a powerful and immersive artistic experience

About the Choreographer

Photo by Alice Chacon

Jiemin Yang is a Chinese-American choreographer and performer born in China and based in Queens, New York. He holds an MA in Contemporary Dance from the London Contemporary Dance School and a BS from Macaulay Honors College. Jiemin's work has earned recognitions, including the 2024 Artists in Queens Grant from Flushing Town Hall and the 2024 Queens Arts Fund from NYFA. In 2023, he was a Redtail Artist Resident at the Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, and he has been a multiple grantee of the Queens Council on the Arts. His acclaimed short dance film Wo/我 received awards from the DisOrient Asian American Film Festival of Oregon and the Queens World Film Festival in 2022. Jiemin was honored as an Artist of Exceptional Merit ’2022 by the Asian American Arts Alliance and served as a resident artist with the CUNY Dance Initiative at Queens College/Kupferberg Center for the Arts (2020–2022). Jiemin has presented his works at prestigious venues and events, including Gibney Dance Center, the Battery Dance Festival (2023), the AAPI Dance Festival at APAP (2024) with Nai-Ni Chen Dance at the Ailey Citigroup Theater, the Museum of Chinese in America, Flushing Town Hall, and Green Space, among others. He is thrilled to showcase his creations again with Mare Nostrum Elements at the LaGuardia Performing Arts Center. Explore more of Jiemin’s work at www.jieminyang.art

Jiemin's Collaborators

Learn more about the collaborators at https://www.jieminyang.art/pom
Buy tickets for the performances at https://www.lpac.nyc/upcoming-events/ecs-2025

About Mare Nostrum Elements

Mare Nostrum Elements (MNE) is a non-profit arts organization based in Queens, NY. Each year, MNE produces the Emerging Choreographer Series (ECS), an intensive crash-course in self-producing; offering rehearsal space, compensation, career development consultations, and professional mentorship to selected choreographers.

In 2024, MNE started a new program to deepen our support for the NYC dance community and uplift our Emerging Choreographer Series (ECS) alumni. ECS 2025 marks the second year of this program, supporting alumni choreographers by pairing them with presenting venues and providing them resources to produce 30-40 minutes of work in a split-bill format. Jiemin's work was selected to be a part of ECS 2025 at LaGuardia Performing Arts Center.

Mare Nostrum Elements, Inc. is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt, 501(c)(3) organization. All contributions are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.

Support Jiemin Yang's Choreography for ECS 2025

Presented by Mare Nostrum Elements' Emerging Choreographer Series 2025