Chinatown Cha-Cha Dances into Houston at HAAPIFest 2025 — A Night of Legacy, Rhythm, and Reunion
Join us for a special Houston premiere of Chinatown Cha-Cha on Sunday, June 1, 2025, at 7:45 PM at the DoubleTree by Hilton, 10609 Westpark Dr, Houston, TX 77042. Secure your spot now at www.haapifest.org/tickets for a powerful night of dance, memory, and cultural reconnection.
🎉 Special Meet & Greet: Don’t miss an exclusive opportunity to meet Producer Lou Wang-Holborn alongside Houston-based author and journalist Zen Zheng, who will be attending the screening to share insights and stories behind the film.
About the Film: A Dance Through Time and Across Borders
In Chinatown Cha-Cha, acclaimed director Luka Yuanyuan Yang invites audiences to journey alongside 92-year-old Coby Yee — a vibrant, trailblazing nightclub dancer — as she returns to the stage one last time with the senior dance troupe Grant Avenue Follies. This heartwarming documentary follows their farewell tour across Chinese diasporic communities in the United States, Cuba, and China.
What begins as a comeback performance evolves into a heartfelt celebration of resilience, aging with grace, and the enduring power of art to connect generations and cultures. Chinatown Cha-Cha is not just a film; it’s a living bridge that honors history, memory, and movement through every cha-cha step.
Luka Yuanyuan Yang is a renowned visual artist and filmmaker whose work masterfully blends archival materials and contemporary storytelling. Chinatown Cha-Cha is her feature debut, having garnered support and acclaim from prestigious institutions like The Gotham, Doc Edge, and the Beijing International Film Festival. Luka’s past work has appeared in The New Yorker and graced screens at festivals including the Asian American International Film Festival and Women Make Waves.
Recognized internationally with accolades such as the BVLGARI Avrora Award (2023) and Art Power 100, Luka’s ability to capture nuanced narratives of identity, migration, and heritage makes Chinatown Cha-Cha a must-see highlight of HAAPIFest 2025.
Meet & Greet with Lou Wang-Houlborn
Lou Wang-Holborn is a creative producer based in New York City, originally from Beijing, China. Her portfolio spans editorial, commercial, and branded content, with a growing focus on impactful documentary storytelling. Lou recently served as Associate and Post Producer for BLUE SUN PALACE, which premiered at the prestigious Semaine de la Critique at Cannes 2024 and received the French Touch Jury Award. She is the producer of Chinatown Cha-Cha, a feature documentary that debuted at the Pingyao International Film Festival and the Hawaii International Film Festival in Fall 2024. Lou is currently producing Iris Chang: Power of One (working title), continuing her commitment to uplifting Asian American narratives.
Her work has received support from institutions such as The Gotham, the Center for Asian American Media, CNEX, Hot Docs, BRIC, Kartemquin Films, and the NYC Women’s Fund. Beyond film, Lou is also an experienced Mandarin-English translator and interpreter, with credits for translating scripts and subtitles across both fiction and nonfiction projects. She holds a Master of International Affairs from The New School and is a founding member of the Chinatown Mural Project, a nonprofit bringing large-scale murals to NYC’s Chinatown and beyond. When she’s not producing, Lou enjoys training in Kung Fu with her husband and son.
Meet & Greet with Zen Zheng
Zen Zheng serves as Director of Communications at Houston Community College Southwest and was also a research fellow at the University of Houston Asian American Studies Center.
He is a former award-winning journalist with a distinguished career spanning more than two decades across wire service, print, broadcast and digital media, including a 12-year tenure at the Houston Chronicle.
Zheng is the principal author of The Significance of Chinatown Development to a Multicultural America: An Exploration of the Houston Chinatowns. Distilling 16 years of research, this seminal book is the first to offer a panoramic history of Houston’s two distinct Chinese American neighborhoods and their evolution in a multicultural context.
Why You Shouldn't Miss This Event
🎥 Be among the first in Houston to experience a film that is touching hearts worldwide
🤝 Connect with the creators and contributors in an intimate post-screening Q&A
🌍 Celebrate the power of art to preserve culture and unite global communities
đź•ş Honor the legacy of Asian American performers and their untold stories
Get Your Tickets Now
Seats are limited and expected to sell out quickly. Visit www.haapifest.org/tickets to reserve your spot for this unforgettable cultural experience.
đź“… Date: June 1, 2025
🕢 Time: 7:45 PM
đź“Ť Location: DoubleTree by Hilton, 10609 Westpark Dr, Houston, TX 77042
Follow HAAPIFest on Instagram and Facebook for behind-the-scenes content, interviews, and more surprises leading up to the big night!
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