Chinmayi Sri Maddali
Indian Classical Dance
A high school dancer and 2026 NYSCA Artist and Apprentice Awardee who has trained in Indian classical dance since age five.
Young Heritage Artists
Folk Dance
Kayla Xu
Traditional Chinese Dance
Kayla began dancing at age three, combining extensive ballet training with traditional Chinese dance and choreography.
Avani Shandilya
Bharatanatyam / Indian Classical Dance
Avani began dancing at age three and continues advanced Bharatanatyam study with teachers in New York and Chennai.
Young Heritage Artists
Folk Music
Mingtong Xu
Guqin
A young guqin musician and 2026 NYSCA Artist and Apprentice Awardee who studies traditional works and shares the guqin tradition with new audiences.
Young Heritage Artists
Dragon & Lion Dance
The Spirited Lions
Lion Dance
A pair of brothers of Vietnamese descent who developed their passion for lion dance through Lunar New Year celebrations and community performances.
Siwen Concetta Hodgkins
Dragon Dance / Cultural Performance
A Niskayuna High School student inspired by her mother, AANY Dragon Dancer Wei Wei Zhang, and by her own passion for public performance.
Steve Liu
Dragon Dance
Born in 2013 in Connecticut and raised in China during his early childhood, Steve brings Chinese and American cultural influences to his passion for dragon dance.
Young Heritage Artists
Chinese Heritage Art
Qiyue Angelica Cooney
Peking Opera
Born in Shanghai in 2013, Angelica has trained in music, voice, dance and acting and performs Peking Opera in community and professional settings.
Alexander Cooney
Peking Opera
A young Peking Opera performer who began training in 2023 and studies Wusheng movement, discipline, and martial traditions.
Photo to be added
Terence Xu
Face Change
A young performer of Peking Opera and Sichuan Opera Face-Changing who has shared traditional Chinese performing arts with audiences throughout New York's Capital Region.
