Young Heritage Artists & Youth Arts Leadership

Carrying Asian Traditional Arts Forward

Asian Arts New York (AANY) is dedicated to supporting young heritage artists—the next generation who will carry Asian traditional arts forward in New York.

Launched in June 2026, the AANY Young Heritage Artist Program celebrates young artists, some as young as 8, who practice heritage arts including folk music, dance and cultural performances. AANY provides opportunities for these young artists to showcase their talents, build confidence, and share their cultural heritage with the community.

For youth who want to contribute beyond performing, AANY offers the Youth Arts Leadership Program for middle and high school students ages 13+, providing hands-on opportunities to support arts and cultural programs while developing leadership and community-service experience.

Young Heritage Artists

Folk Dance

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Chinmayi Sri Maddali

Indian Classical Dance

Artist profile content will be added when AANY provides the approved biography and photo.

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

Photo to be added

Mingtong Xu

Guqin

Artist profile content will be added when AANY provides the approved biography and photo.

Photo to be added

Avni Grover

Indian Music

Artist profile content will be added when AANY provides the approved biography and photo.

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.

Photo to be added

Steve Liu

Dragon Dance

Artist profile content will be added when AANY provides the approved biography and photo.

Young Heritage Artists

Chinese Opera

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.

Photo to be added

Alexander Cooney

Peking Opera

Artist profile content will be added when AANY provides the approved biography and photo.

Photo to be added

Terence Xu

Face Changing

Artist profile content will be added when AANY provides the approved biography and photo.