Yale-China Arts Exchange Fellowship
Zuotan Creative Lab with Er Gao Dance Production Group
The Yale-China Arts Exchange Fellowship is a new bilateral program designed to foster creative exchange and mutual understanding between artists based in the United States and Mainland China. In collaboration with partners at Yale, in New Haven, and across China, the fellowship provides immersive, community-centered residencies that emphasize cross-cultural collaboration and engagement.
Introduction
Yale-China is excited to partner with Er Gao Dance Production Group (EGDP) to send two U.S.-based artists to participate in a residency in Guangdong, China between December 26, 2026 and January 31, 2027.
Artists will conduct practice-based research connected to the themes of EGDP’s ongoing project exploring community, migration, and colonialism through the transmission of wax print textiles from Indonesia, West Africa, China, and globally.
This opportunity is open to early and mid-career artists of any discipline with a interest in collaborative research grounded in embodied practice. This includes but is not limited to folk dance practitioners and cultural bearers, dancers and choreographers who work in classical or contemporary forms, theater artists, installation artists, painters, sculptors, photographers, composers, or multimedia designers. No Chinese language fluency or travel experience is required.
Applicants must be nominated by one of Yale-China’s New Haven-based partners and will be selected by committee. Yale-China will cover the costs of international and local travel, housing, daily expenses, and offer an artist stipend. Preference is given to artists based in the Greater New Haven area or with a Yale University affiliation, including alumni, faculty, or staff of any university program.
Residency Context and Areas of Focus
Er Gao Dance Production Group (EGDP) is a contemporary performance organization founded in 2007 by choreographer Er Gao and based in Guangzhou and Zuotan village in Guangdong, China. The company sees the body as the core of artistic investigation and the object of creation, using diverse strategies, such as theatre, film and video, and community dance to illuminate Chinese social and cultural identities, sex, gender and other topics in an alternatively absurd and grave way.
In 2024, EGDP founded the Southern Dance House in Zuotan, a riverside village in Guangdong with over 3,500 years of history known for its seafood and slow pace. It is roughly two hours from the center of Guangzhou City by car. Southern Dance House engages local community members and regional and international artists in its activities, and it will be the primary hub for this residency opportunity.
In 2025, Er Gao initiated a project based on observing and participating in the daily lives of Chinese and African textile traders in the Xiaobei district of Guangzhou city. African wax print became the key thread running through the entire project. The global trade of these textiles stems from the 19th century, when European colonizers imitated local Indonesian batik technique, industrialized its production, and sold it to Africa. Currently, merchants in Guangzhou continue to replicate original production methods, mass-producing and exporting the fabric to Africa. African wax prints often feature geometric patterns, are widely used, and hold significant importance for local communities. The global flow of wax print has driven the movement of people. Now, it is also guiding Er Gao and an evolving team of collaborators as they trace its path, weaving fleeting connections in the gaps between different margins.
In May 2026, EGDP culminated the first phase of research with a dance theater piece called On the Up Grade presented at Tai Kwun Arts Center in Hong Kong. Later in 2026, Er Gao will participate in residencies with African and Chinese diasporic communities in Florence, Italy and Rennes, France.
The residency will provide an opportunity for two U.S.-based artists to join in researching and generating material for this evolving body of work. Visit https://www.ergaodance.com/ to learn more about the company.
Residency Structure
The residency is oriented around reciprocal and collaborative practice-based research. U.S.-based artists will propose an avenue of inquiry based on the broader themes of the company’s areas of embodied research. This could include but is not limited to:
| Wax print and the global production, trade, and evolution of textiles | Colonialism and migration, particularly between Africa, Asia, and North America | African and Chinese diasporic arts, culture, and communities |
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Er Gao and another core Chinese artist will support the Fellows in their research by facilitating outings and interviews and joining in studio sessions to generate creative material. In parallel, Fellows will support the two Chinese artists in their ongoing research through similar methods.
Upon returning to the U.S., Fellows will participate in the Yale-China Arts Forum in New Haven in the spring of 2027—a series of talks, workshops, and collaborative experiments where artists can reflect on and build off their exchange experiences.
About the Yale-China Arts Exchange Fellowship
The residency is the first cycle of the Yale-China Arts Exchange Fellowship, a new initiative of the Yale-China Association designed to foster creative exchange and mutual understanding between artists in the United States and China. In partnership with local arts organizations in New Haven and across China, the fellowship provides immersive, community-centered residencies that emphasize cross-cultural collaboration and engagement.
Participating artists live and work in a new cultural environment, expand their artistic practice, and form meaningful relationships with peers and communities across borders. The fellowship supports artists in exploring new perspectives, developing collaborative projects, and building lasting connections that bridge cultural differences while advancing their artistic and professional growth.
In addition to supporting U.S.-based artists traveling to China, the Fellowship will support welcoming two China-based artists to New Haven in the spring of 2027. The fellowship is supported by a grant from the Henry Luce Foundation.
Contact arts@yalechina.org for more information.
