Rhythm of the City: Rep Asia

Get ready to move to the rhythm of two dynamic cultures! Rep Asia is a high-energy music and dance celebration reuniting Chinatown Records and Basement Bhangra together on the dance floor. From Hong Kong freestyle and Taiwanese house music spun by DJ yiuyiu 瑶瑶 to DJ Rekha’s electrifying dhol-driven energy through Bhangra and Bollywood bangers, cultures collide and the dance floor unites. Experience the fusion of Chinese and South Asian sounds and learn to move like we did at the summer Chinatown Block Party 夏日傾情 all over again!  

About Partners

yiuyiu 瑶瑶 is a community-taught & -powered DJ historian of Chinatown Records 華埠錄音, alongside her family & neighbors. She has the most fun steering karaoke dancefloors on the streets of Chinatown & training up next generation DJ historians of all ages to go back-to-back (b2b) with our beloved songs. @rochellehkwan 

DJ Rekha (born Rekha Malhotra) is a producer, curator, educator, and founder of Basement Bhangra, one of NYC’s longest-running club nights (1997-2017). They've performed in festivals, clubs, and community spaces worldwide. Their dynamic DJ sets incorporate South Asian Diasporic dance music with ears to a global sound that builds inclusive environments of joy. They have taught at NYU Tisch School of the Arts and have a MS in Comparative Media at MIT. They have been featured on Broadway, NPR, Taste the Nation, Celebrate Brooklyn, and Central Park SummerStage. @djrekha 

Mei-Yin Ng was born in the backwater port town of Klang, Malaysia and poised from birth to create art using the human body and technology. Her extensive prop training in Chinese dance inspired her to meditate on the use of props, and later technology, as an extension of the human form. She founded MEI-BE WHATever in 2002 as a collective field for collaboration and experimentation of technology, and has performed at festivals, museums, and theatres across Asia, Europe, North and South America. Ng has received numerous commissions and grants for her artistic work, including the NYSCA Individual Artist Grant, the MAP Fund, and NYFA Fellowships. She is currently developing community-based narrative movement projects with the Chinese diaspora in the U.S. and Canada.@meibewhatever 

Danny Cadet, also known as KalaSher, hails from NYC and has been an active member of the bhangra community for the last two decades. He kickstarted his competitive dance journey in Boston, joining renowned groups like Northeastern Bhangra, FAUJ Bhangra, Mera Punjab, and Boston Bhangra. Apart from being a skilled dancer, he excels as a dance instructor and choreographer for BollyX, Inc., The Bollywood Workout, gaining recognition for his appearance on ABC's Shark Tank and dancing alongside Punjabi artists like Jazzy B and Miss Pooja. @kalasher_official

Chinatown Records 華埠錄音 is a homegrown community effort homebased in NYC’s Manhattan Chinatown. DJ historian yiuyiu 瑶瑶 takes on her childhood name to care for & activate the Chinatown Records archive of over 35 record/CD/tape collections inherited from her family & neighbors. All along the way, Chinatown Records 華埠錄音 evolves as an ever-growing record of the people we love, who bring all this music to life with us. @chinatownrecordsproject 

Basement Bhangra: Helmed by DJ Rekha, Basement Bhangra has made an indelible mark as one of New York's most culturally diverse and consistently high-energy dance parties over the course of its 20+ year run. Basement Bhangra has hosted live performances from a who’s-who of the top performers in the South Asian Diaspora, including Jasmine Sandlas, Malkit Singh, Priya Ragu, Bally Sagoo, Rashmeet Kaur, Punjabi MC and more. @basementbhangra 

Think!Chinatown is a place-based intergenerational non-profit in Manhattan’s Chinatown, working at the intersection of storytelling, arts, neighborhood engagement, and creative placekeeping. T!C is the team powering the Chinatown Night Market, Chinatown Block Parties, Chinatown Arts Festival, and more. @thinkchinatown 

This event is presented in collaboration with Chinatown Records, Basement Bhangra, and Think!Chinatown  

This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council.