Crosscurrents

Sammay Dizon looks back to find a way forward in Urban X Indigenous

By Jen Chien

Published June 12, 2018 at 4:39 PM PDT

Choreographer, musician, and healer Sammay Dizon is originally from the Southern California city of Carson, but she’s made her artistic home here in the Bay. Her work often deals with her cultural identity as a Filipina woman, particularly in the multimedia arts festival she founded, Urban X Indigenous.

"How do we honor our ancestors and look back while looking to the future and moving forward in a progressive way?"

Urban X Indigenous is happening June 16-17 at SOMArts IN SAN FRANCISCO.

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Crosscurrents San Francisco

Jen Chien

Jen Chien was the managing editor for Crosscurrents and KALW News from 2016 to 2018. She has been a contributor to All Things Considered, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, BBC/PRI’s The World, Making Contact, SF Public Press, East Bay Express, New America Media, and KPFA in Berkeley, where she took part in the First Voice Apprenticeship Program. She is the recipient of the 2013 Outstanding Emerging Journalist Award from the Society of Professional Journalists of Northern California. She holds a BA in American Studies from Smith College, and an MA in Interdisciplinary Performance from New College of California. Before entering the field of journalism, she had a successful career as a professional dance and theater artist, teacher, and massage therapist.

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