CHINATOWN CHA-CHA

In Chinatown Cha-Cha, director Luka Yuanyuan Yang (Coby and Stephen Are in Love) unearths black-and-white beach footage of a troupe of 1940s Chinese American women dancers, shedding their traditional Chinese opera costumes for modern American swimsuits. These were San Francisco Chinatown dancers who made the City’s nightclubs a notorious tourist destination. One of the owners of the Forbidden City, the famous nightclub that inspired the musical Flower Drum Song, was Coby Yee, a burlesque dancer known as the “Daring Chinese Dancing Doll.”

Cut to 60 years later, 92-year-old Yee – still decked out in sequins, feather and lace – receives a standing ovation after a performance with the Grant Avenue Follies, former nightclub dancers who continue to perform in San Francisco. The documentary follows this troupe of seniors, led by Cynthia Yee, as they embark on a tour around China, Cuba and the U.S. It celebrates these vibrant elderly Chinese American women, still sparkling with the spirit of their youth.

Chinatown Cha-Cha had its world premiere at the 2024 Pingyao International Film Festival, and is played in Chinese theaters nationwide. This is the Bay Area premiere.

Director/Producer Luka Yuanyuan Yang, Producer Lou Wang-Holborn, and the Grant Avenue Follies will be in attendance for Q&A after the film.