The Asian American Dance Performances collection spans the years 1974 to 2006. The collection consists of posters, exhibit pamphlets, DVD and videotapes, photographs and informational material about the organization.

Asian American Dance Performances (AADP) is the oldest Asian American dance organization in the United States and the world. Formerly known as the Asian American Dance Collective (AADC), it formed in 1974 in response to the civil rights activism and racial tensions of the time, aiming to change the perception and participation of the Asian American diaspora in dance performance. AADC provided low fee dance classes in the San Francisco Bay Area to promote an interest in and appreciation of dance in local Asian American communities. The organization also created a supportive environment for Asian American artists to teach, choreograph, and perform. In 1982, AADC formed a resident dance company called Unbound Spirit. Asian American Dance Collective became Asian American Dance Performances (AADP) in 1992 due to a new understanding of the organisation's purpose. The organization now focuses on supporting Asian American artists and arts administrators to enable Asian Americans in the San Francisco Bay Area to express, interpret, and articulate their cultural heritage and experiences through dance. It also serves as a clearing house for Asian American dancers to receive information and to network with other Asian American dance artists.

6.0 linear feet (7 boxes: 1 document box, 4 albums, 2 flat box)

Copyright has not been assigned to the Department of Special Collections, UCSB. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Department of Special Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which also must be obtained.

Service copies of audiovisual items may need to be made before viewing or listening. Please consult Special Collections staff for further information.