Experiencing Interruptions?

Maw Jaw

Megan Lowe Dances presents "Maw Jaw," a site-specific dance film journey that takes place outside in public spaces around San Francisco’s Chinatown—activating benches, railings, poles, stairs, and play structures—inviting passersby to witness the creative process, enhancing cross-generational community engagement, and inspiring interest in dance as a tool to engage with the environment/people around us. This film explores mixed-race Asian American experiences, and Asian American Pacific Islander place-making/community building.

  • Megan Lowe
    Director, Choreographer, Dancer, & Editor
    "Never Finished: Explorations at the Finnish"; "We Came to See Something..."; "Meeting Room"; "Terraces"; "(UN)CAGED"
  • Zachary Abelson
    Music
  • Joshua Abelson
    Music Producer
  • Maurice Ramirez
    Videographer
  • Megan Lowe
    Videographer
  • Johnny Huy Nguyen
    Dancer
  • Claudine Naganuma
    Dancer
  • Melissa Lewis
    Dancer
  • Raymond Yu
    Community
  • Yee Lam Yu
    Community
  • Choi Ung Yu
    Community
  • Cindy Zhang
    Community
  • Asian Pacific Islander Cultural Center
    Co-Presentors
  • Project Type:
    Experimental, Short, Other
  • Genres:
    Dance Film, Site Specific Dance, Modern Dance, Contemporary Dance, Asian American Dance, Dance for Camera, AAPI Dance, API Dance, API Solidarity, Asian American Solidarity, Mixed-Race Dance, Mixed-Race Experiences
  • Runtime:
    13 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 30, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    4,500 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • The 24th Annual United States of Asian America Festival 2021
    San Francisco, CA
    United States
    May 30, 2021
  • The 24th Annual United States of Asian America Festival 2021
    San Francisco, CA
    United States
    June 5, 2021
  • Upswell
    Washington, DC
    United States
    July 27, 2021
Director Biography

Megan Lowe is a dancer, performer, choreographer, singer, teacher, administrator, and filmmaker in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a fierce female choreographer of Chinese and Irish descent—whose ancestry is weaved into the fabric of her being, as well as her process to performance—Megan creates dances that display the strength and versatility of female physicality, and that contribute to the visibility of organizations led by artists of color. She has an affinity for dynamic/kinetic movement, site-specificity/space-interaction, and contact improvisation/partnering—always searching for something or someone to interact with. Singing is also a passion of hers, she enjoys integrating movement and sound, and she often composes music for her own works as well as for other dance companies. Megan Lowe Dances’ 2019 production of "Action Potential" was nominated for an Isadora Duncan Dance Award (Outstanding Achievement in Performance - Ensemble), and Megan has been included in nominations for numerous Izzies over the past few years, while working with other esteemed SF Bay Area dance companies. She has performed with Flyaway Productions, Lenora Lee Dance, Dance Brigade, Scott Wells & Dancers, Lizz Roman & Dancers, Epiphany Productions, and more. Megan is a Teaching/Choreographing Artist for Joe Goode Performance Group, Bandaloop, and Flyaway, teaches semesterly masterclasses at UC Berkeley, and has also taught for wcciJAM, the Finnish Hall, InterKinected, Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, and Athletic Playground. She is a UC Berkeley Alumni with degrees in Psychology and Theater, Dance, & Performance Studies, where she currently works as the Office Manager. She is also the Marketing Manager for Flyaway, an organizer of wcciJAM, and a freelance website designer.

Megan's site-specific dance film, “Never Finished: Explorations at the Finnish” was officially selected by Sans Souci 2015, Tiny Dance 2016, Best 2017, and Sans Souci Kids + Dance + Family 2019, and Tiny Dance 2020 film festivals. Her film "Terraces" was officially selected by Animate Dance 2018, Tiny Dance 2019, and Tiny Dance 2020 film festivals. Her film "(UN)CAGED was offiically selected by RAWdance's Concept Series and Rogue Dancer's FilmFest.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Megan Lowe Dances (MLD) is committed to investigating, highlighting, and relating to others and to spaces in unique ways through movement. They aim to create stimulating perspective shifting performances that are exciting and accessible to a variety of audiences. MLD seeks to make innovative dances outside of the traditional proscenium stage theater, and for unique architectural spaces both indoors and outside, giving viewers alternative ways of viewing dance, and the environment around them. With an affinity for dynamic places and partners, MLD demonstrates the "intensely-physical, curiously-playful, delightfully-weighty rigor of physicality” (Life as a Modern Dancer). The dancers climb, fall, and fold into and out of floors, walls, windows, stairs, ledges, and bodies, testing the laws of physics. The work invites risk, tackling unusual physical situations and inventing compelling solutions, opening up the imagination to what is possible. MLD’s process thrives off of collaboration, prioritizing creating relationships of respect, generosity, and gratitude for each individual worked with. The world is a cascading puzzle, and the movers of MLD are pieces constantly seeking new ways to fit with the elements around them.