Professor SanSan Kwan is a 2023 co-recipient of the Beatriz Manz Award, presented by the College of Letters & Science Advisory Board as part of the inaugural L&S Faculty Awards. According to the Advisory Board, "awardees were selected for their exceptional scholarship, service to the College and community, and transformational teaching." Award recipients will be honored at a private ceremony on May 24, 2023.
Kwan joined the Berkeley faculty in 2011. She is a scholar of performance studies, dance, and transnational Asian American studies in addition to being an accomplished performer. Her recent book, Love Dances: Loss and Mourning in Intercultural Collaboration, is the winner of the 2022 de la Torre Bueno Award. She is also the author of Kinesthetic City: Dance and Movement in Chinese Urban Spaces and co-editor, with Kenneth Speirs, of Mixing It Up: Multiracial Subjects. In addition to these scholarly achievements, Kwan performs with the renowned Lenora Lee Dance Company.
As a tenured professor, Kwan is known for being an excellent educator and instructor. Student comments reflect that she is "kind, generous with feedback, and dedicated to her students." Her teaching effectiveness was recognized by the 2020 American Cultures Engaged Scholars Chancellor's Public Scholar Faculty Fellowship and the 2021 American Cultures Excellence in Teaching Award.
Sara Guyer, Dean of the Division of Arts & Humanities, shared: "SanSan's dedication to the research, teaching, and public mission of the university shows through her record of service from the departmental to the college level. Recently, she completed the yearlong Faculty Leadership Academy and serves as Chair in the Department of Theater, Dance, and Performance Studies all while fostering her artistic practice. Her public and campus engagement has led to the development of artist residencies, collaborations with dance companies, and the development of dance pedagogies around racial justice initiatives such as Black Lives Matter and immigration histories tied to the Angel Island Immigration Station. Her service on boards and committees within the Bay Area and internationally underscores her dedicated leadership and service."
