Nonagenarian Coby Yee is the shining light of the vibrant and soft-hearted documentary Chinatown Cha-Cha, as director Luka Yuanyuan Yang turns her attention to the life of the legendary dancer. But the spotlight is shared with Yee’s longtime dancing partners – the Grant Avenue Follies – and the film becomes more than just a portrait of these Chinese American performers. As they defy age, expectations, and even gravity through dance, it becomes a heartfelt journey that’s all about connections.

The Beijing-based Yang charts the history of this group of dancers from the heyday of San Francisco’s Chinatown back in the 1950s and ’60s, when Yee reigned supreme as the star of the dancing and cabaret circuit. We meet them all decades later as they keep those dreams alive with regular performances, while Yang traces the lives they have all lived, especially the remarkable Yee.

As the Follies travel across continents – with Yang following their every move – the documentary evolves into a real-life road movie, one that sees their performances transformed into a shared language of memory, resilience, and joy, binding this family of dancers together through movement, music, and adventure.

The documentary was screened at the 27th Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, and some of the dancers even delighted the audience with a post-screening performance. While Coby Yee sadly passed away, aged 92, before the film could be finished and released, today, on the sidelines of FEFF, her daughter is joined by dancers Cynthia Yee and Pat Chin.

Chin, now herself in her 90s, continues to be devoted wholeheartedly to the arts and shows an inspiring openness in sharing her life and experiences with younger generations. Cynthia Yee and the rest of the Follies do the same, radiating the same charisma that once lit up the golden days of San Francisco’s Chinatown.

For a moment after the screening in Udine, it felt as though the entire cinema had been transformed into the Forbidden City – the legendary nightclub where Coby once performed – as we were transported back in time.

View of the Arts: You have been travelling across the United States, to Cuba, China, and now Europe. How did the journey start, and did Luka have to persuade you to join these trips?

Cynthia Yee: Luka did not have to persuade us at all. I said, “Where are you going next?” She said, “I’m going to Cuba.” I said, “What!” I’ve always wanted to be on stage with these two opera singers who are Cuban but can actually sing in Cantonese, and so I said, I want to go. Before I knew it, there were 16 of us who wanted to go on this trip.

Luka Yang: You know, even though the film is complete, the journey still goes on. The Follies are just full of courage and curiosity about life. Cynthia and I are Facebook friends, and I sometimes see her feed. She is always on trips. The whole Follies group is now all going over to Las Vegas.

CY: We’re always running around.

VOA: How are you feeling about your experiences so far?

CY: I think the warmth, the people who are welcoming – it really says it all. When we see people ask us to take photos with them and everything, I think that is so nice. It’s just really touching for me. Every city was different. Lots of young people bring their mothers and their grandmothers and their children to see us. Some young children, too.

VOA: What was it like for the Follies travelling to China?

CY: We didn’t know what to expect. The first time we went to China was in 1989, so by 2024, it had become a modern and beautiful country. But there were still the old parts too, because we were able to visit my ancestral home. It was nice that it was still there, along with the modern parts, so it was very inspiring.

LY: As you see in the film, Coby and Shari went back to their ancestral home in Taishan in 1981. In history, the border was closed for a very long time because China had revolutions and everything. So as soon as China opened up in the early ’80s, there was this huge wave of overseas Chinese returning home. Many groups of overseas Chinese from different countries – from the United States, Canada, and Australia – returned to see what their parents’ or grandparents’ hometowns looked like. Many of the Follies went back to China during that time – they even went back to China later on several times. So that’s the context, and I guess this was an especially meaningful trip for us because we could go to China together as a family.

VOA: How has San Francisco’s Chinatown changed over time?

CY: I think the most important thing is that the young people have moved away. When I say moved away, I mean maybe half an hour by car. But they do come back to Chinatown to have lunch with their grandparents or parents, if they are still alive, and I think that’s nice to see. I would say that’s the only change, basically, in Chinatown.

Shari Matsuura: I moved away after growing up in that area. But I enjoy going back to Chinatown, and it’s so much a part of my growing up. It’s like going home.

CY: It always feels like going home, no matter what. Even though the stores and the restaurants have changed, it still feels like going home, and it’s very heartwarming to feel that.

LY: To give you another context, in the early 20th century, there was the Chinese Exclusion Act. Later on—I think only after 1963—Chinese people could start to purchase properties outside of Chinatown and could start to work outside of Chinatown. Before that, it was very difficult. So, Chinatown was the place where everybody lived and worked. It was very busy, and then, in the ’60s, people wanted to get out of Chinatown.

VOA: How did the Follies feel when you all first watched this movie, because it’s your own story?

CY: First thing I said was, “Wow! What’s going on? It’s actually me up there.” It was a big surprise when we first saw it at the Hawaii premiere. We didn’t know what to expect. [Luka] was following us for two years. We had a camera in front of us while we were eating, while we were dancing, while we were doing anything, and we just didn’t know what to expect. Also, you see yourself up on the screen, and she had all these photos of my family and everything. It was just like, “Oh, what just happened?”

VOA: I’ve got one last question for Shari, especially. In the film, your mom, Coby, mentions what she picked up from her mother – like she learned how to sew – and it’s obvious her mother had a very big influence on her. So, I wonder: what did you pick up from Coby? How much did you learn from her?

SM: Oh, everything! Except we don’t dress alike. I do not dance, and I do not sew. Besides those things, I think she was inspiring, and she was very positive in the way she lived. She didn’t think about the past and always looked forward. I think positivity is the biggest thing I took from her. I’d like to think that I’m a good person, like her. People say that she was nice, and that’s why I would like to be nice.

Written and interviewed by Jane Wei Zhenyi 

Featured image courtesy of the Far East Film Festival

_{Jane Wei Zhenyi is a sociologically trained film programmer based in London and Berlin. Her curatorial practice explores the intersection of the humanities and art, with a particular focus on marginal cultures in Asian cinema. Dialogues and collaborations on Asia-related creative works are intensively welcome; feel free to reach out anytime!}

^{View of the Arts is proud to support and collaborate with the FEFF Campus – a dynamic training initiative designed for aspiring media and film professionals under 26. Bringing together five participants from Europe and five from Asia, the programme offers hands-on experience in film journalism, festival operations, and industry networking. Through exclusive seminars, interviews, and workshops led by film experts, students gain practical insights into filmmaking, media careers, and the art of cinema.}

_{View of the Arts is an online publication dedicated to films, music, and arts, with a strong focus on the Asian entertainment industry. With rich content already available to our readers, we aim to expand our reach and grow alongside our audience by delving deeper into emerging platforms such as K-pop and Asian music more broadly. At the same time, we remain committed to exploring the vibrant and ever-evolving global landscape of film, music, and the arts, celebrating the immense talent and creativity that define these industries worldwide.}