UNTIL WE FILL THE OCEAN

Premiering November 15,2025
Detroit Public Library - Main Branch Third Floor
5201 Woodward Ave, Detroit, MI 48202
3pm - FREE

IS/LAND, in partnership with the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation (AIISF), presents "Until We Fill the Ocean." This performance honors the stories of Angel Island detention survivors through a blend of movement, poetry, and sound. At its heart are the poems inscribed by those detained on Angel Island, which serve as the emotional foundation. Dancers will weave together themes of time and memory through abstract, empathy-driven movements.

"Until We Fill The Ocean" uses the specific history of intolerance and hatred directed at AAPI people in the United States as a framework, encouraging audiences to reflect on broader patterns of intolerance and bigotry currently affecting all marginalized populations in our socio-political landscape.

Our ultimate goal is that audiences take away more than just an understanding of the human spirit's resilience in the face of inhumane circumstances, inspiring a sense of vigilance within our own humanity, urging us all as participants in society to stand firm against rising intolerance and bigotry.

This performance is made possible by the support of The Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, Michigan Asian Pacific American Affairs Commission (MAPAAC), Rising Voices, and the Riverside Arts Center.

Special thanks to Cully Sommers and the Detroit Public Library

Trailer Filmed at the Riverside Arts Center

POETS
Kyunghee Kim
Sherina Rodriguez Sharpe
Frances Kai-Hwa Wang

MOVERS
Hope Hanna Casupang
Catherine Hepler
Kate Laughlin
S. Jean Lee

MUSICIANS
Zosette Guir
Joo Won Park
Chien-An Yuan

SET DESIGN
Kim Jackson Debord