Kennedy Center names Stephen Nakagawa as new Director of Dance Programming

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts appointed Stephen Nakagawa as its new Director of Dance Programming, the centre announced on 25th August 2025.

The appointment followed the dismissal of the whole of the three-member team of the Dance Programming of the centre about a few days prior.

Stephen Nakagawa -source: The Kennedy Center press release

According to his online biography, Nakagawa's full name is Stephen Kristopher Inainakame’ekuakeali’inuiokekai Nakagawa. He is from California, and danced professionally with The Washington Ballet. He also created a choreography titled Rising Sun for the company in 2021. (My personal note: His last name suggests he is of the Japanese heritage and the word rising sun typically is a reference to Japan.)

The New York Times did some journalistic investigations and got hold of Nakagawa's letter. The below is quoted from the newspaper article published on 25th August. You need a subscription to access the full article.

"Mr. Nakagawa had written a letter to the center’s president, Richard Grenell, in which he noted his support for the Trump administration and complained about “radical leftist ideologies in ballet,” according to a copy provided to The New York Times by a former employee who declined to be identified, fearing harassment or retribution.

Two other people who saw the letter confirmed its contents to The Times.

Mr. Nakagawa also wrote that he had grown “increasingly concerned about the direction the ballet world is taking in America” and had become distressed by the “rise of ‘woke’ culture” at the Washington Ballet and other companies.

He did not specify how the ballet company was affected by the culture he described and did not respond to requests for comment."

The Kennedy Center in the Washington D.C., the United States, has been the target of the Trump Administration's cost cut and its anti-"woke" campagne like many other government organisations. The traditionally bipartisan art institution has been in turmoil since Donald Trump installed himself as the chairman in February.

NPR, an independent non-profit media organisation reported last month that Republicans approved a $257 million funding as part of the "One Big Beautiful Bill" unless the building's opera house is re-named after first lady Melania Trump.

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Update on 27th August 2025 to add more details to the third paragraph.