Eth-Noh-Tec Creations

Eth-Noh-Tec 

The weaving [tec] together of distinctive cultural elements of the East and West [eth] to create new possibilities [noh]. 

About us 

Founded in 1981, Eth-Noh-Tec Directors/Artists, Nancy Wang and Robert Kikuchi-Yngojo developed a unique style of storytelling that weaves music, dance, rhythmic dialogue, lively facial expressions and the spoken word to present both ancient and contemporary Asian stories to adults and children nationally and internationally. 

Our Mission 

Our mission is to create art that heals the divides within us and between us. To carry out this mission, Eth-Noh-Tec builds cultural bridges that celebrate diversity and create compassionate communities through interdisciplinary narrative art forms focusing on themes of social justice.   

Our Vision & Values 

Eth-Noh-Tec is guided by our values of inclusion, respect and wonder, and celebrates multicultural voices by encouraging all peoples to tell their stories.  Through workshops, Eth-Noh-Tec, internationally recognized storytellers, teaches and provides the environment and skills for others to tell and share their stories, including apprenticeship programs for younger Asian American artists to learn the power of storytelling and the unique form of Eth-Noh-Tec’s storytelling style. 

With over 200 stories, Eth-Noh-Tec has begun to record their performances for perpetuity and archival purposes.

Recently Eth-Noh-Tec has been addressing the recent surge of anti-AAPI Hate through stories and events that help others tell their discrimination stories with compassionate listening for healing. 

During the pandemic, Eth-Noh-Tec started a group consisting of National and international storytellers for mutual support, learning how to continue performing, and creating special events and projects (Asian American Storytellers in Action/Unity). Projects  included a fundraiser for the people of Ukraine, and the free YouTube series - Asian American Storytopia consisting of Asian folktales and activities for children K-5th grade in order to introduce to young folks the facts that Asian Americans are indeed American. Through the joy of our performances and activities, it was hoped that the programs would offer an option to negative stereotypes about Asians.  

Eth-Noh-Tec continues their Red Altar project - the story that follows three generations of one family starting with 6 Chinese teens whose junk boat was shipwrecked off the Carmel coast in California and went on to start the still famous fishing industry in the Monterey Bay. Despite racist laws and violence, they succeeded by continuously reinventing themselves with persistence, courage and ingenuity. There is a Dvd of the multi-media , interdisciplinary performance and now a book.  

New, a Red Altar education project will deliver to 4th graders through college the dvd and teacher guide for learning and discussing Asian American history. Eth-Noh-Tec is now beginning the marketing phase and hoping that with several states requiring Asian ethnic studies, the education project will succeed in helping to heal the racial  divides still hurting America.   

In 2023, ENT produced two Strong Like Bamboo events featuring 6 professional Asian American storytellers who told the stories of their own racist experiences and how they came through it. After a panel discussion, participants broke into small groups to share their own stories and concerns to compassionate listening. By sharing one’s own story, it helps to lift the burden and by being heard, one experiences they are not alone. We end with a general discussion, song and an upbeat senior rap about fighting back! We hope to produce another Strong Like Bamboo in 2025. 

In 2024, we will premiere a mystery storytelling play about the death of a famous Chicago restaurateur in 1924. Hoping to solve this cold case, there are true facts and dialogues of tong leaders, other murders, family jealousy, rivalry and more. All peoples want to belong in this country. Sometimes it takes a bad turn to fight for it. There will also be an art exhibit by a NY artist and his collection of restaurant memorabilia of the early 1900s and their lavishness in the Midwest and East coast where there was less racism than the west.