““[Nai-Ni Chen’s] movement style is not only deeply visceral, but also possesses a rare combination of impressive dancer physicality, choreographic vision and universal chi (energy).” ”
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Nai-Ni Chen has been making dances professionally for over thirty years since coming to the US. She has built a diverse repertoire of over 90 original works and toured to major venues in the US and international festivals around the world. A cross-cultural choreographer who aims to bring audience across the cultural boundaries, she has developed unique movement and choreographic styles that reflect the power and splendor of the Chinese cultural traditions she studied in Taiwan since youth and the dynamic spirit of modern dance that she acquired in New York from luminaries such as Mary Anthony, Bertram Ross, Doris Rudko and Patricia Rowe.
A graduate of NYU, Nai-Ni Chen has received multiple Choreographer Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. She has been a principal affiliate of the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and is a current resident artist at New Jersey City University. Her contribution to the immigrant cultural experience has been honored by OCA and the International Institute. Commissions have come from the Joyce Theater Foundation, the Lincoln Center Institute, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Towson University, Dancing in the Streets, New Jersey Ballet, Ballet Met, and the Cleveland Dancing Wheels. Nai-Ni is currently in residence at New Jersey City University creating a new dance program for the university in collaboration with the Joffrey Ballet School as well as pioneering a program with the University’s A Harry Moore Laboratory School for children with multiple disabilities.
Commissioned dances from the company include Peach Flower Landscape for the Lincoln Center Institute, Qian Kun for the Joyce Theater Foundation, Unfolding for Dancing in the Streets, The Three Riddles of Turandot for New Jersey Ballet, Unconquered Warriors for Dancing Wheels, and Water and Tiger Lily for Ballet Met, The Way of Five – Fire for Townson University; Dragons on the Wall, a collaboration with Nobel Literature nominee Bei Dao and internationally acclaimed composer Joan La Barbara for the Alternate Roots Festival curated by Baraka Sele of New Jersey Performing Arts Center.
History of Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
Celebrating 30 years of dance making, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is a rare Asian American female-led touring company that honors and advances the dynamic spirit of Chinese American cultural tradition. A cross-cultural choreographer who aims to bring the audience across cultural boundaries, Nai-Ni Chen’s unique choreographic styles reflect the grace and splendor of the Chinese cultural traditions she studied in Taiwan, and the dynamic spirit of modern and contemporary dance she acquired in New York. The Company’s contribution to the community has been honored by OCA, the leading national Asian American advocacy organization, NJ Chinese American Chamber of Commerce, and the International Institute in Jersey City. The Company has toured extensively in the US and international festivals around the world and has the honor of more than 20 awards from the National Endowment for the Arts. Prominent Institutions, including the Lincoln Center Institute, the Joyce Theater, Dancing in the Streets, NJ Ballet, Ballet Met, Dancing Wheels, and Baraka Sele at NJPAC all have commissioned notable works.
Photo Gallery
PRESS
"Like endlessly proliferating forces of cosmic energy"
-The NY Times
“Like visual poetry, Chen’s phrases…embodied an epic dignity.”
-The Village Voice
“Bringing the dynamic freedom of American modern dance together with the elegant splendor of Asian art, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is one of the most visible Asian American dance companies in the United States.”
- New Jersey Stage
“…the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company Lunar New Year Celebration: Year of the Rooster is a great experience for anyone wanting to learn more about the rich and inclusive history of the Lunar New Year. A reminder of why art is relevant, the show calls attention to our capacity for inclusion, creativity, growth, and education.”
- Edge Media Network
“Braiding harmony and dissonance, joy and melancholy, fluidity and angularity, Nai-Ni Chen brings a singular voice to the world of dance.”
- The Reading Eagle
“…[the company] cast a spell over the audience by weaving a tapestry of elegant dances set to unusual, goose-bump inducing musical scores.”
-San Antonio Express-News
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Edward Schoelwer, Red Shell Mgmt
Tel + (646) 495-1564 / eschoelwer@redshellmgmt.org
With great pleasure Red Shell Mgmt, recently relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, announces that Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company has joined the Red Shell roster. Taiwanese-born choreographer Nai-Ni Chen danced with Cloud Gate Dance Theater before moving to New York in 1982. In 1988 she founded her 9-artist company in an effort to bridge the gap of understanding between cultures and to showcase her own remarkable choreography. Based in New Jersey but touring nationally and internationally, The New York Times described a Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company performance: “Like endlessly proliferating forces of cosmic energy…”
A singular voice in the dance world, Nai-Ni Chen was trained in traditional Chinese dance and culture (e.g. calligraphy, the I Ching, and folk painting). Her innovative dances seamlessly blend the Western contemporary movement vocabulary, in which she is well-versed, with Chinese folk dance, acrobatics, and martial arts—guided by a sensibility informed by nature and Asian philosophy. A committed collaborator, Ms. Chen’s company has performed regularly with the Ahn Trio for over a decade. Currently, she is collaborating on a dance project with hip-hop legends Rockafella and Kwikstep. Through the years the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company has included in its ensemble artists from China, Korea, Italy, Russia, and, of course, the USA, who have had a hand in the development of new work.
Traditional Chinese dance is also a specialty of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company. Its annual mounting of Lunar New Year Celebration performances have become a fixture in the Mid-Atlantic / NYC Region, in addition, the Western USA will be treated with a tour of the 2022 Lunar New Year production titled “Celebrating the Year of the Water Tiger.” Ms. Chen is committed to sharing her Chinese heritage through K-12 educational programs which are uniquely paired with a creative dance curriculum.
Andy Chaing, Executive Director of Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, remarked, “Ed and I have built a relationship that has lasted over 20 years. And now the time has come to join our energies with him. I trust him and look forward to working with him.”
Says Edward Schoelwer, President of Red Shell Mgmt, “I’m delighted to serve such an outstanding dance company—one that stretches the art form, magnifies cultural awareness and is an innovator in dance education.
Red Shell Mgmt is a resource for presenters and promoters of cultural attractions to learn more about and engage select touring projects and dance companies with a legacy of excellent artistry and educational and social missions. Associated with Dance Theatre of Harlem (DTH) from 1990 - 2020, Edward Schoelwer founded Red Shell in 2018.
Limón Dance Company, Collage Dance Collective, Rhapsody in Black, NYTB/ChamberWorks, Contemporary West Dance Theatre, and now Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company make up the roster. The company can be found at http://www.redshellmgmt.org.
Let the light of the touring artist replace the darkness of despair!
TESTIMONIALS
“The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company hasn’t lost a step in their artistic and cultural excellence. The work is a true blending of east and west, early traditions, contemporary technique as well as urban essence.”
“Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful talents with us at First Night! It was a privilege and pleasure to see the wonderful choreography, skilled dancers, and to once again work with such true professionals!”
“We so enjoyed the company. Absolutely stunning dance. They are now in my top 5 favorite dance companies.”
“Thank you for your beautiful perfomance at Inside/Out this season. It is performances like yours that enrich the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and educate our audience about all forms of dance.”
“Nai-Ni Chen’s choreography was beautiful, flowing, and quite exhilarating. Our audience members really loved the way that her dancers moved around and with the musicians. It was so captivating to watch how the musicians and dancers worked together in the live performance.”
REPERTORY
A Quest for Freedom
Choreography: Nai-Ni Chen
Staging:
Music: Ahn Trio
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Company Premiere:
Costume Design:
Number of Dancers: 7 dancers and Artistic Director Nai-Ni Chen
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*Educational programming available for this program
Celebration of the Year of the Water Tiger
Choreography: Nai-Ni Chen
Staging:
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World Premiere:
Company Premiere:
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Number of Dancers:
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*Educational programming available for this program
Song of the Phoenix
Choreography: Nai-Ni Chen
Staging:
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World Premiere:
Company Premiere:
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*Educational programming available for this program
Awakening
Choreography: Nai-Ni Chen
Staging:
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World Premiere:
Company Premiere:
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*Educational programming available for this program
EDUCATION ON TOUR
Education and Community Outreach
Integrating Chinese American heritage into the contemporary dance world, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company strives to be a world-class dance company that celebrates the diversity of ideas that immigrants encounter in America. The works of the Company inspire audiences to examine the common ground between innovation and tradition, freedom and discipline, and spirit and form.
K-12 Assembly Programs
While on tour, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company also offers main stage school-time and in-school performances of our touring programs:
Art of Chinese Dance
A multi-cultural, interactive dance program with dazzling costumes and fantastic props, the dancers bring young people on a journey to explore one of the most ancient cultures in the world. The artists narrate the performance. The audience learns the history, geography, and basic practice of traditional Chinese dance. Audience participation is included and encouraged during the program. This program is a great way for children to become excited about Chinese culture and gain a better appreciation and understanding of this part of the world. In the time period surrounding the Lunar New Year (usually January/February), this program focuses on this special traditional holiday.
Red Firecrackers
The Story of Nian and The Origin Chinese Lunar New Year Customs - A spectacular production of dazzling props, colorful costumes, mesmerizing music, fantastic acrobatics, and lively dance by top-notch performers telling the story of the origin of the Chinese Lunar New Year. In this legend, a group of villagers, working, dancing, and praying together, defeated a terrifying monster of the ages. A heartwarming story highlights the intrinsic value of coming together, courage, hard work, and ingenuity. It also explains some of the origins of the tradition of the Chinese Lunar New Year when everyone is wearing red, giving red envelopes to children, putting up red decorations, and lighting up all the dark corners the red firecracker to make loud noises.
Masterclasses, Workshops & Residencies (Short- and Long-term)
The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company offers a wide variety of classes, available for K-12 schools, colleges/universities, community dance studios, and the general public. Nai-Ni Chen introduces her unique modern technique and repertory, drawing upon the elements of the Chinese movement tradition. Students will learn how she utilizes it as a foundation to develop her contemporary movement style.
Ribbon Dance Workshop - Grades K-8, General Public
A fun-filled workshop for young and old. This activity teaches the audience how to make a rainbow, waterfall, and ocean wave with ribbons. It focuses on the most important goal of Chinese art: oneness with nature. The Ten
Elements of Chinese Dance - Grades K-12, General Public
This workshop is relevant to anyone who has an interest in Chinese culture, art, and dance. It gives a first-hand experience into movement disciplines that originated thousands of years ago.
Forms in Motion - Grades 5-12
This more advanced workshop allows students to integrate language, brush writing art, and dance into a unified whole concept.
The Kinetic Spiral – College/University, Dance Studios
Nai-Ni Chen introduces her unique modern technique and repertory, with an emphasis on her movement style based on the spiral forms from a multitude of movement and visual art genres, including Tai Chi, Qigong, Chinese Calligraphy, and sculpture. Excerpts of Whirlwind will be taught.
Temptations of the Muses – College/University, Dance Studios
For dancers, Nai-Ni Chen introduces her modern technique and repertory, choosing movement phrases from Temptation of the Muses. Students experience her signature style and hear music from the program played by the Ahn Trio on CD.
Community Engagement
Includes Lecture/Demonstrations, Pre- and Post-Performance Talks, Meet & Greets, and Q & A Sessions. These activities give the general audience a chance to meet Nai-Ni Chen and the dancers, as they discuss the many aspects of her work and creative process. The discussion can take on a broad range of topics, from the inspiration taken to develop her unique contemporary movement style to Chinese-American Culture in the US, and can take place in a wide array of venues and spaces. Engaging the local communities prior to performances encourages new audiences to come to see the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company and hopefully other artists at the venue.
*For all of the programming mentioned above, the Nai-Ni Chen dance company is always willing to work with schools, venues, presenters, and communities to create tailored programs to suit their needs.
book Nai-Ni Chen
Dance Company
To inquire about booking the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company please submit the form below or contact Edward Schoelwer directly at eschoelwer@redshellmgmt.org or 646-495-1564.