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The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, a renowned pioneer in Chinese
dance, is excited to present its stunning Lunar New Year
Gala. The evening will include performances, cocktails,
cuisine, and festivities all in celebration of the Year of
the Snake!
Don’t miss this incredible opportunity to witness the magic
and beauty of Lunar New Year traditions, interpreted through
the extraordinary talent of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company.
Celebrating over 30 years of dance-making, the Nai-Ni Chen
Dance Company is a rare Asian American female-created
touring company that honors and advances the dynamic spirit
of Chinese American cultural tradition. Led by Nai-Ni Chen,
a visionary in Asian American dance, the company emphasizes
the immigrant experience through multicultural performances.
Founded
in the early 1990s, the company's diverse repertory bridges
Asian and American arts, collaborating with musicians like
the Ahn Trio and artists such as Myung Hee Cho. Recent works
like "A Quest for Freedom," developed with the Ahn Trio,
exemplify the Company's commitment to innovative,
cross-cultural productions.
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, New Jersey Chinese American Chamber of
Commerce and the International Institute in Jersey City.
The Company has toured extensively in the United States and
at international festivals around the world .
Their global presence includes performances in Mexico,
Canada, Russia, and China, supported by esteemed
institutions and foundations.
Nai-Ni Chen has been honored with over 20 awards from the
National Endowment for the Arts, and prominent institutions
– including the Lincoln Center Institute, the Joyce Theater,
Dancing in the Streets, New Jersey Ballet, Ballet Met,
Dancing Wheels and Baraka Sele at NJPAC – all have
commissioned notable works.
Founded in 1961 by its late Director, Mr. Tsuan-nien Chang
(1917-1997), the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York (CMENY)
has grown from a few music lovers presenting Cantonese
traditional music to becoming the oldest and largest Chinese
orchestra in the United States. Its present membership of
almost fifty musicians plays practically every type of
Chinese musical instrument.
Recognized as the only full-scale non-youth Chinese
orchestra in the Americas, the Ensemble maintains its
standard of excellence through a program of musical exchange
with professional musicians from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong
and Singapore. Many of its award-winning musicians come from
state conservatories of music in Shanghai, Beijing, Sichuan,
Tianjin, Shenyang, Guangzhou, and Taipei and have worked in
renowned orchestras across Asia.
Ensemble performances range from small chamber groups to a
full orchestra using a wide range of Chinese bowed and
plucked strings, wind, and percussion instruments. Its
repertoire ranges from ancient classical to modern
compositions, spanning over fifteen hundred years of
history. The CMENY also presents folk music of various
regions and ethnic groups in China.
One of the main objectives of the CMENY is to introduce the
music of China to broad audiences--both the concert-going
public and professional musicians, so as to enrich the
public, strengthen cross-cultural ties, and to help give
Chinese music a new voice in the West. To this end, the
Ensemble has performed at Lincoln Center Out-of-Doors, Alice
Tully Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Town Hall, Asia Society,
Carnegie Hall, Newport Music Festival, and Musikfest. It has
appeared at numerous museums, libraries, colleges, and
schools throughout
the Eastern seaboard.
We place great importance on preserving and promoting
Chinese musical heritage, and so the Ensemble offers Chinese
music lecture-demonstration services to schools and
colleges, and gives free musical instrument lessons to
schoolchildren during the summer. The Ensemble has worked in
the past with Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute to provide
educational programs, including CarnegieKids, Global
Encounters, Neighborhood Concert, and Family Concerts
at Carnegie Hall.
Acknowledgement
Programs of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company have been made
possible by the National Endowment for the Arts, the New
Jersey State Council on the Arts/ Department of State, a
Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, the
New Jersey Cultural Trust, the New York State Council on the
Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New
York State Legislature, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation,
DanceNYC Dance Advancement Fund, the Hyde and Watson
Foundation, E.J. Grassman Trust, The Horizon Foundation for
New Jersey, New Music USA, the Blanche and Irving Laurie
Foundation, American Dance Abroad, the Association of
Performing Arts Presenters’ Cultural Exchange Fund,
supported by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, PSEG,
Proskauer, WAC Lighting and the Glow Foundation. WQXR is a
media partner of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company.
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