The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company along with the Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) are excited to announce the AAPI Dance Festival, held at Ailey CitiGroup Theatre, 405 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019. Tickets are $25 for each showcase and $40 for a two-day pass. They can be purchased online at https://www.aaartsalliance.org/events/aapi-dance-festival.

Join Asian American Arts Alliance (A4) and Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company for the AAPI Dance Festival, an annual celebration of dance and choreography that highlights the artistry and innovation of choreographers of Asian descent, presented as part of the Dance Managers Collective’s APAP showcase at City Center and the Ailey Citigroup Theatre.

Produced in collaboration with the Asian American Arts Alliance, this edition of the AAPI Dance Festivalincludes a Rising Star Showcase at City Center Studio 5, spotlighting emerging Asian-American choreographers.

Saturday, January 10 at 1:45pm:

“10/18/2022” by Take Dance

“Antonym: the opposite of nostalgia” by Sugar Vendil

“icchā / desire” by Barkha Dance Company

“Celestial Motion: Rhythms from the Silk Road and Beyond” by Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company

Saturday, January 10 at 7pm – Rising Stars Showcase:

“World of Gotham” by Gotham Dance Theater

“Who Am I?” by Maya Kulkarni with Aishwarya Madhav

“On the Subject of Bananas” by Stephanie Shin & Artists

“How To Make A Really Cool Frog” by Jie-Hung Connie Shiau & Artists

“Taipei’s Sky” by Chieh&Yoyo-Compound Playground

“NYC” by Umami Playground Dance Inc.

Sunday, January 11 at 4:15pm:

“Ikigai” by Naomi Funaki

“Alien of Extraordinary” by Sun Kim Dance Theatre

“Rogue Gestures/Foreign Bodies” by Nava Dance Theatre

“Mirage of the Spirit: Mystic Vision of the Forces in the Shadow” by Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company

About Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company:

“Chen’s phrases, part exoskeletal rigidity, part boneless grace, embodied an epic dignity.”

– Village Voice

Choreographer/Dancer, Nai-Ni Chen, was a unique artist whose work crosses cultural boundaries. Each of her dances reflect her personal vision as an immigrant and an American female artist with deep roots in Asian culture. From this very personal perspective, she created new works that reflect current issues with global influences. Some of her works were developed in collaboration with renowned artists such as the Ahn Trio, Glen Velez, Joan La Barbara, and the members of the New Asia Chamber Music Society.

Bridging the grace of Asian elegance and American dynamism, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is a premier provider of innovative cultural experiences that reflect the inspiring hope and energy of the immigrant’s journey. The company’s ground-breaking works have focused on themes from ancient legends that reflect issues of the present time to purely abstract, contemporary dances influenced by a mix of cultures Nai-Ni Chen experienced in New York. An Asian-American company that celebrates cross-cultural experience, the Company’s productions naturally bring forth issues of identity, authenticity, and equality.

The Company has performed at some of the most prestigious concert halls such as the Joyce Theater, Lincoln Center in New York, and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Florida. The Company appears annually at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Queens College, the College of Staten Island and on Ellis Island. Internationally, the Company has presented at international festivals including Open Look Festival in Russia, the Silesian International Contemporary Dance Festival, the Konfrontations International Festival in Poland, the Chang Mu International Dance Festival in Korea, the Meet in Beijing International Arts Festival in China, and the Tamaulipas International Arts Festival in Mexico.

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company has received more than 20 awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and numerous citations of excellence and grants from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Advancing dance education, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is currently in residence at New Jersey City University, pioneering a program with the University’s A. Harry Moore Laboratory School, teaching dance to children with disabilities. For additional Company information, visit their website, www.nainichen.org; write to Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, P.O. Box 1121, Fort Lee, NJ 07024; or call (800) 650-0246.

Programs of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company are made possible by the generous support of our Board members, 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 Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation (MAAF), 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 New Jersey Arts and Culture Recovery Fund administered by the Princeton Area Community Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Hyde and Watson Foundation, E.J. Grassman Trust, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, New Music USA, the Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation, Dance/NYC Dance Advancement Fund, the Rapid Response Program of 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 and the Dragon and Phoenix Foundation.

About Asian American Arts Alliance (A4)

Asian American Arts Alliance is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring greater representation, equity, and opportunities for Asian American artists and cultural organizations through resource sharing, promotion, and community building.

Since 1983, A4 has sought to unify, promote, and represent the artistic and cultural producers of one of New York City’s fastest-growing populations. We are a diverse alliance of artists, organizations, and arts supporters who believe that working together as a pan-ethnic, multidisciplinary community is essential to nurturing the development of artists and arts groups. A4 serves as a thoughtful convener of the Asian American cultural workforce around issues of race, identity, and artmaking and provides a critical voice for this community. We are the only service organization in the country dedicated to the professional development of Asian American artists in all disciplines. www.aaartsalliance.org

About the AAPI Dance Festival

The AAPI Dance Festival is an annual celebration of dance and choreography that highlights the artistry and innovation of choreographers of Asian descent, presented as part of the Dance Managers Collective’s APAP showcase at City Center and the Ailey Citigroup Theatre.

The AAPI Dance Festival is made possible with support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts, Mertz Gilmore Foundation, Howard Gilman Foundation, and individual donors like you.

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