In celebration of Asian American Heritage Month, the acclaimed Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company will present a captivating, cross-cultural program at The CitiGroup Theatre. This season’s concert is a special tribute, honoring the past by reviving Nai-Ni Chen’s Du, honoring the present by showcasing Flowing Stream under the Moon Light, and looking toward the future with Peter Chu’s premiere, Reflections of a Ripple.

The company’s unique artistic vision has long resonated with critics and audiences alike. As noted by The New York Times, the company “…stood out for their remarkably smooth blend of new and old, as well as for their confident, intensely personal approach to nature.”

Performance Schedule & Venue

Location: The CitiGroup Theatre, 405 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019

Friday: May 15, 2026 at 7:30 PM

Saturday: May 16, 2026 at 3:00 PM

There will be a VIP reception after the Saturday May 16 performance for the audience to meet the artists, dancers, designers and the choreographers.

Tickets to the performance can be obtained by going to https://nainichen.org/events.

Company Dancers & Artistic Director

Dancers: Sarah Botero, Yuchin “Kiki” Tseng, Madeleine Lee, Madelyn Sarver, Lorenzo Guerrini, Caleb Baker, Kathryn Taylor, Esteban Santamaria, Rio Kikuchi, Candace Jarvis

Artistic Director: Greta Campo

Program Highlights

Carousel A buoyant, abstract work blending childlike wonder with the majestic elegance of equestrian movement.

Flowing Stream under the Moon Light by Ying Shi

Two young women embody youthful purity and elegant softness by a moonlit riverside.

Positioning by Nai-Ni Chen A powerful duet responding to global crises, seeking hope, equality, and justice through movement.

Way of Fire by Nai-Ni Chen, Originally Choreographed for five women, this piece highlights female resilience, honoring Nai-Ni Chen’s pioneering spirit.

Reflection of A Ripple (Premiere)

Balances softness and grace with dynamic energy bursts, exploring movement lineage and cultural heritage.

Incense by Nai-Ni Chen was Inspired by temple rituals, dancers embody rising white clouds carrying prayers to heaven.

Du by Nai-Ni Chen

A magnificent, richly textured work influenced by Chinese Buddhism, featuring powerful and measured movements.

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 Jersey Division of Tourism, 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.

About Nai-Ni Chen

Nai-Ni Chen (1959-2021) was a legendary choreographer who worked in NJ/NY area professionally for over thirty years since coming to the US in 1982. She has built a diverse repertoire of over 80 original works and toured to major venues in the US and international festivals in 12 countries 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 grace 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.

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 was a resident artist of the Harlem School of the Arts. 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 in 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 Laboratory School for children with multiple disabilities.

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