Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company will perform Celebrating Lunar New Year on Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 8pm at Proctors Theatre, 432 State Street, Schenectady, NY. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit https://www.atproctors.org/event/nai-ni-chen-dance-company-celebrating-lunar-new-year/.

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company will perform Red Firecracker on Thursday, February 6, 2025 at 10am as a Student Matinee at Proctors Theatre. Tickets are $10 and available for students grades K-12. For more information visit https://collaborativeschoolofthearts.org/student-matinees-at-proctors/

This creation by the late choreographer Nai-Ni Chen, delves into the rich tapestry of Chinese New Year traditions. The performance narrates the ancient tale of villagers uniting to combat the Nian, an eternal monster that descends upon the earth annually. Through a dazzling array of props, vibrant costumes, acrobatics and lively dance, the top-notch performers of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company bring to life the story of courage, ingenuity and the intrinsic value of community.

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.

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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