The Department of Theater and Dance will host a mini-residency by Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, which fuses traditional Chinese dance with contemporary influences, Wednesday, Jan. 22, and Thursday, Jan. 23.
Artistic Director Zhongmei Li will teach two workshops in the Henle Dance Studio and one in Yulman Theater.
Students enrolled in the Broadway Dance class will take a Wind and Thunder workshop, which uses the fan as a way to train hand dexterity and add dramatic depth to performances. The workshop will be offered a second time to students in Chinese language, Asian studies and music courses.
Students in the Modern 2 class will be introduced to Kinetic Spiral, Nai-Ni Chen’s unique modern technique. It is based on spiral forms from Tai Chi, Qigong, Chinese calligraphy, sculpture, and other movement and visual genres.
On Thursday, Feb. 6 at 8 p.m., the company will perform “Celebrating Lunar New Year,” choreographed by company founder Chen (1959-2021), at Schenectady’s Proctors theater. The Lunar New Year marks the beginning of a new year on the lunisolar calendar. This year, it starts on Jan. 29 and runs through Feb. 8. The piece delves into the rich tapestry of Chinese New Year traditions using vibrant props, costumes, music, acrobatics and movement.
The Nai-Ni Chen company is headquartered in Fort Lee, N.J. After graduating from the Chinese Culture University in Taiwan, Chen came to the U.S. and earned a master’s degree in dance and dance education from NYU. In 1988, she established her troupe with her husband, Andy Chiang, becoming one of this country’s very few professional Asian American choreographers.
Chen was deeply rooted in the Chinese American immigrant experience, the struggle for social justice, environmental awareness, and race and gender equity. The company’s dancers, most of whom are immigrants, work together to “capture the hope, resilience and energy of the immigrant journey” and to inspire cross-cultural understanding.
“We are pleased to welcome the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company to campus and look forward to them sharing their artistry and rich cultural heritage with our students,” said Laurie Zabele Cawley, interim director of Union’s dance program.
Along with the Union mini-residency, the company will work with numerous schools, community groups and arts organizations in the region.
The discount code LUNAR can be used by Union students, faculty and staff to purchase tickets at 50 percent off the general admission price of the Feb. 6 evening performance at Proctors.
Residency activities by Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company are made possible by Proctors and the Union College Department of Theater and Dance with funds from the NYS DanceForce, a partnership program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Gov. Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature.