LUNAR NEW YEAR: CELEBRATING THE YEAR OF THE SNAKE

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company 

Artistic Director: Greta Campo

Director of Traditional Dance and Preservation: Ying Shi

Technical Director: Bentley Heydt

Dancers:  Candace Jarvis, Evan Matthew Stewart, Yao-Zhong Zhang, Sarah Botero, Max O’Connell, Kathryn Taylor, Madeleine Lee, Madelyn Saver, Yuchin Tseng, Lorenzo Guerrini, Caleb Baker.

 

Lion in the City

Choreographer: PeiJu Chien-Pott and Hip Hop Dance legends Kwikstep and Rokafella

Assistant choreographer: Yvonne H. Chow

Lion Dance Master: Henry Lee

Costume concept: Kelly Yang

Music: Traditional drumming by Henry Lee, composed by DJ Kwikstep

Costume: PeiJu Chien-Pott, Rokafella, Javier valencia of SoHarlem

Dancers:  Sarah Botero, Max O’Connell and Evan Matthew Stewart on 01/25 and Kathryn Taylor, Evan Stewart and Caleb Baker on 01/26

One of the most popular dances performed in the Chinese New Year Celebration. The Lion Dance is a prayer for peace on earth as a child is able to play with a ferocious beast in harmony.  There are many styles of the Lion Dance in China, this year, the Company is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Hip-Hop and memorializing the pioneering spirit of Nai-Ni Chen, who began working with Rokafella and Kwikstep in 2017, developing a dialog between her contemporary/Chinese movement style and hip-hop.  This dance was originally commissioned by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center  in 2023.

 

Peacocks under the Moonlight

Choreography: Nai-Ni Chen

Music: Dai Minority Folk Music for Hulusi (a reed instrument from the Yunnan Province)

Dancers: Yuchin Tseng, Madeleine Lee, Kathryn Taylor on 1/25, Sarah Botero on 1/26

There are more than 55 ethnic groups living in China, and each group has unique dances and music. The peacock is considered a sacred bird among the Dai people in the Yunnan province. Because of the performers’ supreme grace and elegance as peacocks, this dance is one of the most beautiful from that province. Many of the movements in this piece derive from real actions of the peacock, such as drinking water, walking, running, and grooming its feathers.

The solo musical instrument- hulusi was originally used primarily in Yunnan province by the Dai and other non-Han ethnic groups but is now played throughout China. Like the related free reed pipe called bawu, the hulusi has a very pure, clarinet-like sound.

 

Double Sword Dance

Dancer and Choreographer:  Yao-Zhong Zhang

Music: Peking Opera

Inspired by the double sword dance by Chinese Opera master Pei Yan Lin.  Yap Zhong Zhang created this new double sword dance to honor his friendship with Nai-Ni Chen.  It was one of the final project she was working on with him.

 

White and Green Snake Duet

Dancers: Sarah Botero and Yuchin Tseng

Music: Chinese Traditional

The most important story about the Snake in the Chinese tradition is the Legend of the White Snake. Long believed to be a story that advocates for women’s status in the traditionally male dominated ancient Chinese society.  This dance was inspired by the legend, it  explores themes of empowerment, sisterhood, and resilience. The Legend of the White Snake tells the story of a magical White Snake and her companion, the Green Snake, who descend to the human world in pursuit of love and freedom. Despite facing societal rejection and oppression, the two embody solidarity and strength, making this piece a poignant reflection on identity and transformation.

 

La Gang Ta Ge – Tibetan Tap Dance

Dancers:  FA Dance Academy of Livingston, NJ.

Tibetan tap dance, also known as Duixie, is a vigorous, energetic dance that originated in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. IThe dance is accompanied by a variety of instruments, including flutes, dulcimers, plucked stringed instruments, and bells. The music is structured with a slow opening, short interlude, allegro, and finale. Dancers tap their feet in rhythm while bells tied to their shoes jingle.

 

Tiger and Water Lilies

Choreography: Nai-Ni Chen

Music: Robert Rich, Sainkho Namtchylak

Costumes: Olu-Orondava

Original Lighting Design: A.C. Hickox

Dancers: Sarah Botero, Yuchin Tseng, Madeleine Lee, Max O’Connell, Lorenzo Guerrini on 1/25 ; Madelyn Saver, Madeleine Lee, Kathryn Taylor Max O’ Connell. Caleb Baker on 1/26.

Originally commissioned by Ballet Met in Cleveland, Nai-Ni Chen created Tiger and Water Lilies for ballet dancers with movements that are within the range of contemporary ballet and yet emphasizing on some of the key aspects of Asian dance movements.  The male dancers and female dancers are representing contrasting ideas of motion vs stillness, animal vs plant and strength vs beauty.

 

Happy Xinjiang   欢乐的新疆

Composed by Deming Zhou (周德明曲).

Performed by Cheng-Jin Koh Yangqin Solo

Joyful and festive, this music expresses the passion and enthusiasm that people have towards life.

 

Tico Tico No Fuba | Sparrow in the Bran

Composer: Zequinha de Abreu.

Performers: Hina Zhang and Cheng-Jing Gao;  Erhu & Yangqin Duet:

“Tico-Tico no fubá” is a Brazilian choro song written by Zequinha de Abreu in 1917. Outside Brazil, the song reached its peak popularity in the 1940s, with successful recordings by many vocalists and musicians. Here, CMENY Erhu player Hina Zhang and Yangqin player, Cheng-Jin Gao, both are composers, co-arranged this piece into Erhu and Yangqin duet to bring a festive, multi-cultural flare to a festive Lunar New Year performance, to celebrate the good things in life and all the treasures in our hearts!

 

Ninjia Under the Umbrella

Choreography: Ying Shi

Dancers: Company

Inspired by Chinese Martial Arts, the dance is inspired by the legends of great martial artists who can often move so fast that the eyes cannot catch their movement.  Using the umbrella to hide the dancers, the choreographer recreates her vision of this fascinating legend.

 

Unfolding

Choreography: Nai-Ni Chen

Music: Harry Lee 

Costume: Karen Young

Lighting Design: A.C. Hickox

Dancers: Max O’Connell, Lorenzo Guerrini, Caleb Baker, Sarah Botero, Kathryn Taylor, Madeleine Lee, Madelyn Saver on 1/25, Yuchin Tseng on 1/26.

A collaboration of Nai-Ni Chen and the Samulnori Troupe, Hanulsor in 1989.  The idea of the dance is based on the shared heritage of the Chinese and Korean people, the principal of the Ying and Yang, which is documented in the Book of Changes (I-Ching).  She is especially inspired by the passage that says  “The Tao (the universal way of life) is ever changing, alternating, moving without rest”.  As nature unfolds at a vibrant pace, so does our life’s journey. 

This dance was originally commissioned by Dancing in the Streets in New York and premiered in the gardens of Wave Hill in the Bronx.

 

Yangqin Solo: Good News |喜讯.

Composed by Xili Gui (桂习礼)

Performed by Cheng-Jin Koh (2.5 min)

This Xinjiang-inspired music expresses the pure joy and happiness of people upon receiving good news. One can hear their high spirits through lively dancing and expressive singing.

 

Erhu & Yangqin Duet: New Horseback Racing | 新賽馬

Performed by Hina Zhang and Cheng-Jin Koh (5 min)

Horse Racing is one of the most representative erhu (two-stringed fiddle) pieces in Chinese folk music. With bold and glamorous melodies, the piece conveys the passion of horse racing and the freedom of roaming on the vast grassland. The collaboration between Yangqin and Erhu demonstrates the brilliant partnership between the bright yangqin tones with the melodic erhu voices. The “New” Horseback Racing incorporated a section of extragant erhu techniques which brings the excitement to a new height.

 

Dance of Golden Snake

Choreography: Ying Shi

Dancers: Company

Music:  Traditional, recorded by the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York

A vibrant premiere choreographed by Ying Shi, showcasing festive elements and traditional props from China’s Han culture. This dance draws inspiration from the iconic Chinese music piece “Crazy Dance of the Golden Snake,” a lively composition known for its dynamic rhythms and celebratory tone. Often played during festive occasions, the music evokes a sense of joy and unity, perfectly complementing the dance’s vibrant choreography. Using traditional Chinese dance techniques and innovative movements, this piece brings the energy and passion of Lunar New Year celebrations to life.

 

Dai Flowers

Choreography: Ying Shi

Music: Chinese Minority

Dancers:  FA Dance Academy of Livingston, NJ

The Dai folk dance is characterized by lively footwork, intricate hand movements, and stunningly colorful costumes. Each dance tells a unique story and often reflects narrative elements from nature, everyday life, and mythology.

 

Dragon Festival

Choreography: Nai-Ni Chen

Music: Chinese Traditional

Costumes: Hilary Blumenthal

Dancers: The Company

The most spectacular folk dance performed in the Chinese New Year Celebration, the Dragon carries auspicious powers and nature’s grace.  The Chinese Dragon is a spiritual and cultural symbol that represents prosperity and good luck, as well as a water deity that nurtures harmony.   It controls rainfall, rivers and ocean.  Dragon favors pearls and usually  chases after them.   In this dance, the Dragon descends from heaven, blesses the earth, swims down in the oceans and is offered a pearl by the pearl goddess.  Blue flags symbolize water to bless for enough rainfall for the coming year.  And colorful ribbons are a prayer for the prosperity of the community.  For those fortunate to see this dance in the Chinese New Year,  their coming year will be filled with  peace, harmony and good fortune.

 

About Nai-Ni Chen

Nai-Ni Chen (1959-2021) was a legendary choreographer who worked in the NJ/NY area professionally for over thirty years since coming to the US in 1982. She 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. She 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.

 

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company 

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is a rare Asian-American-woman-led, professional touring company with programs for educational settings, community organizations and mainstage venues. The Company’s mission is to be a premier provider of innovative cultural experiences that reflect the inspiring hope and energy of the immigrant’s journey. It was founded with the vision that the immigrant’s journey of crossing cultures and adapting to a new home provides endless inspirations and opportunities for creative expressions that can enrich the human experience. Each one of the company’s works is aimed to increase the visibility of the struggle, triumph, despair and joy of this experience. The Company’s productions provide cross-cultural experiences and bring forth issues of identity, authenticity, and equality. The Company’s worldwide touring is represented by Red Shell Management, led by Edward Schoelwer.

​Choreography is developed with dancers from diverse backgrounds, and each rehearsal is an immersive, boundary-crossing journey that contributes to the creative process under the direction of the choreographers. Our diverse repertory of Nai-Ni Chen’s original works bridges the grace and power of Asian arts and American dynamism which incorporates her broad influences. The company also preserves a variety of festive dances from different regions of China, choreographed by guest immigrant artists bearing the tradition.​

The Company began to tour in the early 1990s, originally on the East Coast, and later internationally. The dance company is multi-racial and multi-national and has collaborated with a wide range of artists from different disciplines and cultures. Musical collaborators range in genre from new music to jazz to classical; they include Joan La Barbara, The Chinese Music Ensemble of NY, Jason Kao Hwang, Huang Ruo, Kenji Bunch, Tan Dun, Glen Velez, and most recently, the Ahn Trio. Award-winning designers and visual artists such as Myung Hee Cho, Jay Moorthy, AC Hickox, and costume designer Karen Young have also collaborated with the Company. These collaborations provided us the opportunity to develop innovative productions that carry the timeless essence of the tradition, crossing cultural boundaries without compromising the integrity of the art.

In addition to domestic touring, the company has also performed at international festivals in Mexico, Canada, BVI, Guatemala, Germany, Poland, Russia, Lithuania, South Korea and China with support from: Fund for Mutual Understanding, The President’s Committee for the Arts, Arts International and the State Department of the United States. Ms. Chen has received multiple Choreographer’s Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Her work has also been commissioned by the Joyce Theater Foundation, the Lincoln Center Institute, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Dancing in the Streets, the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation, and New Jersey Performing Arts Center,  The Company is currently in residence at New Jersey City University, the A. Harry Moore School for students with disabilities, and in Elizabeth School #26, a school of mostly immigrant children. https://www.nainichen.org/

 

Directors of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company

Greta Campo – Artistic Director, began her  dance training in her native Milan at the Carcano Theater, where she was first introduced to Martha Graham’s work. At age 19, she  moved to NYC and attended the Professional Training Program at the Martha Graham School  and, after a couple of months, she joined Graham II, performing in ensemble and solo roles. She performed with the Martha Graham Dance Company in their 2012 New York Season and has also travelled nationally and internationally with them. . She completed the Teacher Training Program at the School. Greta received the 2016 Rising Star Award from Fini Dance Festival. Ms. Campo joined the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company in 2012, besides dancing she teaches for several teaching projects with the Company, including dance classes for kids with disabilities, for public school kids, she has taught college students and masterclasses with Nai-Ni Chen. Since the Pandemic Ms Campo has been teaching the Company Style, Kinetic Spiral, via Zoom and in person. She joined different projects with Buglisi Dance Theater since 2019.            

PeiJu Chien-Pott – Director of Contemporary/Creative Dance is an internationally acclaimed contemporary dance artist from Taiwan, described as “one of the greatest living modern dancers” , celebrated particularly for her work as Principal Dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company and her performances in the iconic roles of the Graham repertory. On the theater stage, PeiJu was a Principal Actress in the latest Kung Fu musical “Dragon Spring Phoenix Rise” commissioned by The Shed and choreographed by Akram Khan. She holds a BFA in Dance from the prestigious university, Taipei National University of the Arts where she’s honored with an “Outstanding Alumni Award”. Her many awards include a Bessie for “Outstanding Performance”, Positano Premia La Danza Leonide Massine for “Best Female Contemporary Dancer”, Capri International Dance Awards, included “Best Performers” in the 2014 and 2017 Dance Magazines, and numerous awards in her native Taiwan. PeiJu currently serves as a faculty member at The Ailey School and her commercial work is represented by MMG New York.

Shi Ying – Choreographer/Director of Traditional Dance and Preservation. is from Beijing, China.  Ying received her Bachelor’s Degree in Chinese Dance from the Beijing Dance Academy and her Master’s Degree from the School of Arts at Peking University.  Her extensive experience teaching Chinese Classical Dance includes the Ailian Chan Dance School (Beijing), the Beijing Dance Academy and the Tsinghua University Dance Troupe.  As a young dancer, she was a member of the Nanchang Song & Dance Troupe in the Jiangxi Province.  She joined the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company in 2013 and established her own school in 2019.  She is the gold medal award winner of the Overseas TaoLi Cup Professional division in 2019.

Candace Jarvis – Rehearsal Director, originally from Brampton, Ontario, is a professional dancer based in New York City. She graduated as a Certificate Student from The Ailey School in 2015, and since has gone on to perform within multiple artistic communities. Candace has been dancing with Nai Ni Chen Dance Company for eight years. Additional company experience includes performing under the direction of some choreographers such as Amy Hall, Anthony Rodriguez, Tracy Inman, and Norbert De La Cruz III. A tribute to her diversity in movement, Candace has been in the underground ballroom scene for three years. She has danced in events featuring artists and companies such as Madonna, Billy Porter, TRINA, Marc Jacobs Moose Knuckles Canada, Barefoot Wine, and Melissa Shoe Company.”

Bentley Heydt (Lighting Designer) is a NYC based, limb different Korean American lighting designer. He has designed A Christmas Carol (Indiana Rep); The Color Purple (Geva Theatre/Theatre Latte Da); you don’t have to do anything (HERE Arts); Romeo and Juliet (Nebraska Wesleyan); Rock of Ages (Music Theatre Wichita); (no)man (IMGE Dance); Yerma (Vibrancy Theatre); A Number (A.R.T./NY Drama League); The Seventeenth Chapel (A.R.T./NY Drama League); I Dream of Hornets (Boundless Theatre); Cubic and Quartet (Born Dancing); The Weak and The Strong and Resistance (Planet Connections Theatre/14th Street Y); Anthony Ramos Album Release (Rough Trade). And Broadway shows including: How To Dance In Ohio (ALD); Life of Pi Broadway (DMC) (Tony Award). Assist/Assoc*: All Of Me (The New Group); Dreamgirls* (McCarter Theatre); Mr. Holland’s Opus* (Ogunquit Playhouse World Premier); Rent 25th Anniversary National Tour (Work Light Productions). Bentley has an MFA from Ohio University. bentleyheydt.com

 

Musicians

Cheng Jin Koh | 高程锦: Yangqin, Composer |揚琴 | 作曲家  Singaporean composer and Yangqin performer Cheng Jin Koh channels “lyrical centers” and  spirituality” (The Straits Times) in her music, striving to transcend cultural boundaries. A grand prize winner of the Singapore Chinese Music Competition, she debuted as a soloist with the  Singapore Chinese Orchestra at age 18. Koh’s compositions, known for their multicultural and interdisciplinary themes, have been commissioned by the Smithsonian, Ensemble InterContemporain, and Singapore Symphony Orchestra. Her accolades include the BMI Young Composer Prize and ASCAP Morton Gould Award. A Juilliard graduate, she is currently pursuing a PhD in composition and teaching at NYU GSAS.

Hina Zhang 張日妮 | Erhu, Composer | 二胡, 作曲家  Born in Japan, Hina Zhang began professional erhu training at age 4, later studying at the Central Conservatory of Music Prep School under Fei Song. Known for performing violin music on the erhu, she has collaborated with symphony orchestras and appeared in prestigious events such as the 2021 World Economic Forum, the 2023 China-Japan 50th Anniversary of Normalization, and the Bund Global Financial Summit. A Special Cultural Ambassador of Japan since 2017, Hina holds a Bachelor of Music in classical voice from Manhattan School of Music and is pursuing a Master’s in marketing at NYU.

The Chinese Music Ensemble of New York (CMENY) founded in 1961, has grown from a small group to the largest Chinese orchestra in the U.S., with almost fifty musicians playing various Chinese instruments. CMENY maintains its excellence through exchanges with professional musicians from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Many of its award-winning musicians come from state conservatories of music and have worked in renowned orchestras. The non-profit organization’s performances range from chamber groups to full orchestra, with a repertoire spanning 1,500 years. CMENY aims to introduce Chinese music to Western audiences, performing at venues like Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. It also offers educational programs, preserving and promoting Chinese musical heritage through lectures, demonstrations, and free music lessons for schoolchildren. 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, as well as gives free music instrument lessons to schoolchildren during the summer. The Ensemble has worked in the past with Carnegie Hall Weill Music Institute to provide educational programs, include CarnegieKids, Global Encounters, Neighborhood Concert and Family Concerts at Carnegie Hall.

 

Dancers

Yuchin (KiKi) Tseng (dancer) was born and raised in Yilan, Taiwan.  She received a full tuition scholarship to train at the Harid Conservatory in Florida for two years where she received vigorous training in classical ballet technique, upon which she enrolled in SUNY Purchase College in New York. In 2021 she graduated summa cum laude with a BFA in Dance Performance and a BA in Arts Management, and she was the recipient of the 2021 Outstanding Senior Award for Dance at SUNY Purchase for highest level achievement of artistry, academic and citizenship. In the fall of 2021 Kiki  became a member of Graham 2 where she had  the privilege to perform many historical works by Martha Graham. Kiki has performed professionally with Buglisi Dance Theatre and Mason Lee Dance Theater.

Madeleine Lee (Dancer) grew up in Los Angeles, California where she trained at Julia Bourlina’s School of Classical Ballet. After attending LA County High School for the Arts, Madeleine joined The Ailey School in New York, graduating from the Scholarship Program. Now, having graduated from Graham 2, Madeleine is excited to be part of the Nai Ni Chen Dance Company!

Madelyn Sarver (Dancer) , originally from Roanoke, Virginia, holds a BFA in Dance and a minor in Psychology from Adelphi University. At Adelphi, Madelyn worked with choreographers Larry Keigwin, Winston Dynamite Brown, among others. Upon moving to Manhattan, she has danced for ThingsezIsee’m Dance/Theater, The Heraclitus Project, Nanm Dance Company, and Alison Cook Beatty Dance. Madelyn is a current member of the Taylor Outreach Ensemble at the Taylor School and an apprentice with the Jon Lehrer Dance Company. She is also a certified Pilates Instructor. Madelyn is excited for her first season with the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company.

Kathryn Taylor (Dancer) is a dance artist with Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company in New York City. She has also danced with Graham 2, Dance Ensemble Singapore, and Revelations Dance. She received her BFA from the Conservatory of Dance at SUNY Purchase in 2019 with a minor in Asian Studies. She was a recipient of the Study Abroad Grant, affording her a semester’s study at the Taipei National University of the Arts. She also completed the Advanced Study Certificate Program at the Martha Graham School. She owns a small handmade dance-wear business called Fire Ox Dancewear and loves making K-pop dance covers.

Sarah Botero (Dancer) is from North Bergen, NJ.  She started dancing at the age of 3 at a local dance school, where she trained in various dance styles. Sarah became a dance major at High Tech High School in New Jersey. In her senior year of high school, she joined The Ailey School Junior Division on scholarship. Sarah then went to SUNY Purchase College, Conservatory of Dance and earned her BFA. She then continued her training as a Professional Scholarship Program recipient at The Ailey School. Sarah has many aspirations; she began choreographing at High Tech High School and continued her composition studies in college. Her work has been presented in the American Dance Guild Festival. Sarah is currently a company artist for Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company where she is eager to continue performing.

Caleb Baker (dancer) came from a hip hop background who began his technical dance journey at the age of 19. He trained at the Academy of Ballet Arts Studio, studying Vaganova ballet technique and Russian character. He later joined the Hillsborough Community College dance program as a dance major and earned his Associates in Dance Emphasis. Caleb has traveled and studied at multiple summer programs including the Alonzo King Lines Ballet and the American Dance Festival summer pre-professional programs. Since graduation, Caleb has performed professionally as a member of REVolutions Dance Company and danced professionally with Busch Gardens, Yahweh in Motion Ministries Inc., and in commercial works such as the BET’s First Wives Club. Caleb is looking forward to working with Nai Ni Chen Dance Company in the upcoming season.

Lorenzo Guerrini (Dancer) from Florence, Italy, started his career as an actor and earned a Performing Arts Management degree from the University of Florence. He started dancing at 21 in the same school where he used to work as an administrator and went on to receive his Bachelor’s in Contemporary Dance from ACTS / Ecole de Danse Contemporaine de Paris. In 2021, Lorenzo moved to New York to attend the Martha Graham School. In 2022, he joined Graham 2. Then he graduated from the Teaching Training program and received the “Armgard von Bardeleben” award for excellence in Graham studies. Lorenzo has also danced for various contemporary choreographers around New York City, such as Jessi Obremski and Nicole Von Arx (NVA&Guest). He’s currently a member of Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company.

Max O’Connell (Dancer) is originally from Cortland, New York, and is a graduate of UNCSA’s BFA Dance program. Max spent two years with Graham 2 after a season with the First National Tour of “Fiddler on the Roof, “ directed by Bartlett Sher and choreographed by Hofesh Schecter. He now lives full time in New York City with his long term partner and their dog Maisy.

Yao Zhong Zhang, Dancer came from Shanghai, China, where he graduated from the Shanghai Kuan Opera School with a major in the male warrior role. Mr. Zhang performed with the Shanghai Kuan Opera Theater for ten years before moving to New York, where he also performs with the Tong-Ching Chinese Opera Company. He has been a member of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company since 2000.

Evan Matthew Stewart a native of Buffalo, NY, received his dance training from David DeMarie Dance Studio (Buffalo, NY), Royal Academy of Ballet (Buffalo, NY), and Joffrey School of Ballet (NYC). He then proceeded to earn his BFA in dance and minor in counseling from the University at Buffalo. Evan is currently living and working in New York City and was an ensemble dancer for the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular holiday season. Evan was a senior member of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, an Asian American modern dance company. He has also had the opportunity to work with Ebony Williams performing for her at Jacob’s Pillow and was also a dancer in the film “In the Heights” directed by Jon Chu and choreographed by Chris Scott.

 

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.