Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company welcomes the Lunar New Year of the Snake in 2025! Chinese traditions fuse with modern flair for an energetic celebration that’s not to be missed. You’ll be mesmerized by talented dancers and musicians who evoke the spirit of the Snake in all its splendor. Usher in an auspicious Lunar New Year surrounded by the warmth of community, the joy of cultural celebration and the spirit of renewal. 

 

Program:

Lion in the City

Director: PeiJu Chien-Pott

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, Rocafella, Javier valencia of SoHarlem

Dancers:  Sarah Botero, Max O’Connell, Lorenzo Guerrini

 

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 Rockafella dn 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.

 

Snake Duet

The most important legend about the Snake in the Chinese tradition is the Legend of the White Snake.  Log believed being a story that advocates for women’s status in the traditionally male dominated ancient Chinese society

 

Student Dance 

New Chinese Dance piece

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, Madeleine Lee, Kathryn Taylor, Max O’Connell, Caleb Baker

 

Originally commissioned by Ballet Met in Cleveland, Nai-Ni Chen created Tiger and Water Lilies for ballet dancers with movements that is 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.

 

Intermission

 

Unfolding

Choreography: Nai-Ni Chen

Music: Harry Lee

Costume: Karen Young

Lighting Design: A.C. Hickox

Dancers:

 

The book I-Ching says, “The Tao  is ever changing, alternating movement without rest”.  As nature unfolds at a vibrant pace, so does our life’s journey.

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

 

Music

New piece  (TBD)

Student Dance  (TBD)

 

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 Dragon descends from heaven, blesses the earth, swims down the ocean 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.