Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is in Korea

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company has been invited to perform as part of the 15th Annual ChangMu International Arts Festival in Seoul, Korea.



ChangMu International Arts Festival
Uijeongbu Arts Center Small Theater
Seoul, Korea

Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
8:00 PM

The ChangMu International Arts Festival, focused on "pursuing the globalization of traditional dances through modern forms," is one of the international cultural exchange programs organized by the ChangMu Arts Center. The festival, which has been held annually since 1993, aims to connect distinctive art forms of the Asia-Pacific region, introducing current dance trends across the world to international and Korean audiences, and contributing to the globalization of the Korean culture. The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company would like to thank the Spingold Foundation of New York for making this presentation possible in this economically challenging time.

New Dancers

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company would like to welcome new dancers:

Chien-Hao Chang, from Taiwan, is a graduate of the Taipei National University of the Arts with a major in Modern Dance and is also professionally trained in Chinese Martial Arts and dance.

Jung Hm Jo, from Dae Gun, Korea, earned a BA in dance from SeJong University and has an extensive background in modern, ballet, and Korean traditional dance.

Kerry Lee, from Atlanta, Georgia, is trained in ballet, modern and Chinese Dance.

Nijawwon Matthews, of Newark, NJ, began his professional dance career at age 16 with Absolute Dance Company and recently worked with Philadanco in Philadelphia, PA.

We look forward to their active participation in re-creating our repertory and the making of new works.

Collaborations with the
Harlem Schoool of the Arts

For the past several months, Nai-Ni has been working with students in the Children's Dance Ensemble at the Harlem School of the Arts (HSA). She choreographed the dance In this Sky, where the Angels Fly for them to showcase in their year-end performance. They also had the opportunity to perform it again at the Harlem Arts Alliance event, Artz Rootz & Rhythm at The Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building's outdoor plaza in May and again in June at the Morris Jumel Mansion (Manhattan's oldest house and headquarters to General Washington in September and October of 1776).

The company also performed The Art of Chinese Dance for the students participating in the HSA's ARTScape Summer Camp, followed by a traditional Chinese dance workshop taught by Chu-Ying Ku. Both were very well received by the students.


The Harlem School of the Arts collaborated with The Joan Mitchell Foundation and Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company to do a workshop, where visual art students draw professional dancers. The Foundation brought over about 15 high school students and they did drawing for about 1-1/2 hours. It was a great success and we hope it leads to future collaborations of this type.