26-05-2025
An AAPI dance company celebrating the ‘melting pot that the United States is'
MANHATTAN, N.Y. (PIX11) — When you think of dancers celebrating Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, you may think of the traditional Chinese lion dance with an all Asian lineup of Dancers.
But the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company hopes to change that with dancers who are diverse, representing the immigrant experience in America at Alvin Ailey American Dance Center, and it's all about diversity.
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In celebration of Asian-American Pacific Islander Heritage month, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company performed at the Alvin Ailey American Dance Center and featured a world premiere called Unanillusion.
There were dancers representing four countries: China, Italy, Canada, and Panama.
And that's what the cofounder of this company says it's all about.
'We're creating something that blends and allows the conversation between cultures to happen. This is why me and Nai-Ni started the company, and this is the reason why we feel it's important to keep Nai-Ni Dance Company going,' Andrew Chiang, the co-founder of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, told PIX11 News.
Andy Chiang was the husband of the late choreographer Nai-ni Chen. Together, the Taiwanese-American couple founded the dance company in 1988 in Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Nai-Ni passed away at age 62, less than four years ago, but her dances integrating Eastern and Western aesthetics live on.
'Nai-Ni's vision was to encompass that melting pot that the United States is, so being able to share some space and art,' Esteban Santa Maria, a Nai-Ni Chen dancer, told PIX11 News. 'Sometimes you can get lost, but when you have people with you, you can share and experience the same thing,' he added.
Another Nai-Ni Chen dancer, KiKi Tseng, says the choreography takes her home. 'I'm from Taiwan originally, and Nai-Ni was also so dancing the work she choreographed brings me back to the intention of where I come from, why I dance,' Tseng told PIX11 News.
Audience members embraced the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company's vision.
'I really appreciate that there is such a wide diversity of music and dancers. I loved the live music, dancers don't usually get a chance to dance to live music,' Nailah Roberts, an audiencemember, told PIX11 News.
Another audience member, Gracie Jordan, audience member, agreed. 'I think it's really important to support different cultures and not stay in your bubble. And especially in New York. It's so culturally rich what you're ingesting in art, music, food, It's really important,' Jordan told PIX11 News.
The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is beginning a tour. They'll be at the Montclair Dance Festival at the end of this month, then off to Seattle, then back to New York City in July to continue their mission of modern dance and diversity.
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