Festival Performance: Nai-Ni Chen Dance

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, the renowned international touring dance company founded by Chinese American choreographer Nai-Ni Chen, and now led by Artistic Director Greta Campo and Executive Director Andy Chiang, announced today that they will perform at the USDAN Festival at 185 Colonial Springs Road, Wheatley Heights, NY on Friday, August 8, 2025 starting at 12:10pm. The company will perform again at 12:35pm.

The program is aimed at introducing dance students to the cultural background of the Company’s work as well as providing the unique opportunity to learn the skill of handling props while dancing. The program will begin with the Company’s traditional silk fan dance, which originated in Southern China, depicting a group of young dancers visiting a beautiful flower garden. Through the skillful use the silk fan, the audience will experience wavering flowers and butterflies as the dancers move through the music. Fan dance will be followed by Peacock Dance from Southwestern China where the dancers use their hands/arm, and upper body to depict various movements of the sacred bird in the Yunnan forest. Finally, a contemporary dance, Way of Fire, using the fan to highlight the fire within the warrior’s heart, will conclude the performance. After the performance, the Company will conduct a prop handling workshop using the ribbon and the silk fan. The Company would like to acknowledge the support of the New Victory Theatre for making this appearance possible.

Nai-Ni Chen Dance will perform at both the 12:10 and 12:35 Festivals.