The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company presents Year of the Green Wood Dragon, a lunar new year celebration at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Victoria Theater on the Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Stage, One Center Street, Newark, NJ.

Welcome the Year of the Green Wood Dragon. Every year, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company celebrates the lunar New Year with a spectacular performance at NJPAC. This year, we’ll embrace the spirit of the dragon — a symbol of power, strength, good luck, prosperity and happiness. Bring the whole family for this joyful display of Chinese dance, contemporary dance, acrobatics, vibrant costumes and live music. And of course, you’ll experience the dazzling Dragon Dance! After the show, stop by the lobby to shop for beautiful papercraft by traditional artists.

This year’s program premieres a NJPAC-commissioned work: Mongolian Festival by Mongolian dancer/choreographer Lawrence Jin. In this traditional Mongolian dance, he focuses on the generous spirit of the Mongolian people, the powerful Mongolian warriors and the respect they have for the great prairie that is essential for the nomadic life. The dance portrays aspects of Mongol herders' daily activities, including milking cows, cooking, hunting, household labor, celebrations, and traditions. This culturally rich and dynamic performance will be accompanied by traditional Mongolian music, creating a captivating and immersive experience for the audience.

As one of the leading Asian American professional dance companies in the United States, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is committed to creating works that reflect the immigrant experience and perspectives. Nai-Ni Chen collaborates with both emerging and traditional dance choreographers within the Chinese American community, fostering a deeper understanding by bridging cultural boundaries.

This event is a part of the M&T Bank Dance Series, and is supported in part by Mars Wrigley.

About Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company:

Choreographer/Dancer, Nai-Ni Chen (1959-2021), was a unique artist whose work crosses cultural boundaries. Each of her dances reflect her personal vision as an immigrant and an American female artist with deep roots in Asian culture. From this perspective, she created new works that reflect current issues with global influences. Many of her works were developed in collaboration with renowned artists such as the Ahn Trio, Glen Velez, Joan La Barbara, Rokafella, The Chinese Music Ensemble and the New Asia Chamber Music Society.

Bridging the grace of Asian elegance and American dynamism, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is a premier provider of innovative cultural experiences that reflect the inspiring hope and energy of the immigrant's journey. The company's ground-breaking works have focused on themes from ancient legends that reflect issues of the present time to purely abstract, contemporary dances influenced by a mix of cultures Nai-Ni Chen experienced in New York. An Asian American company that celebrates cross-cultural experience, the Company's productions naturally bring forth issues of identity, authenticity, and equality.

The Company has presented at some of the most prestigious concert halls such as the Joyce Theater, Lincoln Center in New York, and the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center in Florida. The Company appears annually at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Queens College, the College of Staten Island and on Ellis Island. Internationally, the Company has presented at international festivals including Open Look Festival in Russia, the Silesian International Contemporary Dance Festival, the Konfrontations International Festival in Poland, the Chang Mu International Dance Festival in Korea, the Meet in Beijing International Arts Festival in China, and the Tamaulipas International Arts Festival in Mexico.

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company has received more than 20 awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and numerous Citations of Excellence and grants from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. Advancing Dance Education, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is currently in residence in New Jersey City University pioneering a program with the University's A Harry Moore Laboratory School teaching dance to urban children with disabilities. For additional Company information, visit their website, www.nainichen.org; write to Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, P.O. Box 1121, Fort Lee, NJ 07024; or call (800) 650- 0246.

Programs of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company are made possible by the generous support of our Board members, 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 Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation (MAAF), 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 New Jersey Arts and Culture Recovery Fund administered by the Princeton Area Community Foundation, the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, the Hyde and Watson Foundation, E.J. Grassman Trust, The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, New Music USA, the Blanche & Irving Laurie Foundation, Dance/NYC Dance Advancement Fund, the Rapid Response Program of 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 and the Dragon and Phoenix Foundation.

When: Saturday, February 10 and Sunday, February 11, 2024 at 2pm.

Where: New Jersey Performing Arts Center, One Center Street, Newark, NJ

Tickets start at $30 and can be purchased at https://www.njpac.org/event/nai-ni-chen-dance-company-year-of-the-green-wood-dragon/.