Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company Announces 2024 Summer Intensive

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company announces its 2024 Summer Intensive — two weeks of dance, one session per week, held at the Center for Creativity and Dance (Joyce East), 287 E. 10th Street, NYC.

The first session will be from Monday, June 17 to Friday, June 21, 2024 from 3:30pm to 6:30pm in Studio 4, and the second session will be from Monday, June 24 to Friday, June 28, 2024 from 1:00pm to 4:00pm in Studio 1. Each session will offer two classes: (1) Kinetic Spiral for movement coordination, technique improvement and (2) Dancing with Props to further develop the dancer’s expression of technique. For these sessions, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is looking for dancers who not only have strong modern, contemporary, and ballet techniques, but also for dancers who have a diverse range of skills, openness to new ideas, strong commitment, and dedication to the art form.

After the Summer Intensive sessions, the Company will hold auditions on June 29 and 30th for dancers for the 2025 season. The Company is looking for dancers with strong Modern, Contemporary, and Ballet but also a diverse range of skills, open to new ideas, commitment and dedication to the art form. The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is one of the leading Asian American dance companies in the United States dedicated to uphold the late choreographer Nai-Ni Chen’s vision of cross-cultural dance that embodies equity, diversity and inclusion.

For more information, visit https://www.nainichen.org/summer2024. To register, fill out the form at https://forms.gle/Jf1PbWmiLKLXCEddA.

Session 1: Floating Rainbows

Kinetic Spiral

Nai-Ni Chen's signature technique combines the essence of Ballet/Modern with Traditional Chinese training and ancient Chinese QiGong, Tai Chi and Martial Arts. This technique emphasizes breathing, tension/release, and the flow of energy using key movement phrases from the Company's cross-cultural repertory.

Floating Rainbow

Using the company’s special brand of lightweight silk ribbons in dance training enhances body awareness, fluidity, and grace, as the ribbons provide visual feedback on movements, demanding smooth, continuous motion. Ribbons improve coordination, control, and spatial awareness, extending the dancer's expressive capabilities and encouraging creativity in choreography. This approach not only strengthens muscles and endurance, especially in the arms and core, but also deepens the interpretative and emotional expression in dance performances.

Session 2: Wind and Thunder

Kinetic Spiral

Nai-Ni Chen's signature technique combines the essence of Ballet/Modern with Traditional Chinese training and ancient Chinese QiGong, Tai Chi and Martial Arts. This technique emphasizes breathing, tension/release, and the flow of energy using key movement phrases from the Company's cross-cultural repertory.

Wind and Thunder

Wind and Thunder uses the Fan as a way to train the dexterity of the fingers and an extension of the wrist and hand. Training with Kung Fu fans enhances a dancer's strength, precision, and control, while also improving coordination, spatial awareness, and timing due to the fans' extension of movement space. Fans serve as powerful expressive tools, adding dramatic and emotional depth to performances, and fostering a deeper connection to cultural and historical dance contexts. This unique integration of martial arts into dance not only elevates the physical conditioning and artistic versatility of dancers but also enriches the aesthetic appeal and narrative depth of their performances.

These classes are special opportunities for dancers to experience some of Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company’s unique practices that are embedded in its iconic repertoire that continues to be presented on the mainstages across the US, especially here in the New Jersey and New York City area. IN this 2024 summer intensive, the Company introduces two unique prop handling classes that can help dancers to enhance their technique and expressions. We are focusing on a soft prop> fabric ribbon, and a hard prop: Kung Fu Fan.

Using fabric ribbons in dance training enhances body awareness, fluidity, and grace, as the ribbons provide visual feedback on movements, demanding smooth, continuous motion. Ribbons improve coordination, control, and spatial awareness, extending the dancer's expressive capabilities and encouraging creativity in choreography. This approach not only strengthens muscles and endurance, especially in the arms and core, but also deepens the interpretative and emotional expression in dance performances.

Training with Kung Fu fans enhances a dancer's strength, precision, and control, while also improving coordination, spatial awareness, and timing due to the fans' extension of movement space. Fans serve as powerful expressive tools, adding dramatic and emotional depth to performances, and fostering a deeper connection to cultural and historical dance contexts. This unique integration of martial arts into dance not only elevates the physical conditioning and artistic versatility of dancers but also enriches the aesthetic appeal and narrative depth of their performances.

About the Instructors

Greta Campo, artistic director, began dance training in her native Milan at the Carcano Theater, where she was first introduced to Martha Graham’s work. At age 19, she began the Professional Training Program at the Martha Graham School in NYC and, after a couple of months, she joined Graham II, performing in ensemble and solo roles. She performed with the Martha Graham Dance Company in their 2012 New York Season and has also traveled nationally and internationally with them as a member of the corps. She completed the Teacher Training Program at the School. Greta received the 2016 Rising Star Award from Fini Dance Festival. Ms. Campo joined the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company in 2012, besides dancing she teaches for several teaching projects with the Company, including dance classes for kids with disabilities, for public school kids, she has taught college students and masterclasses with Nai-Ni Chen. Since the Pandemic Ms. Campo has been teaching the Company Style, Kinetic Spiral, via Zoom. She joined different projects with Buglisi Dance Theater in 2019.

Rio Kikuchi, dancer, was born in Tokyo, Japan. At the age of 3, Rio began ballet training at Studio Benus in Japan and later she was introduced to Tap and Jazz. She took Summer Intensive at Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington DC in 2015. She also studied Ballet technique and Point work privately with Luis Villanueva. In 2017, Rio moved to New York and was offered a scholarship to study at The School of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. In addition, she received a scholarship at Alonzo King Lines Ballet Summer Program in 2019. She has worked with Ronni Favors, Darshan Singh Bhuller and performed “Memora” with Alvin Ailey Dance Theater at New York City Center in 2018.

Candace Jarvis, dancer, is originally from Brampton, Ontario, and started her professional training at Bold Dance Company under the direction of Emilio and Stephanie Macri. She continued her training at The Ailey School as a Certificate Student. She has performed works by many choreographers including Amy Hall, Tracy Inman, Carlos Dos Santosand Norbert De La Cruz III. In 2013 Ms. Jarvis performed in Alvin Ailey’s Revelations Cast of 50 at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center and took part in Robert Battle’s New Directions Choreographers Lab at The Ailey School. Ms. Jarvis was a former member of Awaken Dance Theater under the direction of Rebekka Nodhturft. In 2015 she earned her Certificate of Honors from The Ailey School Certificate Program and joined the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company.

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is a rare Asian American woman-led professional touring company with programs for educational settings, community organizations and mainstage venues. The Company's mission is to be a premier provider of innovative cultural experiences that reflect the inspiring hope and energy of the immigrant’s journey. It was founded with the vision that the immigrant’s journey of crossing cultures and adapting to a new home provides endless inspirations and opportunities for creative expressions that can enrich the human experience. Each one of the company’s works is aimed to increase the visibility of the struggle, triumph, despair and joy of this experience. The Company's productions provide cross-cultural experiences and bring forth issues of identity, authenticity, and equality.

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and 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.