Nai-Ni Chen (October 31, 1959 – December 12, 2021) was a Taiwanese-American dancer and choreographer. Trained in traditional Chinese and Taiwanese dance before immigrating to the United States in the early 1980s, she was the founder of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, a dance company which blends traditional and contemporary dance.[1][2]
Nai-Ni Chen | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 31, 1959 Keelung, Taiwan |
| Died | December 12, 2021 (aged 62) Kailua Beach, Hawaii, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Chinese Culture University New York University |
| Occupation(s) | Founder and artistic director, Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company |
| Years active | 1988–2021 |
| Spouse | Andrew N. Chiang |
| Children | 1 |
Biography
editChen was born in Keelung, Taiwan, on October 31, 1959, and started dancing when she was four. She studied modern dance, jazz, and Chinese martial arts at a secondary school for the performing arts; as a student, she joined the Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan and danced with the company for three years.[3]
In 1982 she moved to New York to attend New York University, where she studied choreography and education. In a 2017 interview she said: “I was so excited about the dancing in New York, that I decided to stay rather than teach in Taiwan.”[4]
Chen drowned while on vacation in Hawaii on December 12, 2021.[3][5] She and her husband Andrew N. Chiang had one daughter, Sylvia.[1]
Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company
editChen and her husband, Andrew N. Chiang, founded Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company in 1988 in Fort Lee, New Jersey, where she lived with her family.[6][4][3] In addition to Chen's original works, which incorporated her broad influences, the company performed traditional fan dances and ribbon dances. Productions frequently include a hybrid fusion with traditional Chinese dance.[7][8] They began to tour in the early 1990s, originally on the East Coast, and later internationally. The dance company was multi-racial and multi-national. Her dances were inspired by nature, which she described as the "Chinese way and philosophy," stating that her choreography emphasized the relationship and harmony between people and nature.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c Genzlinger, Neil (2021-12-13). "Nai-Ni Chen, whose dances merged East and West, Dies at 62". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-14. Republished as: "World-renowned dancer Nai-Ni Chen dies after she is found unconscious at Kailua Beach". Star Advertiser. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
- ^ Staff, H. N. N. "Internationally renowned dancer dies in apparent drowning off Oahu". Retrieved 2021-12-14.
- ^ a b c "Nai-Ni Chen Passed Away On December 12th in Honolulu". 2021-12-13. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
- ^ a b La Gorce, Tammy (2010-01-30). "Opening Doors With New and Old". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
- ^ "Dance on the Lawn mourns death of dance artist Nai-Ni Chen". Montclair Local. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
- ^ "Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company Announces 2021-2022 Season". 2021-08-30. Retrieved 2021-12-13.
- ^ Cutler, Jacqueline (2021-09-09). "N.J. dance troupe morphs pandemic fears into joyful performance". Retrieved 2021-12-13.
- ^ Nash, Margo (2001-10-14). "JERSEY FOOTLIGHTS; Celebrating the Moon". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-12-13.