Awakening

People United Magazin

Truth Bound | Introspection Luminescence | Shadowforce

TRUTH BOUND (2019) Truth Bound was developed during a stay in Trier, Germany, in response to today‘s crisis of faith and trust.

To find clarity, the seeker of truth has to look deeper below the surface to discover the core.

To make this dance, Nai-Ni Chen created movements with dancers that used improvisation and

her background in traditional Chinese theater movement and various martial arts styles.

INTROSPECTION (2019) Usually, dancers on stage are lit by external lights. In this dance, the dancers illuminate each other from different perspectives and each other to look deeper into their own identity.

The dance uses flashlights and shadows to examine the identity problems from different perspectives.

LUMINESCENCE (PREMIERE) We find refuge with the grace, magic and wonder of nature. With this dance, the choreographer wants to remind us that

Humans coexist with other life forms on earth. Discovering the beauty of nature and respecting and protecting the environment is essential.

SHADOWFORCE (PREMIERE) We yawn in isolation after connecting with others.

Nai-Ni Chen

Nai-Ni Chen (artistic director/choreographer)— hailed as a spiritual choreographer by Dance Magazine—is a recipient of multiple choreographic fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and New Jersey State Council on the Arts. She has been creating dances professionally for over thirty years in the United States and has built a diverse repertory of over 90 original works that toured to major venues across the U.S. and at international contemporary dance festivals in 12 countries. Born and raised in Taiwan, Nai- Ni Chen is a unique choreographer whose work crosses cultural boundaries. Each of her dances is based on her personal vision as an immigrant American female artist with deep roots in the Asian culture, creating new works that reflect the current issues with global influences. These works are developed in collaboration with renowned contemporary artists, such as Bei Dao, Joan La Barbara, the Ahn Trio, Glen Velez, Jason Kao Hwang, Gerold Chenoweth, the New Asia Chamber Music Society, the Chinese Music Ensemble of New York, Tao Chen, Myung Hee Cho, and Jay Morthy. Commissioned dances include Peach Flower Landscape for the Lincoln Center Institute, Qian Kun for the Joyce Theater Foundation, Unfolding

for Dancing in the Streets, The Three Riddles of Turandot for New Jersey Ballet, Unconquered Warriors for Dancing Wheels, and Water and Tiger Lily for BalletMet, The Way of Five for Towson University; Dragons on the Wall, a collaboration with Nobel Literature nominee Bei Dao and internationally acclaimed composer Joan La Barbara for the Alternate Roots Festival curated by Baraka Sele of New Jersey Performing Arts Center. She has set her choreography at Case Western Reserve University, Alvin Ailey School professional development program, and Long Island University. In New York, she has taught at Mary Anthony Dance Studio, Peridance and NYU, where she received her MA in Dance and Dance Education. For her contribution to the Chinese American culture, she has received awards from the New Jersey International Institute, the Organization of Chinese Americans, and Chinese American Chamber of Commerce. As a life time dance educator she is the recipient of The Distinguished Service to the Field Award from the Association of Teaching Artistes in 2020. She has also served on Dance related panels for the National Endowment for the Arts, The New York State Council on the Arts and Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation.

introspection © Sylvia Chiang

How long have you been creating dances in the U.S.? And what is the driving force to make you continue doing it?

I moved from Taiwan to the U.S. as a young dancer full of excitementand dreams. Now I have taken this country my home. I havebeen creating dances for over 30 years now. My goal has alwaysbeen creating innovative works to promote the understanding betweencultures. And my dances often reflect the hope and energythat propel an immigrant’s journey. The U.S. is divided now, peopleoften overlook the importance of Asian American culture being anintegral part of the diverse American culture. Every step my dancecompany takes is part of getting people to be aware of our existenceas Asian American, to appreciate the uniqueness of our work, andto recognise our contribution to the diversity of this society.

What is your artistic statement?

I love to bring my audience to the awareness of the inner strengthand beauty of a human being. As a female Asian choreographer,I often explore the subject of resilience, will power and humilitythat I see in women. I create works that address the issues of personal,artistic and spiritual freedom that lie in the core of beingan immigrant artist. As a choreographer and dancer, I feel everymoment in life can be translated into dance. Dance is a multi-dimensionalart form that evokes images and imagination. It takesme to a magical place where I can express experiences of joy andsorrow, the strength of survival, and the humility when faced withthe beauty and strength of nature. By observing everything in detailand translating those details to my creative process, I have discovered endless possibilities. During this global pandemic, it is essential to look beyond the differences in culture, ethnicity, and race. When I face the big universe and the unknown future, I can only be humble and respect what nature is offering us. Everything in the universe consists of movement, timing, and energy. And every human race is sharing what we are offered on earth. I am interested in tapping into the living energy that shaped the vision and body motion which is the essence of the art of dance across humanity.

One of the things that I find very striking about your works is the theatricality. These pieces are composed of many elements in addition to movement and choreography, and I wonder if you can tell us a little bit about your background and how you learned to work with lighting and costumes. When you were a student in Taiwan, did you study stage design as well as dance? And did you study all the things that go into producing a rich, traditional spectacle like Beijing Opera?

Yes, the dances that I created in this year are more conceptual. Itreflects the circumstance we are in today. My training and backgroundcertainly play a role in my work today. What I have learnedin Taiwan set up a foundation for me. The traditional theatre suchas Beijing Opera is a total experience. The elements involve lots ofdetails in the visual and movement design. The theatrical componentis delivered through many symbolic means. A story can betold with the help of a piece of prop, simple set and costumes. Asa young dancer I worked with Cloud Gate Dance Theatre in Taiwanwhich opened up my eyes and mind. The incorporation of lighting,costume and set combining eastern and western philosophymakes the creative work more enervative and theatrical.

In some of your work such as “Truth Bound” the movement is very slow and sustained, and then, by way of contrast, we see movements that are abrupt and later even frenzied. First, performing slow movements is very difficult, and I think it requires the dancer to have a special kind of concentration and presence to hold the audience’s attention. Can you talk about how you achieve this concentration and presence?

It is not easy to get a dancer with only western training to do mywork, especially nowadays where the going trend seems to befast paced and every five seconds need to have a trick. The slowand controlled movements with consistence require tremendousamount of concentration from the dancers. My technique “KineticSpiral” combines tai chi and breathing technique helping them alot to achieve that strength within. And my repertory also includes traditional Chinese dance which gives them a chance to explore a different way to move. Jin, Chi, Shen are the three main concepts in traditional Chinese art which can be applied to calligraphy, visual art, martial art as well as dance. Jin refer to concentration, Chi refers to the breath that drives the inner energy. Shen is the spirit and soul that deliver through the execution of the art form.

I know that you like to address serious issues in your dances, for example censorship and freedom of speech, which were the theme of your piece “Tianji—Dragons on the Wall”. But a duet such as “Luminescence” strikes me as just beautiful movement for its own sake. The women seem to be moving in an element that is more like water than air. It’s so lovely. Do you sometimes feel the need or the desire to give yourself a break and make a dance that’s just pretty for the sake of being pretty?

I always find nature is an important resource for inspiration. Luminescenceis not just a pretty dance. It actually requires just thesame amount of concentration and feeling of Chi as mentionedbefore. The sustained kind of energy, the strength within thesoftness is very hard to accomplish. The same concept appliesto “Truth Bound”: a dancer needs to feel the softness within thestrong and resisting kind of movements. There is a Chinese sayingthat goes “Ying within Yang and Yang within Ying”—these two oppositeenergies work together to create harmony.

How about your costume ideas? In both “Truth Bound” and “Luminescence”, you presented unique costumes such as newspaper and skirts made from plastic. Does the costume concept come in early in the creative process or later?

The costume concept came in right from the beginning of thecreative process. As I mentioned before, the traditional Chinesetheatre where I was trained while I was in Taiwan gave me a strongvisual concept that dance is part of the theatrical package. I oftenmake costumes myself. And I explore movement concepts andideas with dancers in those costumes to find symbolic or theatricalmeanings. The costume needs to be integrated into their bodyand move with them as part of them.

AWAKENING

Truth Bound | Introspection | Luminescence | Shadowforce Personal interview with Nai-Ni Chen by dance writer Robert Johnson

Dancers Greta Campo, Candace Jarvis, Ethan Gwynn, Evan Matthew Stewart, Rio Kakuchi, Sonny Shiu, Yuka Notsuka

Light design Yi-Chung Chen

Videography PCK Media

TRUTH BOUND (2019)

Music Joan La Barbara, Para Avis, Nocturnal Emissions

Dancers Greta Campo, Ethan Gwynn

INTROSPECTION (2019)

Music Jacob Ter Veldhuis, Prism Quartet

Dancers Sonny Shiu, Greta Campo, Evan Matthew Stewart, Yuka Notsuka

LUMINESCENCE (PREMIERE)

Music Max Richter

Dancers Yuka Notsuka, Rio Kakuchi

SHADOWFORCE (PREMIERE)

Music Max Richter, Somei Satoh

Dancers Evan Matthew Stewart, Candace Jarvis, Greta Campo, Sonny Shiu, Rio Kakuchi, Ethan Gwynn

Awakening

Truth Bound © Andrew Chiang

People United Magazin

Gefördert vom Fonds Darstellende Künste aus Mitteln der Beauftragten der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien im Rahmen von NEUSTART KULTUR