Text Box: Our University Settlement Residency, funded by the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, is a combined creative and educational program that brings Nai-Ni Chen and her dancers to University Settlement’s summer camp program for inner city youth who live on New York’s Lower East Side. Our goal is to involve the students in the creation of our new work and give them a glimpse of the creative process. Through this involvement, the students will create their own version of the dance. For one week in June, the company rehearsed in University Settlement’s Beacon Campus nestled in the Hudson Valley. The campus is also the site of summer program for almost 60 youngsters where they spend two weeks enjoying nature and arts activities.
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Text Box: In July-August, Nai-Ni Chen conducted dance classes and work on improvisational ideas with the students. The result of their work is then choreographed and shown to Beacon residents in a presentation with other art classes In the Fall, the Company will be teaching on the Lower East Side,. As part of the University Settlement’s community programs. The company will offer classes to elementary school children, and conduct a preview of the company’s new dance, Unbroken Thread. This new dance will be premiered in the company’s New York season during the weeks of December 1 through December 14th with performances from Thursday to Sunday. Call (800)650-0246 for tickets. Text Box: Text Box: It has been a wonderful, exciting and rewarding year for me. All of the hours that the dancers and I spent in the rehearsal studio fulfilled my expectations. I am very happy with our results. I am also very proud of my dancers. They worked as a top professional team on and off the stage. On stage they delivered a high level of technique, projection nad artistry. Off the stage, they helped me by making our touring pleasant and efficient. We had many laughs together when we were on the road. What can be more rewarding then to know that you did your best in the performance and that the audience loved what they saw. All of the hard work in the studio and all of the hours spent traveling paid off. The dancers and I had fun creating new pieces such as “Raindrops” and “Instinct”. In addition, it was a breakthrough for me when I revised “Calligraphy II”. Revisting Calligraphy II clarified my ideas about the beauty and strength that each individual possesses. When this work was presented at the University of Massachusetts. I felt that the performance brought the dancers and members of the audience closer together. It was a surprise to me to know that this year, we completed 234 performances. Text Box: There is an old Chinese saying which states “There is no endless banquet”. This means that it does not matter how much we enjoy our time together, there is an end to every gathering. Claire Benton, Chien-Hui Shen, and Aiichiro Miyagawa have decided to move on with their lives. I thank them for their past support and give them warm wishes for their future. After a sense of loss, I felt it was time for me to move on with my new and expanded team. It is great to see the senior company members opening their arms to welcome the new dancers into our family. They are dedicated and ready to help the new dancers feel at home. Our new season begins at the end of August. I am Text Box: looking forward to sharing many exciting adventures with my dancers. I would like to also thank my board members for their tremendous support. It is wonderful for me to feel that I am not alone during difficult times. The trust they and the dancers, administrative staff and supportive audiences inspires and energizes me. I look forward to seeing you at our performances. Nai-Ni Chen Summer, 2003

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Dance Journey

Volume 1, Issue 1