FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 8, 2021
Contact: Karin Venegas, karin@anatgerstein.com, 347-361-7049
Flushing Town Hall Responds to the Passing of Choreographer Nai-Ni Chen
The following is a statement from Executive & Artistic Director Ellen Kodadek on behalf of Flushing Town Hall:
“We are deeply saddened by the death of choreographer Nai-Ni Chen. We had the great honor of presenting her company, and her CrossCurrent Contemporary Dance Festival, annually at our Hall. This June marked our seventh year together showcasing new works by a talented selection of Asian American dance artists and contemporary choreographers. She was a passionate educator and eager to forge new paths for up-and-coming choreographers following in her footsteps.
Nai-Ni Chen led one of the most successful Asian American, touring dance companies in the United States for more than 30 years. With her lifelong dedication to dance making, Nai-Ni Chen built a diverse repertory of over 80 original works for 30 productions and toured such major venues as New York’s Lincoln Center, The Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., and the Cerritos Center in California.
She was a featured artist in international, contemporary dance festivals across 12 countries throughout Europe, Asia, and the Americas and was the 2020 recipient of the Choreographer’s Fellowship Award from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the Distinguished Teaching Artist Award from the Associating of Teaching Artists and Lincoln Center, and was a two-time recipient of the National Endowment for the Arts’ Choreographer’s Fellowship.
Nai-Ni Chen was born in Taiwan and graduated from the Chinese Cultural University. She was a renowned, traditional dancer and an early member of the Cloud Gate Dance Theater of Taiwan, before moving to America.
As a global arts presenter with strong ties to the local Chinese community, Flushing Town Hall will always be grateful for her exceptional artistry and generosity of spirit. We will miss our friend.”
About Flushing Town Hall
Flushing Town Hall (FTH), a Smithsonian affiliate, presents multi-disciplinary global arts that engage and educate the global communities of Queens and New York City, in order to foster mutual appreciation. As advocates of arts equity since 1979, we support local, immigrant, national, and international artists, developing partnerships and collaborations that enhance our efforts. As a member of New York City’s Cultural Institutions Group (CIG), we serve to restore, manage and program the historic 1862 landmark on behalf of the City of New York. FTH celebrates the history of Queens as the home of Jazz, by presenting the finest in Jazz performance. We are committed to arts education and hands-on learning, for the arts-curious, arts enthusiasts, and professional artists. We serve one of the most diverse communities in the world and strive to uphold the legacy of inclusiveness that has defined our community since the Flushing Remonstrance of 1657.
Land Acknowledgement:
Flushing Town Hall acknowledges that we are on the traditional land of the Matinecock People, one of the original tribes of New York, and the first people of Flushing, Queens. The Matinecock continue to live and work on this land to this day. Flushing Town Hall honors their elders who have stewarded this land throughout generations.
For more information:
www.flushingtownhall.org
(718) 463-7700 x222
137-35 Northern Blvd. Flushing, NY 11354