H.T. Chen & Dancers Return To La MaMa With Three Classic Works This Month
The performances mark the company’s second season back at La MaMa following the death of founder and choreographer H.T. Chen in 2022.
By: A.A. Cristi Jan. 05, 2026
H.T. Chen & Dancers will return to La Mama Experimental Theatre Club with a series of Teahouse Performances celebrating the Lunar New Year of the Horse. The program will be presented January 30 and 31 at 8:00 p.m. and February 1 at 4:00 p.m. at La MaMa’s Downstairs Theatre, located at 66 East 4th Street.
The performances mark the company’s second season back at La MaMa following the death of founder and choreographer H.T. Chen in 2022, as well as the 2020 fire that destroyed the company’s Chinatown headquarters, including its offices, studios, and theatre. Under the artistic direction of Dian Dong, the company continues Chen’s legacy with excerpts from three major works.
The evening opens with Big Brother, a work inspired by stories of Americans placed under surveillance, accused of espionage, or imprisoned. The piece explores themes of suspicion, secrecy, confrontation, and the presence of an unseen, watchful authority.
The program continues with Hidden Voices, drawn from the experiences of Chinese immigrants recruited as strikebreakers in western Massachusetts during the late 1870s. Sequestered within factory grounds for their own protection, the workers relied on memories of their homeland and hopes for a better future. Developed with support from Williams College, the work highlights a lesser-known episode from the American Industrial Revolution.
The performance concludes with excerpts from Heart of Grace, inspired by the Chinese Lion Dance and created to invoke vitality and good fortune. In keeping with the Teahouse tradition, light refreshments will be served as part of the experience.
The company for this engagement includes Ben de Andrade, Zara Anwar, Aine Dorman, Kelly Guerrero, Seneca Lawrence, Ari Someya, Glenna Yu, Dian Dong, Renouard Gee, and Kimberly Prosa.
Tickets are $30, with $25 tickets available for students and seniors. Reservations can be made through La MaMa at lamama.org/h-t-chen-and-dancers. More information about the company is available at chendancecenter.org.
H.T. Chen’s work has been widely recognized for its cultural and artistic impact. The New York Times has written that he “created a body of work that gives poetic voice to Asians in America.”
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