Interview: Andy Chiang of Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company and YEAR OF THE HORSE at NJPAC

The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, the renowned international touring dance company founded by Chinese American choreographer Nai-Ni Chen, and now led by Artistic Director Greta Campo and Executive Director Andy Chiang, presents Year of the Horse, a Lunar New Year celebration, on Saturday, February 14 and Sunday, February 15.

Audiences can Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company for spellbinding family matinee performances as it embraces the spirit of the Year of the Horse through the power and beauty of dance. A highlight of the winter season at NJPAC, this annual celebration weaves together graceful movements and vibrant costumes to bring ancient traditions to life. Audiences experience majestic dragons, dancing lions, elegant peacocks, stunning acrobats, twirling ribbons, and much more! In what has become an annual tradition, Nai-Ni Chen helps usher in an auspicious Lunar New Year, surrounded by the warmth of the Newark community, the joy of cultural celebration, and the spirit of renewal. 

This year’s program debuts a new artistic collaboration honoring the City of Newark’s immigrant history. A groundbreaking fusion of Portuguese Minho folk dance and contemporary Chinese movement, Nai-Ni Chen premieres a new work created in collaboration with Rancho Camponeses do Minho, Newark’s traditional folklore ensemble of Newark’s Sport Club Português. 

We had the pleasure of interviewing Executive Director, Andy Chiang of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company about the company's background and the upcoming performances to celebrate Year of the Horse at NJPAC.

Tell us a little about the very beginnings of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company.

Way back in the 1980s, Nai-Ni was in a few King and I productions (regional tour and international tours) before 1987.  Then she got a "commission" to do a dance for a festival that Rhodessa Jones (Bill T. Jone's Sister) curated at La MaMa.  called TWITAS Festival (Third World International ArtS).  She choreographed a dance using Tan Dun's "Transcendent" and got an excellent review from the NY Times.  People were curious about China and Chinese culture at that time, and I thought the dancers worked together amazingly.  It showed her choreographic skills and leadership ability. At that time, Broadway had very little opportunity for a dancer like her..  So, I encouraged her to start her own group to respond to the calls that she was getting because of the review in the Times.

Why is the Fort Lee, NJ base an ideal base location for the company?

It was in Fort Lee because I was working in Fort Lee, and we moved there for my career.  Plus we  thought it was a very good location with access to major highways and airport transportation.  New Jersey was also friendly to the arts, and still is very welcoming and supportive to the arts.  It helps that the  dancers can get to the GWB very easily to go to gigs we had in New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

We'd love to know a little about your team.

Our dancers come through an audition process, which includes technical dance, and personal interviews.  They have very different backgrounds, but we share the same passion for dance.  Most of them have seen or heard of the company before they came to audition.   Each brings their own strength and we bring them together to complement each other.   

What is the criteria for dancers and how often do you audition new members?

There is not a set criteria except being an excellent, technical dancer who can move freely and is open to receive new ideas and criticism without being self-conscious. There are many dancers who simply feel that they cannot do culturally specific dance without coming from that culture.   We do not audition very often, it really depends if we have openings or not.  

We are impressed by the vision and mission of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company as there is an emphasis on inclusion and social justice. Please give us a few examples of how these values influence your performances.

Nai-Ni first came to the US at age 18 as a dance ambassador in a group called Youth Goodwill Mission of China (Taiwan).  She had a very, very rewarding cultural exchange experience and believes that these encounters will be her direction in life.  From that point, every immigrant comes to America knowing there will be challenges and they relish the experience of encountering all kinds of people/cultures through which we learn from each other and enrich each other, becoming more open and accepting of new points of view and new perspectives.   Giving each other respect and value is therefore fundamental to the immigrant experience and is thus inherent in the Company's vision.  I think respect and value is the backbone of inclusion and social justice.  Nai-Ni has had many collaborators who worked harmoniously with her to develop new works, for example, Kwikstep and Rokafella worked with Nai-Ni to develop Dragon Cypher which was showcased at NJPAC in 2023.   After her passing, they came back to work on Lion in the City, our relationship continues to this day and beyond.  Many black dancers, after leaving the Company, maintain contact with the Company.  Eddie Stockton, noted House Teacher at Ailey School is one of them.  He was a member in the 1990's.  

We know that the upcoming performances celebrating the Lunar New Year at NJPAC include world premiere works.  Can you tell us about them

THREE premieres! The first is a Dai Duet, a seldom seen Chinese folk style from the Yunnan Province.   This dance was developed by Ying Shi, our residency choreographer and a respected master teacher in the Chinese American community.  Ying was a member of the Company from 2012 to 2016, and established her own school.  Her knowledge and  experience of Chinese folk dance is highly respected in the Chinese American community.  The Dai people lives in the mountains and has a very distinctive dance style, look for the unique rhythms of hip sways and soft shoulder movements as well as the beautiful sounds of the folk music she used.  

Mongolian Harvest is a new piece developed by Lawrence Jin, who grew up in Inner Mongolia.  We are showing this dance because this is the Year of the Horse, and the Mongolian people are well known Nomaic people who literally has a horse culture.   Look for powerful elbow and shoulder movements symbolizing horseback riding and eagle flying.

We are also sporting a small, new, but groundbreaking collaboration withThe Rancho Camponeses do Minho, a traditional Portuguese folkloric dance group operating under the umbrella of the historic, centennial Sport Club Português of Newark.  We have been performing at NJPAC in Newark for 30 years, and this is the first time we are able to establish an artistic relationship with the community in the Ironbound district where the largest group of Portuguese live in the East Coast.  We are making a short new dance "Vira of the Red Horse" together for the finale in this performance.   It will be a very special celebration.

Besides these three, we are also showing a WORK IN PROGRESS - Mythical Echs,  a new dance based on the arts in the Dunhuang caves at the end of the Silk Road by renowned choreographer Zhongmei Li.   This is NOT a world premiere.

What else would you like audiences to know about the "Year of the Horse" program?

This year, our musicians at NJPAC are two of the greatest Chinese musicians in the world.  Pipa Master LiangXing Tang is a National Heritage Fellow with followers across the world, and Guzheng master Ms. Yi Yang just received a 2026 Heritage Fellowship from the NJ State Council on the Arts.  It is definitely worth your time to come see and listen.

I also need to mention that we are going to do a special Dragon Parade from 12:0PM starting at NJPAC to go into the Newark Museum!  It is in honor of the Chinese American community that once was in Newark, a Chinatown that was the largest in the East Coast.  The Parade will be on Saturday Feb 14 at 12:00PM.  The show begins at 2PM.    In between, audience and browse through a marketplace setup at the lobby of the theatre.  There will be a master papercutter showing his skills.

What is your vision for the company in the future?

Nai-Ni has built a strong foundation for a wonderful dance company where dancers learn, grow to be multifaceted artists, and they are welcomed in many different communities across the US.  New generation of dancers and choreographers can take advantage of this foundation to develop fresh new works that not only tells the story of encounters they want to share, but also  enhance our collective  cross-cultural mission together.

Year of the Horse, a Lunar New Year celebration will be performed on Saturday, February 14 & Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 2:00 p.m. at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC), One Center Street, Newark, NJ 07102. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at https://www.njpac.org/event/nai-ni-chen-dance-year-of-the-horse/. 

Photo Credit:  Anthony Alvarez