Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company Launches New Resident Choreographer Program
The program will feature new works by Zhongmei Li and Peter Chu.
By: A.A. Cristi Aug. 15, 2025
The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company has announced a new resident choreographer program, which will serve as part of the Company’s artistic foundation. In the upcoming year, two prominent Asian American choreographers will join the Company to create new works and lead public and private workshops.
This fall, renowned Chinese American dancer/choreographer Zhongmei Li will begin developing Ultimate Journey, inspired by her travels along the Silk Road with her late husband, writer and journalist Richard Bernstein.
The piece will explore the cultural treasures of the Duanhuang Caves and is set to premiere in New York in spring 2026. Li will collaborate with Grammy-nominated composer Angel Lam and costume/stage designer Han ChunXi, with several work-in-progress showings and workshops planned ahead of the premiere.
In spring 2026, the Company will welcome world-renowned choreographer Peter Chu as resident choreographer. Commissioned by the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, Chu will create a dance to the music from Béla Bartók’s ballet The Miraculous Mandarin, beginning with an abbreviated four-minute percussion section and expanding it to the ballet’s full 33-minute score by 2027. The first phase of the work will premiere in May 2026.
The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, founded by the late Nai-Ni Chen, is a professional touring company dedicated to innovative cultural experiences that bridge Asian and American artistic traditions. The Company tours nationally and internationally, presenting original works and preserving festive dances from across China.
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