Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company Will Present YEAR OF THE HORSE Lunar New Year Celebration At NJPAC
Family matinee performances will highlight traditional and contemporary works celebrating the Year of the Horse.
The Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company will present Year of the Horse, a Lunar New Year celebration, on Saturday, February 14 and Sunday, February 15, 2026 at 2 p.m. at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $35.
The internationally touring company, founded by choreographer Nai-Ni Chen and now led by Artistic Director Greta Campo and Executive Director Andy Chiang, will offer two family matinee performances that embrace the spirit of the holiday through music, dance, and cultural tradition.
A highlight of NJPAC’s winter programming, the annual celebration brings audiences into an immersive world of vibrant costumes, sweeping movement, and cultural storytelling. The performance features dragons, lions, peacocks, acrobats, ribbons, and other symbolic traditions central to the holiday. Each year, the company ushers in the Lunar New Year with the Newark community, celebrating renewal and unity through dance.
Year of the Horse Program
This year’s program includes Lion in the City, choreographed by Peiju Chien-Pott with Hip-Hop artists Kwikstep and Rokafella; Dai Duet by Ying Shi; Mystic Echos by Zhongmei Li; Mongolian Harvest by Lawrence Jin; Carousel by Nai-Ni Chen; and Festival (Dragon Dance), also choreographed by Chen. The works draw from diverse cultural inspirations including the Hua Yao Dai tradition, Mongolian folk movement, Tibetan mural iconography, and contemporary dance forms.
Commissioned pieces, traditional inspirations, and abstract works converge in a program that reflects the company’s dedication to honoring cultural heritage while exploring innovative artistic voices. The performances will showcase the full ensemble of dancers in a celebration that continues to resonate with audiences across generations.
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