Chen Dance Center to Present H.T. Chen & Dancers in A TRIBUTE TO REMY CHARLIP, 2/28 & 3/1-2

As the culminating event of the Lunar New Year, H.T. Chen's Lantern Festival Performances will present A Tribute to Remy Charlip (1929-2012), one of the dance world's best-loved artists, in the intimate teahouse setting of the Chen Dance Center, 70 Mulberry Street, February 28, March 1 & 2 at 7:30 PM. A pre-show reception, with refreshments, will take place at 7 PM, and the one-hour performance will begin at 7:30 PM.

The evening will feature two witty Charlip works:
** his humorous 39 Chinese Attitudes, based on a word and picture score, and set to music by Louis Armstrong and Irving Berlin, and
** the charming Twelve Contra Dances, a cheerful suite of dances to Beethoven music, staged by Lance Westergard.
** Ending the festivities will be an excerpt from H.T. Chen's Between Heaven and Earth.

The shows will run Thursday/Friday/Saturday, February 28, March 1 & 2 at 7:30 PM at the Chen Dance Center, 70 Mulberry Street, 2nd floor (corner Mulberry & Bayard, one block south of Canal). Admission: $15; $10 for students & seniors; $25 for VIP Seating. Reservations: 212.349.0438.

By Subway: take the 6, N, R, Z, Q, or J to Canal Street; walk East along Canal towards Chinatown. Turn right on Mulberry and walk one block south to Bayard. The theater is located on the 2nd floor of the building on the northeast corner of Mulberry and Bayard.

Remy Charlip grew up in Brooklyn and showed a talent for art from an early age. He was a founding member of the Merce Cunningham company and danced with the group for 11 years as a principal dancer and costume designer. In 1958 he co-founded the Paper Bag Players in NY, the longest-running children's theater in the country. Charlip flourished in many art forms, including the writing and illustrating of childrens' books, publishing more than 38 books. He relocated to San Francisco, where he remained one of the most important and well-loved artists until his passing at age 83. In an interview, Charlip remarked: "I really don't know where it all comes from. I'm in another world - and I'm very lucky."

With its renovated artist spaces, public garden, and cultural information hub, Chen Dance Center (CDC) provides a refreshed and intimate black box performance space. CDC was created in 1988 with the mission to promote understanding through the arts, provide professional opportunities for artists, increase participation in the arts and develop future audiences. As a co-presenter of independent artists and presenter of the dance series - newsteps and Ear to the Ground - CDC supports the development of dance artists by providing a professional theater space in which artists of high caliber receive visibility to the dance community and press. CDC serves as a home base for local and visiting artists to develop and showcase their work and proudly celebrates the distinction of being the first professional performance space in New York City's Chinatown. CDC also hosts H.T. Chen & Dancers' annual educational series for children, provides affordable rehearsal space for modern dance artists, and serves as a venue for community events.

CHEN DANCE CENTER is comprised of three components: a performing arts SCHOOL, a black-box THEATER (formerly MULBERRY ST THEATER) for modern dance, and its resident dance company, H.T. CHEN & DANCERS. CHEN DANCE CENTER is supported by: THE FORD FOUNDATION, METLIFE FOUNDATION, LOWER MANHATTAN DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, NEW YORK STATE COUNCIL ON THE ARTS, NYC DEPT. OF CULTURAL AFFAIRS, NEW YORK COMMUNITY TRUST, PFIZER FOUNDATION, CONSOLIDATED EDISON COMPANY OF NEW YORK.

For more information, visit www.chendancecenter.org.

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