Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company Free Online Company Classes and DANCE FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is keeping its dancers in shape by conducting regular Company Classes and rehearsals online from Nai-Ni and Company dancer's living rooms using Zoom.

At the same time, company dancers translated their newly acquired remote teaching skills to serve K-12 students in Elizabeth, New Jersey and students with disabilities in the A Harry Moore School of Jersey City, most of whom living in underserved communities and suffering from isolation and missing the usual support from the school. Dance has brought them rays of hope and joy in their confined environment. Nai-Ni Chen continue to create new works through remote rehearsals, structured group and solo improvisations and she has added the video editor as her choreographic tool in this process.

In addition, company members have joined together to create a new Dance for Social Justice program, and they are inviting the public for a series of three days of free virtual dance classes. The dancers hope class participants will be inspired to donate to non-political, community advocacy organizations. Such donations are voluntary and at the participants' discretion. Future actions will be announced in the summer as New York and New Jersey open for public gathering. Registration is available at https://nainichen.org/dance-for-social-justice/.

As a Company rooted deeply in diversity and committed to the dancer's artistic journey, Nai-Ni Chen began inviting her friends who are world renowned as well as up and coming dancers and choreographer to come teach the Company class. The response has been extremely positive, especially in this time when Asian Americans community is facing rising hate crime across the country. The number of registered have risen to over 350.

Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company invites dancers from around the world to join the Company at noon for a free one-hour Company Class every weekday. Interested dancers can join the class by registering on Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company's website: http://nainichen.org/company-class.

Classes are as follows:

Week of 6/15/2020

Monday Greta Campo (Ballet)

Tuesday Rei Akazawa (Modern)

Wednesday Nai-Ni Chen (Kinetic Spiral)

Rei Akazawa-Smith was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan, where she began her ballet training in the technique of Royal Academy of Dance under the direction of Yuko Kojima. She graduated cum laude with a B.F.A. in Dance from Marymount Manhattan College, receiving the Gold Key for Excellence in 2009. While a student there, she assisted in teaching and demonstrating Graham Technique Master Classes for Miki Orihara and Alessandra Prosperi. She has danced with H.T. Chen and Dancers, Douglas Dunn and Dancers, and played the role of Eliza in The King and I at Walnut Street Theater in Philadelphia. She participated in The Taylor School Summer Intensive in 2012 and was asked to join Taylor 2 immediately afterward. Since joining the company, she has also appeared with Paul Taylor Dance Company.

Greta Campo is the Associate Artistic Director of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, began her dance training in her native Milan at the Carcano Theater, where she was first introduced to Martha Graham's work. She performed with the Martha Graham Dance Company in their 2012 New York Season and later on their international tour. Greta is a recipient of the 2016 Rising Star Award from the Fini Dance Festival. Greta also teaches modern dance at Peridance.