Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company Announces The Bridge Free One-Hour Company Classes On Zoom

In the midst of the COVID-19 crisis, the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company has established a new dance institute through Zoom, The Bridge. The Institute's aim is to bring together dancers, choreographers and directors around the world to experience the master teachers of color whose practices are embedded in the community and are focused on advancing the art of dance that transform the personal, environmental and metaphysical spaces. Interested dancers can join the class by registering here.

As a virtual dance institute, The Bridge will invite world renowned as well as up and coming dancers and choreographers to come to guest teach the class. Advanced/Intermediate level professional or pre-professional dancers who are looking to explore beyond their own boundaries and looking for new dance experiences are encouraged to participate. The core program is based on Nai-Ni Chen's Kinetic Spiral, which is a cross-cultural dance vocabulary that integrates the Chinese martial arts philosophy in TaiChi with contemporary dance practices she studied in America. Guest artists will cover a wide range of folk and classical dance styles.

The Bridge Class schedule:

Monday, September 26, 2022 | Tina "Tino" Zoccoli-Mayers (Yoga) at 10am

Tino will focus on restorative practices to prevent and/or heal injuries for dancers and athletes. They will pair Vinyasa and Yin yoga-"Yin and Vin"-- to stretch, condition and heal the aerobic anatomical system. S/he will help students prepare, simply, wherever they practice, a psycho-somatic space and body consciousness for the gentle, extended cool-down with Yin yoga, invented by American yogis along the Pacific Ocean coast, incorporating Chinese Medicine. Please prepare if possible to bring: a yoga mat; blankets/towels; 2 yoga blocks (or: books, soup cans); a yoga strap (or: fabric belt, towel) and any other soothing or healing object.

Wednesday, September 28, 2022 | Rio (Kinetic Spiral) at 10am

Tapping into the creative energy of the universe through Kinetic Spiral. Nai-Ni Chen's signature technique is based on the principle of ever-changing universal forces of Yin and Yang to cultivate the dancer's vital energy Chi (Qi) allowing the dancer to achieve higher performance with less effort. By focusing on breathing and images, Kinetic Spiral also balances the spiritual, mental and physical energy of the dancer. The Kinetic Spiral Technique forms the foundation of Nai-Ni Chen's style of cross-cultural movement and embodies her efforts to work in the intersection of culture and race, advocating for equity with grace and power.

In this trying time of change and uncertainty, the arts are a source of healing and unity, we would like to encourage everyone to support dance as dance is an essential medicine for the society to recover from the pandemic that has caused injury to our bodies and our hearts. Support for The Bridge can be sent through https://www.nainichen.org/donate.

About the Artists:

First trained to teach aerobic, "flowing" Vinyasa yoga with the NYC-based Yoga to the People at their San Francisco and Berkeley, California studio locations, Tina "Tino" Zoccoli-Mayers started in classical ballet in Ridgewood, NJ and had their first job in the Washington Ballet's Studio Company 2004-5 in Washington, DC. Next, as an honor's student at Stanford University, CA, they were blessed to meet the West Coast, postmodern dance pioneer, Anna Halprin, and later danced at her famed "Mountain Home Studio" outside over the redwood forests of Marin County, CA. Currently, Tino continues to transition in modern and postmodern dancing, using writing, film and New Genre studies to heal from chronic illness with art and dance therapies. They debuted their first, original, movement theater solo, "S/he, or S/hekinah" with Vangeline's Queer Butoh 18 on the Lower East Side.

Born in Tokyo, Japan. At age of 3, Rio Kikuchi began ballet training at Studio Benus in Japan and later she was introduced to Tap and Jazz. She took Summer Intensive at Kirov Academy of Ballet of Washington, DC in 2015. She also studied ballet technique and pointe work privately with Luis Villanueva. In 2017, Rio moved to New York and was offered a scholarship to study at The School of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. In addition, she received a scholarship at Alonzo King Lines Ballet Summer Program in 2019. She performed with Alvin Ailey Dance Theater at New York City Center in 2018. A member of the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, Rio is also a certified Gyrokinesis® instructor.

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