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The Dance Enthusiast's Social Distance Dance Video Series: Choreographer Nai-Ni Chen says, You Are "Not Alone"
Nai-Ni Shares An Excerpt of her Choreography and Talks About How She is Handling Life During Our Time of Isolation
The Video Above is an Excerpt from
Not Alone
Choreography: Nai-Ni Chen
Music: Chen Yi
Lighting Design: Yi-Chung Chen
Costumes: Anna-Alisa Belous
Musicians: PRISM Quartet - Zachary Shemon, soprano saxophone;
Robert Young, alto saxophone; Matthew Levy, tenor saxophone;
Taimur Sullivan, baritone saxophone
Dancers: Greta Campo, Ekaterina Chernikhova, Justin Dominic,
Eunkyung Hong, Daniel Johnson, Yoosik Kim, Kristen Lau
The original inspiration for this work, for both the choreographer and the composer, came from the Tang Dynasty poem , Drinking Alone Under the Moon by Li Bai.
The poem describes the poet being alone in a garden. The moon and his shadow become his companions.
The choreographer brings this idea to modern life in an urban setting. She created a series of “mindscapes” which are the result of the exploration of the different mental and physical states of being alone.
Through self-examination, Nai-Ni Chen, wonders, "Are we ever really alone?
Our physical being may be standing by itself, but what about our introspective being? "
When we are still, we let our thoughts pass by like flowing water. If we could engage with our shadows, what would it be like?
The Dance Enthusiast: Nai- Ni, how are you? How is your family? And how are you handling staying at home?
The Dance Enthusiast: How are you communicating with friends /family and those not in your home?
Nai-Ni Chen: We have done a lot of phone calls and video conferencing.
The Dance Enthusiast: What are you doing about "moving" at home? How do you stay in dance shape?
Nai-Ni Chen: Some dancers have been taking lessons through video streaming. I do my own work out in the morning and take a hike in the woods in my neighborhood where there are very few people around. My company is starting today with a company class online, so we can spend time together and keep connecting with each other as best we can.
Interview with Nai Ni Chen Part of The Dance Enthusiast's 2014 Dance Up Close Series
To Read the Original Dance Up Close article talking about the creation of "Not Alone"written by A. Nia Austin-Edwards ,click here
The Dance Enthusiast: What keeps your spirit up right now?
Nai-Ni Chen: Reading, cleaning, organizing files, and videos, going through our photos, and costumes. There is a lot of work that I did not have time to do in the past which I have a chance to do now.
Spring is here. Listen to the birds, watch the new bud growing on the tree and popping out of the ground. The sun is still shining on us. This virus is temporary. We just have to be patient.
The Dance Enthusiast: What are you eating?
The Dance Enthusiast: What are you most looking forward to when this is over?
The Dance Enthusiast: What would you like to say to your colleagues,your audiences. and our readers?
