Latest News

Eight Strokes & the Moving Word 08-09

In The Company News

When: Fall 2008- Spring 2009
Who: Grades 3-8
Where: Chen Dance Center

What:
Performance
Presented by H.T. Chen and Dancers, Eight Strokes and the Moving Word is an innovative one -hour performance with live narration, audience interaction, video presentation, and vibrant dance excerpts of traditional and contemporary dance. Teachers receive an extensive study guide to help students make the most of their experience.

Workshops:
Traditional Arts Workshop: A 90-minute workshop exploring traditional Chinese calligraphy and ribbon dance.
Choreography Workshop: A 60-minute workshop exploring ideas and images through movement.

For more information, please visit PROGRAMMING.

To attend a performance or a workshop:
Advance reservations are required. SIGN UP HERE to receive the latest information.

Fall Classes Sept. 5-Jan. 18

In The School News

Fall Semester Registration
The Fall Semester will begin September 5th and run 17 weeks through January 18th.

For Continuing Students:
Piano Classes: Fall piano tuition must be paid before August 12th (for continuing students) in order to guarantee the continued class time from the Spring of 08. Those who wish to change their class time, or new piano students can begin registering on August 15th .
Dance Classes:Please register by August 18th to guarantee class enrollment.

For New Students:
Open Fall Semester Enrollment begins August 15th for all new students.
To register, please visit our office at 70 Mulberry St., 2nd Fl., NYC, 10013

For more information, please email or call 212-349-0126

To View and Download the Fall Schedule
20080905-School_Fall_Schedule.pdf

“My Summer Intership at CDC” by Joy Heller

In Chen Dance Center News

Hi! My name is Joy Heller (2nd from right), and I�m a junior at Haverford College, a small liberal arts school located outside of Philadelphia, PA. This summer, with support from Haverford�s Center for Peace and Global Citizenship, I interned for nine weeks at Chen Dance Center, where I got a firsthand look at the management of a busy community arts organization in New York City. Bringing art to families, local artists, and audiences, CDC packs a lot of programming into one year, and summer is a crucial time to prepare for the busy upcoming season.

In July, I was joined by five other interns, Christie, Hong, Bei Bei, Tiffany, and Susan, all of whom attend high school in New York City, and together, we helped prepare programming for CDC�s Company, School, and Theater, as well as assisted daily operations. (Photo L to R: HT, Tracy, Christie, Hong, Bei Bei, Tiffany, Joy, Lucy)

Some of my projects included updating or redesigning organizational literature, including a 20-page study guide for Eight Strokes & the Moving Word, CDC�s popular educational program on Chinese history and culture. My daily office responsibilities included answering phone calls, taking reservations for rehearsal space from local artists, and helping to transfer CDC�s 30-year paper history onto digital databases.

During my internship, I had many opportunities to witness the complex process of arts funding and grant writing for CDC�s multiple projects. In addition to informal editing of final reports and proposals, I helped write a local community grant sponsored by the Bank of America for support of Eight Strokes & the Moving Word.

The high school interns worked together on a project for the School, making chiffon dance skirts for students. �For each skirt, we had to trace an outline, cut it out and sew it, and finally attach a ribbon belt,� said Christie Reyes. �This was my first time sewing, and I got a lot of practice working with people.�

Living and working in New York City meant that every day might carry a hidden surprise, and I rarely had a typical day at the office. I truly realized this when I found myself warming up in the studio, helping to audition male dancers for the upcoming season! My time with Chen Dance Center gave me an appreciation for the deeper layers of teamwork, tenacity, good humor, and dedication that stand behind every moment of performance. Thanks to Dian, HT, Lucy, and Tracy for welcoming me and the other interns into the office and sharing with us their knowledge and experiences. CDC showed me an inspired brand of community arts advocacy, devoted to getting art to new audiences and nurturing creative voices, and I won�t forget it anytime soon!

Chance to Dance Aug 16-17 at 1pm

In The School News

Date
Sat, Aug 16th at 1pm
Sun, Aug 17th at 1pm

Venue
Chen Dance Center
70 Mulberry St., 2nd Fl
New York, NY 10013

Admission
FREE

Event Description
Chen Dance Center’s Open House event provides students the opportunity to create short movement studies and share their love of dance with family and friends. Also featured will be Apple Dreams footage from the Winter Garden performances that incorporated community families and children. For more information, please call 212-349-0126.

newsteps auditions open call-Sept 11, noon-1pm

In The Theater News

CALL-IN: Thursday, Sept 11, noon-1pm (212-349-0126/0438)
*Choreographer has to call-in to receive an audition slot!*

APPLICATION DUE:Friday, Sept 19
By fax:212-349-0494; by email:info@chendancecenter.org

AUDITIONS:Friday, Sept 26, 5-8pm, Saturday, Sept 27 5-7pm

PERFORMANCES: Thursday-Saturday, Nov 20-22, 2008 @ 7:30PM

Chen Dance Center (CDC) (formerly Mulberry St Theater) announces auditions for the Fall 2008 newsteps series, featuring emerging choreographers in New York City who are producing new works and works-in-progress. This semi-annual series, est. in 1995, has presented over 148 artists and is dedicated to providing support and performance opportunities for experimental, innovative, and risk-taking works. A total of 4 - 6 choreographers will be presented in three performances from Thu- Sat, November 20 � 22, 2008. An artist honorarium, free rehearsal space, and publicity are provided to selected choreographers.

Each choreographer may propose up to 10 minutes of work for the series. All works must be new or in progress, and should not be performed in New York City three months prior to, or after, the newsteps performances. Arrangements must be made in advance for pieces having special technical needs or requiring clean-up.

AUDITION and APPLICATION
Choreographers should call CDC on Thursday, September 11 between Noon and 1 PM. Upon calling CDC, each will be assigned a 10-minute audition slot on either Friday, September 26 or Saturday, September 27. Those who receive an audition slot will also receive an application, which must be returned to CDC by Friday, September 19. For the audition, each choreographer may present up to 7 minutes of work(s), with the remaining time left for discussion with the audition panel.

THEATER INFORMATION

Stage dimensions: 23�W X 21�L X15�H
Floor: Black marley on wooden dance floor
Lighting: General wash for the audition
Sound: CD, cassette player
Location: 70 Mulberry Street, 2nd Floor
New York, NY 10013

View Larger Map

Chen Dance Center (CDC) is an intimate, black box performance space dedicated to providing professional opportunities for artists and promoting development of new audiences. CDC co-presents independent artists through three modern dance series: Co-Presentation, newsteps, and Ear to the Ground. As a modern dance presenter, CDC supports the development of young artists by providing a professional theater space in which artists of high caliber have the freedom to experiment with risk-taking new work and receive visibility in the dance community and press.

�The Mulberry Street Theater is a small, dark, corner where theatrical magic seems about to happen.�
- Jennifer Dunning, New York Times -