Jessica Chen
Contemporary Dance
Coming June 25th - JChen Mask Workshop!
J CHEN PROJECT is a New York based contemporary dance company founded in 2008. Artistic Director, Jessica Chen, holds a B.A. in Global Studies from the UC Santa Barbara. Upon graduation, Jessica was accepted into The Ailey School and moved to NYC. Moving swiftly through the dance community she landed a job on the Broadway Dance Center (BDC) staff, where she worked for several years.
She has performed the work of choreographers including Julian Barnett, Camille A. Brown, Darcy Naganuma and Juan-Antonio Rodriguez of Complexions. Her own work has been seen at the DUMBO Dance Festival, Cool NEW YORK, Amnesty International Arts Festival, Choreographers Canvas, HATCH Presenting Series, Solar One and more.
In 2010, PMT Seasonal Showcases commissioned J CHEN PROJECT’S first evening length show, which sold out. After the success of the show, Jessica was invited to choreograph a production for the USA Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai and stay as Guest Artist for JAZZduFUNK, the premiere dance company in Shanghai. Returning from Asia, Jessica was asked to be the 2011 Keynote Speaker for the “Celebration of Asian American Women” at Cornell University. Currently she is performing, teaching and speaking at universities across the nation and creating a new evening length show titled, “TO IDENTIFY,” which premieres in October 2011 in NYC.
For more on Jessica Chen, visit her website at www.jchenproject.com.
Class Description:
Jessica’s contemporary class starts with the fundamentals from ballet and modern techniques to get the joints and muscles warmed up. Once the body is warm, dancers are guided in a stretch to elongate their muscles. The choreography and phrase work emphasizes musicality and intention in the movement. Part of the process includes experimenting with guided improvisation both individual and contact. This class encourages dancers to push their technique to the next level and also nourishes the potential of developing performers.