H.T. Chen is Artistic Director/Founder of Chen Dance Center, comprised of H.T. Chen & Dancers, School and Theater in Chinatown, NY. As a choreographer, he has been a positive voice for his community and created a body of work that address themes of Chinese- American labor, immigration and acculturation. His background in traditional and contemporary dance is influenced by several years work at La MaMa Experimental Theatre.

H.T. Chen’s professional credits include choreographing and performing in Off-Broadway productions, television, and the concert stage. He has taught at the Navajo Community College, and the New York University Department of Dance and Dance Education. Mr. Chen worked with Dance Theater Workshop’s National Performance Network, and coordinated the Asian Arts Partnership Program (AAPP), which served as an ongoing cultural exchange between American and Asian artists. Mr. Chen has also been an Arts America speaker for the United States Information Service (U.S.I.S.) to the Island of Mauritius.

H.T. Chen has been the recipient of numerous awards, including Fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts; a New York State CAPS grant; a Jerome Foundation grant; and a Meet the Composer grant. H.T. Chen & Dancers received the New York State Governor’s Awards for artistic achievement and contributions to communities. Mr. Chen was the recipient of the BESSIES Special Citation, the Mayor’s Award for Arts and Culture, a Lifetime Achievement Award from The Organization of Chinese Americans, and the Special Recognition Award for Community Service from the CUNY Asian Alumni Association.

Mr. Chen is a graduate of the University of Chinese Culture in Taiwan, The Juilliard School and New York University.

Dian Dong organizes and designs the education programs for Chen Dance Center, including for The School, community outreach classes, as well as workshops and performances serving schools citywide. With the Dance Education Lab, Dian recently helped design a new K-12 curriculum for the NYC Dept of Education on The History of Chinatown Through the Lens Of Dance. She has also participated in the Kennedy Center’s Capacity Building Program led by Michael Kaiser, and attended the Executive Program for Non-Profit Leaders - Arts at Stanford Graduate Business School. She and H.T. Chen are the recipients of the 2012 Mid-Career Award from the Martha Hill Dance Fund.

Dian is a graduate of The Juilliard School and studied with Shirley Ubell, Vladimir Doukodovsky, Alfredo Corvino and Doris Rudko. She has worked with H.T. Chen & Dancers, Anna Sokolow’s Players’ Project, Kathryn Posin, Janet Soares, Lance Westergard, Kazuko Hirabayashi, Lincoln Center Institute, the ADF 25th Anniversary Repertory Co, Walter Nicks, and the national tour of The King & I. She has taught at NYU School of Education, the Center for Modern Dance Education, and Chen Dance Center.