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Chen Dance Company to perform at Delta State

By February 3, 2015Archives and Museum
Delta State University, the City of Cleveland and the MS Delta Chinese Heritage Museum will present H.T. Chen Dance Company's performance of "South of Gold Mountain." Photo credit: Joe Boniello

Delta State University, the City of Cleveland and the Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum (MDCHM) announce H.T. Chen Dance Company’s performance of South of Gold Mountain.

Chen Dance Center (CDC), the nation’s largest Asian-American dance institution, announced that H.T. Chen and Dancers’ U.S. tour will kick off Chinese New Year on Saturday, Feb. 21 with a dance-theater event at 2 p.m. in Jobe Auditorium on Delta State’s campus. Open dress rehearsal will be held Feb. 20 at 7 p.m.

In celebration of Chinese New Year, the H.T. Chen Dance Company will be in residency at Delta State from Feb. 16-22. Throughout the week, movement workshops led by Chen Dance Company’s Associate Director Dian Dong and company dancers will include the traditional Chinese Ribbon Dance, contemporary dance and fitness demonstrations.

Delta State Archivist Emily Jones has worked closely on this opportunity and is looking forward to its arrival.

“I have seen our Delta history written about and photographed and even been the muse of songwriters for decades. I am excited to see our history put to dance!,” said Jones.

MDCHM Board President Raymond Wong said, “It’s our great pleasure to welcome H.T. Chen and Dancers to Cleveland. We were honored to be included in their research of Chinese immigrants lured to America by the promise of gold and a better life. The blending of Chinese music with Deep South Blues is amazing, and we’re thrilled to present this Lunar New Year gift to you.”

A meet-the-artist reception and audience Q&A will be held post-performance Saturday, Feb. 21. It will be moderated by Frieda Quon, associate professor emeritus at Delta State, Gilroy Chow, MDCHM board member and President Wong. Lunar New Year refreshments will be provided through support from the Chinese American Citizens Alliance’s Mississippi Lodge.

For reserved tickets, contact Emily Jones at archives@deltastate.edu or call 662.846.4781. Because of generous grants and donor support, this performance is provided to the public free of charge. However, a donation can be made to support future programming and the growing museum located within the Charles W. Capps, Jr. Archives & Museum building.

“We’re happy to accept donations from these wonderful performances to support the history and heritage of the MS Delta Chinese,” said Wong.

H.T. Chen and Dancers performs innovative pieces blending contemporary dance with traditional Asian aesthetics. For more information, visit www.chendancecenter.org/

The Mississippi Delta Chinese Heritage Museum promotes local heritage preservation by actively collecting for future generations the oral histories, memorabilia, photographs and textiles related to the history and accounts of the Mississippi Delta Chinese immigration and settlement. The collection is located at Capps Archive & Museum building and is free and open to the public.

This project was made possible by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council, through support from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the Mississippi Humanities Council.