HT Chen and Dancers to Perform as Part of UB's KeyBank Dance Series

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- The Center for the Arts at the University at Buffalo will present HT Chen and Dancers at 8 p.m. on March 29 in the Mainstage Theatre in the Center for the Arts on the UB North (Amherst) Campus. The performance is sponsored by KeyBank.

Founded in 1978 by HT Chen, HT Chen & Dancers are at the forefront of contemporary dance and Asian-American performing Arts. HT Chen has studied dance at New York University, The Julliard School, and the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance. After choreographing and performing for numerous years at the La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club in New York City, Chen decided to present his own work and formed HT Chen & Dancers. The company has appeared in many important venues for contemporary dance in the United States, and they have toured in Europe twice and Asia seven times.

As a choreographer, Chen acts as a voice for his community by describing his experiences and influences through his work. This important artistic statement combines a repertoire of dances rooted in Chinese legend and folktales which, when fused with Chen's awareness, enlightens audiences both familiar and unfamiliar with Asian culture.

With its home base in New York City, HT Chen & Dancers has evolved into the nation's largest Asian American dance institution and was a recipient of the prestigious Organizational Development Pilot NEA grant, awarded to only five dance companies nationwide. In addition to performing and touring, it has developed ongoing programs for the community through a performing arts school, black box theater, and numerous educational residencies. Since 1996, the company has worked with the dance department at LaGuardia High School in NYC in a mentorship program for youth professionals.

The Center for the Arts hosts HT Chen & Dancers for a two-week residency March 18 to April 1. In addition to providing 13 master classes for UB dance students, the company will give lecture demonstrations in several Buffalo schools including: Elmwood Village Charter School, Charter School of Applied Technology, Tapestry Charter School and The Lydia T. Wright School of Excellence. The activities are provided at no cost to the schools as part of the Center's community outreach initiatives.

As Western New York's premier presenter of dance, the Center for the Arts places great emphasis on developing dance in our community as well as introducing children to dance. Since 1997 the Center has conducted more than a dozen professional dance outreach projects to provide arts education for more than 23,000 students at schools primarily in the City of Buffalo and Niagara Falls. This is a major commitment by the Center, both financially and in terms of personnel, but it is part of a focused, continuous effort to enhance the education of Western New York students. Public school students receive less access to dance than any other professional performing art. The Center strives to nurture interest, as well as develop future audiences for this dynamic, athletic, and beautiful method of expression.

Tickets for HT Chen and Dancers are $18, students $10. Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday in the Center for the Arts Box Office and all Ticketmaster locations, including ticketmaster.com. To charge tickets, call 852-5000; in Canada, call 1-416-870-8000. For group sales, call 645-6771. For more information, call 645-ARTS. Students (of any school) must pre