Helen Chen

New York

Contributor at Bwog

scribe in a red dress

Featured in: Favicon

bwog.com

bkreader.com Favicon

theteenmagazine.com

Articles

"We Strangers" Examines The Intricacies Of The Home – Bwog

Mar 26, 2025 | bwog.com | Helen Chen

Senior staff writer Helen Chen reviews a movie from the Athena Film Festival. As a housekeeper, no one pays attention to her. The owners of the households talk and argue while she’s in the background. These scenes haunt We Strangers, one of the movies that aired at the Athena Film Festival, written and directed by Anu Valia. This film is Valia’s directorial debut and has already garnered acclaim at various film festivals.
Soñando Con Sabor: A Celebration of Latin Dance - Bwog

Dec 15, 2024 | bwog.com | Helen Chen

Lerner’s Roone Auditorium saw a night of stunning performances delivered by Columbia’s “First and Hottest Latinx Dance Troup,” CU Sabor. From Afro-Cuban salsa to baile to carnival performances, Sabor, Columbia’s “First and Hottest Latinx Dance Troupe” (according to their Instagram bio), put on a night of show-stopping performances that paid homage to the dynamic lineage of dance and music traditions across Latin America. Divided into two acts, Sabor presented fifteen performances.
CRB’s Fall Gala: Dancing Across Time - Bwog

Nov 13, 2024 | bwog.com | Helen Chen

CRB laid out a wide range of classical and contemporary ballet works in their Fall 2024 Gala, featuring six pieces. On November 8, Columbia Repertory Ballet (CRB) hosted its Fall 2024 Gala at Manhattan Movement and Arts Center. CRB was founded in 2019 and has programmed a range of classical and contemporary works.
A Vast Coming Of Age In NiNi Dongnier’s “it’s factual, so vast” - Bwog

Oct 11, 2024 | bwog.com | Helen Chen

Barnard Movement Lab features stunning coming-of-age exhibition. The Movement Lab is a single room, dimly lit, and divided by a curtain. To the left was a small screen, in a corner one could certainly miss, featuring a video of dancer and choreographer NiNi Dongnier, balancing her entire body on her hands against a gigantic ball of grass. Immediately, I felt placed in a sensory multiverse.
A First-Year’s Guide To NYC Transportation - Bwog

Aug 24, 2024 | bwog.com | Helen Chen

You better not get lost on the subway after reading this. As a rising first-year, by now you know NYC is a busy urban jungle with a very convenient transportation system that supports this busy lifestyle. It can be confusing to navigate the subways and buses at first, so we’ve laid out some tips for you below. Schedule/DirectionEach subway line will have two directions, one side usually labeled as Manhattan/Bronx or Uptown/Queens and Downtown/Manhattan or Brooklyn/Coney Island.
Columbia Student Reaches Settlement With Columbia University To Enforce Safety Escorts And Accommodations - Bwog

Jun 7, 2024 | bwog.com | Helen Chen

A lawsuit settlement between a Jewish Columbia student and Columbia stipulated that the University will provide greater public safety measures and academic accommodations. On June 4, the South District Court of New York settled a lawsuit between the plaintiff CS, a Jewish student at Columbia, and the defendant, Columbia University, over the plaintiff’s concerns with safety on campus. The two parties reached an agreement that included ten stipulations.
Dance It Out For Rawa - Bwog

Apr 9, 2024 | bwog.com | Helen Chen

A (competitive) night of celebrating African dance, storytelling, and music. On April 5th, Lerner’s Black Box Theater hosted RAWA 2024, an African dance team competition hosted by Columbia’s African dance team, Ijoya. Rawa means “to dance” in Hausa, capturing the infinite possibilities of dance as expression. Ijoya is Columbia’s first African dance team. The group is focused on showcasing African dances and African-rooted dance styles.
Your Personality As Destiny’s Child Songs - Bwog

Mar 20, 2024 | bwog.com | Helen Chen

Ever wondered if you could take another personality test…what that looks like? Hey friends. If you were ever obsessed with Buzzfeed quizzes that can guess your hair color or MBTI tests or horoscopes or anything that looks like an enjoyable shortcut to figuring out your true self, this is for you. Corresponds to 1 point, B) corresponds to 2 points, and C) corresponds to 3 points Best dining hall for breakfast HewittFerrisJohn Jay2. You overslept for your 8:40 (it’s 9 now) so you decide to…Screw it.
Athena Film Festival Closing Film: The Persian Version - Bwog

Mar 7, 2024 | bwog.com | Helen Chen

Maryam Keshavarz’s love letter to her own family history. Closing credits, The Persian Version, via Helen ChenAs the lights went off, audiences embraced the very last film of the four-day Athena Film Festival held at Barnard College.
Columbia’s Newest Major: Rizzology - Bwog

Feb 15, 2024 | bwog.com | Helen Chen

In 2022 Columbia University made it possible for its undergraduates to pursue a climate science major. Right on its heels to democratize knowledge beyond the ivory towers of academia—to connect learning with real world applications—Columbia recently introduced another new major: Rizzology. It is a major of high demand and will be accessible for undergraduates across all four schools and will share an office with the Department of Sociology.