ChingChi Yu

ChingChi Yu is a dancer, choreographer, and wellness movement & dance educator.

Born and raised in Taiwan, ChingChi was in LanLing Theater, a leader in the modern theater movement in Taiwan, for seven years before relocating to California in 1986. She has had the honor of dancing in works by Anda Abramovici, Kimiko Guthrie, Eric Kupers, Aileen Kim, Colleen Mulvihill, Claudine Naganuma, Nancy Ng, Xiao Ping Liu-Moore, Carol Kueffer, Liv Schaffer, and she was a founding member of Dandelion Dance Theater. In January 2023, ChingChi joined Dance Generators, a cross generation dance troop aging from 18 to 91. ChingChi discovered choreography as a dance student at UC Berkeley, and upon graduating joined Unbound Spirit Dance Company as resident choreographer for many years. Her work has been presented in the Concept series, Dance Up Close/East Bay, Shawl Anderson Dance Salon, Dance Is Festival, Summer Fest, ODC Pilot, Choreographer's showcase/Foot Work, Dance-A-Rama, 8x8x8, Unbound Spirit Dance Company concerts and shared concerts curated by various Bay Area artists/companies such as Laura Renaud-Wilson, Claudine Naganuma, Dandelion Dance Theater, and Naka Dance Theater. In 2016, ChingChi, Ann DiFruscia and Carol Kueffer produced “Sisters and Druthers” Dance concert. During the pandemic, she started exploring films. Her first dance film, Grove, was successfully screened in May 2021.  ChingChi just co-produced her most recent show "Undercurrents" with Carol Kueffer.  It was an afternoon of dance, physical comedy and dance theater by Carol and ChingChi with live music by violinist Linda Green, and an art exhibit of sculptures by Norman Moore. It was a multi-discipline event.

ChingChi’s work is theatrical and usually has an emotional component.  Her theater experience greatly influenced her choreography, which utilizes theatrical imagery, whole body expressions, pedestrian movements, and intriguing character interactions to express a potently wide range of emotions and human experience.

ChingChi enjoys teaching, loves sharing the joy of dancing and connecting with people of all ages. She is currently teaching at Shawl-Anderson Dance Center, Berkeley Public Library and South Berkeley Senior Center.

ChingChi is very proud of herself that at age 64, she is still dancing vigorously and making dances. “Dance is a catalyst for life. I connect my body, mind, and emotions through dance. It is THE tool I use to express myself, to explore, to understand the world, to share, and to connect with people. Dance is life!"

Awards: City of Berkeley Individual Artist Grant and Shawl Anderson Artist In Residence Frank Shawl Residency.

IG: @Chingchi_Yu