Li-Chou Cheng
Master teacher.
Mr. Cheng was born in Shanghai, China. He started his professional training when he
was thirteen at the Beijing Dance Academy, the first national dance school in China
built by Chinese government with Vaganova syllabus under Pyter Gushchev, the
former artistic director of the Kirov Ballet's direction. At the age of nineteen he
joined the Beijing Central Ballet (the National Ballet of China) as a soloist. He also
served as a Ballet Master and rehearsal director for the company from 1970 till he left
from this country.
After immigrating to the United States in 1980 he held position as Assistant professor
at the University of Utah and Arizona State University for six years. In 1988, Li-Chou
was invited by Bruce Marks to join Boston Ballet as a Principal Teacher for both the
Boston Ballet Company and Boston Ballet Academy.
Mr. Cheng has been as the Ballet Master in residence at TCU since 1990 and was
promoted to Professor of Professional Practice in Ballet and Modern Dance in 2005.
Mr. Cheng is in demand nationwide as a master teacher. He has frequently worked
with many ballet companies and their sunmer dance programs such as Boston Ballet,
Pittsburgh Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Ballet West, Ballet Met, Ballet Austin, Indianapolis
Ballet, Eugene Ballet, Ballet Oregon" Lexington Ballet, North Carolina School of the
Arts and Walnut Hill School of Arts.
His intemational teaching experience includes the National Ballet School of Canada,
Mexico Institute of Arts, Taipei National University of Arts , Taiwan Cloud Gate
Dance Company, Taipei Dance Forum and Pen-Wa School of Ballet in Macau
Mr. Cheng's many choreographic works have been staged for TCU and other
professional schools summer dance programs. He has also restaged classical ballets
and Pas de deux as well.
He was invited as a Master teacher work for both of the America College Dance
Festival Association and the America Regional Ballet Festival. He has been an
adjudicator for the Southeast Regional Ballet Competition and was served as the
member of the Grant Panelist for Ft. Worth Arts Council in 2001-2004.
Recently Mr. Cheng has received Larry White Dance Educator Award from Dance
Council in September 2007.
Return to 2008 Summer Intensive
Photo Credit
Dancer: Lonnie Weeks, Michelle LeBoeuf. Photo: Warren McCoy.