Ziying Cui (Tsui), PhD

Ziying Cui is a dancer, choreographer, and scholar who recently completed her PhD in Dance at Temple University. Since graduation, she has worked as an Adjunct Professor at Temple University and a writer for the thINKingDANCE journal based in Philadelphia. Cui’s dissertation research focuses on the hybridity of Chinese dance and ballet in postsocialist China. She is also interested in the development of ballet in China/Chinese diaspora as well as transnational Chinese dance practices. She has presented her research at several dance conferences, including the Association for Asian Performance and Dance Studies Association.

As a dancer and choreographer, Cui earned her MFA in Contemporary Dance at Case Western Reserve University, where she learned Graham technique with a former principal of Martha Graham Dance Company and engaged her Chinese dance background with modern dance in her choreography. Before studying in the US, she earned her BA at Beijing Dance Academy (BDA) and gained teaching certification for the Graded Exam of Chinese Dance and Ballet. With more than ten years of experience in dance education, she taught Chinese dance and ballet in Beijing and Hebei in China and many dance studios in Cleveland and Philadelphia in the US. Simultaneously, she has served as a judge for dance competitions, choreographed new dances for dance studios, and coached private lessons for students in dance competitions and art exams for college admissions.