Mei-Kuang Chen, M.F.A.

About

Ms. Chen was born in Taipei, Taiwan and began her dance training in Chinese opera dance and ballet. After graduating with honors from an intensive dance program at Tainan Jounior College, Ms. Chen moved to the United States in 1993. Since then, she has earned a BFA in Dance from Ohio State University and a two year scholarship in completing the graduate program from the dance department of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana.

Upon graduating, Ms. Chen danced professionally with Hedwig Dances from 1999-2007. She became the Artistic Associate for the company in 2002. She was hailed at her debut by the Chicago Sun-Times as a “dancer of tremendous authority.” Throughout her dance career, Ms. Chen had the opportunity to perform and create original dances with many of leading contemporary choreographers: Bill Young, Jan Erkert, Jawole Willa Jo Zollar, Renee Wadleigh, and Jan Bartoszek,to name a few.

In 2003, Ms. Chen received the prestigious Chicago Dance Achievement Award and was honored by the Taiwanese Cultural Center for Outstanding Contribution that same year. Ms. Chen enjoys collaborating and performing with many international dance artists as well. The most recent were with Jin-Wen Yu and Chong-Fu Zhang, both former Cloud Gate Dance members of Taiwan, and with Maray Gutierrez and Victor Alexander from Cuba.

Presently a faculty member of the Dance program at Loyola University Chicago, the Academy of Movement and Music in Oak Park, and the resident dance company member of MOMENTA, Ms. Chen continues to perform, choreograph, and teach. 

Degrees

M.F.A., University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana
B.F.A., Ohio State University