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Philein Wang
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
An award-winning Chinese-American poet/choreographer
and distinguished Artistic Director,
Philein Wang leads ZiRu Dance.
Artistic Director, Ziru Dance
Over the last half century, Philein has firsthand lived through racism as a native of Oakland, California. As a result, she has developed deep ties to African-American, Latino-American, and other Asian-American communities over several decades.
Philein’s exploration of her own Chinese-American heritage led her to create a new dance form for the Chinese body and identity. Her goal is to build cross-cultural bridges, uniting generations of immigrants through a unique blend of dance elements from Asia, Europe, Africa, and America, in tandem with original music.
Using a distinct combination of influences – modern dance, ballet, martial arts, and hip hop – she hopes to create something unique to offer Asian Americans, so they have a way to feel at home in their bodies and minds.
“When a young Chinese person is feeling confused as I was,
and looking for answers to the question,
‘Who am I?’
Maybe this dance can help them find
their identity, their culture, and their strength.
Help them know where they belong.” – Philein Wang
Philein leads ZiRu Dance with an intrinsic understanding of how one experiences racism in this country. ZiRu is a company committed to continually bringing to light how we can grow and evolve in positive ways. This process of growth and healing from difficult, shocking, and divisive events and environments in the U.S. and worldwide is at the core of ZiRu Dance’s mission and work.
When she’s not directing, choreographing, or raising her young family, Philein is dedicated to building new investment and community bridges to support the company. Philein is also a partner at SV2 (Silicon Valley Social Venture Philanthropy).
Learn more about the mission of Ziru Dance here.
