Welcome to our 37th #womanoftheweek! Today, we will be discussing Muna Tseng, a Chinese American Dancer! Enjoy!
Born in Hong Kong, Muna Tseng is a dancer and choreographer. She learned Chinese folk dance growing up, and believed dance would be her “creative outlet”. Tseng and her family later moved to Vancouver, Canada. Tseng noted that dance helped her “deal with the trauma of being transplanted from one culture to another.”
She started training at 13 years old, and had her professional debut at just 18. She choreographed for the show, designed for it and danced in it. Her debut impressed several, such as Gerald Arpino of the Joffrey Ballet from New York. In 1984, Tseng founded Muna Tseng Dance Projects to work with other Asian artists and composers. The company would go on to create productions that would be toured in the US and internationally. Tseng also collaborates with her brother Tseng Kwong Chi as his creative director for his performative conceptual photography.
Muna Tseng is recognized globally for her visual art, dance and choreography as she manages to infuse both western and Chinese culture into her work. She also lectures about various topics regarding performance to discuss her career to a wider audience. She was awarded the Bessie Award for Choreography/Creation in 1999. “I do not avoid beauty, luminosity, pain, or ugliness. I want to create a theatrical presence that is as real and palpable as grasping a stone or tasting your tears.”
This is a Woman of the Week article, a weekly deep dive into an amazing women of color. For more incredible stories like this one, check out our article on Kamal Ranadive and Sarah Winnemuca! Make sure to follow us at@likeagirlglobalon Instagram for more updates and original content!
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