Xinyi Zhang
Founder of Xinyi Dance Studio & Xinyi Dance Company | Dancer | Choreographer | Young Dance Educator
Choreographer, performer, and artistic director Xinyi Zhang is an award-winning artist whose work bridges tradition and innovation, weaving the depth of Chinese philosophy and ancestry into the language of contemporary dance.
As the founder and artistic director of Xinyi Dance Company, Zhang has premiered original works in New York theaters and internationally. In 2025, she led her company in performances presented by the Henan Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism at the United Nations and collaborated with the Hebei Provincial Department of Culture and Tourism on the filming of an original dance production. She also choreographed for New York Fashion Week SS26 and the Dr. Henry Lee (Li Changyu) Cultural Event hosted by Pinease.
Previously, Zhang was a dancer with the José Limón Dance Company, performing in iconic repertory works including Missa Brevis, The Unsung, and The Winged at The Joyce Theater, Alvin Ailey Theater, and Mark Morris Dance Center. She also danced with Ad Deum Dance Company in Houston and performed internationally in works such as Coexistence in Cincinnati, The Firebird in Houston, My Mulan in Toronto, and Dream of the Red Chamber—in which she portrayed Daiyu—at the University of Minnesota.
Zhang’s artistic journey began in Beijing, where she trained at the Affiliated High School of the Beijing Dance Academy. She won Third Prize in the 9th Tao Li Cup with her solo Spring Dawn and First Prize in the North China Five Provinces Dance Competition. Early stage highlights include performances at the Great Hall of the People for the World Women University Presidents Forum, the 60th Anniversary Gala of the Beijing Dance Academy, and CCTV-11’s Grand Garden of Peking Opera. She was also featured as Bai Suzhen in Broken Bridge by renowned choreographer Hu Yan.
Her choreography has been commissioned and presented by the Chain Theatre, Iris Cantor Theatre, Alpha Omega Theatrical Dance Company, Spark Theater Festival NYC, and NYU’s Steinhardt School of Music and Performing Arts Professions—where she created the large-scale interdisciplinary work Heaven & Earth in collaboration with Jonathan Haas, Deborah Damast, and Pius Cheung. Her piece Resonance placed in the Top 12 at YAGP in the senior contemporary division, and she has collaborated with distinguished choreographers including Deborah Damast, Randall Flinn, and Durell R. Comedy.
In addition to performance and choreography, Zhang is a dedicated educator with over eight years of teaching experience in the U.S. and China. Her students have won top prizes at national competitions such as YAGP, KAR, and Showstopper, and she has successfully coached students through dance entrance exams. She is a Certified Teacher with the American Ballet Theatre (all levels), Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT), and the Beijing Dance Academy’s Chinese Dance system (all levels).
Her choreographic voice is rooted in the fusion of contemporary and traditional Chinese dance vocabularies, through which she explores ancient aesthetics, symbolism, and philosophy. By drawing from the past to reflect the present, her work evokes shared emotional landscapes across time—allowing modern audiences to find connection in the spirit, beauty, and humanity of historical narratives.
Zhang holds a Master’s degree from New York University (where she received the Outstanding Artistry Award) and a BFA from the Beijing Dance Academy, with comprehensive training in both Western and Chinese dance systems. Whether on stage or in the studio, her work reflects versatility, depth, and a bold commitment to cross-cultural storytelling through movement.