Fang-Yi Sheu (; born 1971) is a

Taiwanese-American Taiwanese Americans () are Americans who carry full or partial ancestry from Taiwan. This includes American-born citizens who descend from migrants from Taiwan. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, 49% of Taiwanese Americans lived in the state of Califo ...

dancer and choreographer. She was a principal dancer with the

Martha Graham Dance Company The Martha Graham Dance Company, founded in 1926, is known for being the oldest American dance company. Founded by Martha Graham as a contemporary dance company, it continued to perform pieces, revive classics, and train dancers even after Graham's ...

, then founded LAFA & Artists Dance Company with Bulareyaung Pagarlava in 2006 and Fang-Yi Sheu & Artists in 2011.

Early life and education

Sheu was born in Yilan County, an agricultural area in northeastern Taiwan. Her father ran a pharmacy. she entered a local dance school at fourth grade, and later attended Hwa Kang Arts School in Taipei. She then studied at the National Institute of the Arts (now

Taipei National University of the Arts The Taipei National University of the Arts (TNUA; ) is a national university in Guandu, Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. History The preparatory committees to establish the school was formed on 22 October 1980. The National Institute of the Art ...

) in Taipei, where she studied the

Graham technique Graham technique is a modern dance movement style and pedagogy created by American dancer and choreographer Martha Graham (1894–1991). Graham technique has been called the "cornerstone" of American modern dance, and has been taught worldwi ...

with Ross Parkes, a former

principal dancer.

Career

In 1994, she moved to the U.S. to study dance, sponsored by the

Council for Cultural Affairs The Ministry of Culture (MOC, ) is the ministry of the Republic of China (Taiwan) that promotes cultural and creative industries. The ministry also maintains thNational Repository of Cultural Heritage History Established in 1981 by Executive Y ...

. The following year, she joined the

in New York City, was promoted to soloist in 1995 and principal in 1997. She was praised by the New York critics, with some calling her 'finest present-day embodiment of the Graham technique and tradition." She returned to Taiwan in 2006. In 2007, Sheu founded LAFA & Artists Dance Company with fellow Taiwanese dancer Bulareyaung Pagarlava, and performed at

Jacob's Pillow Dance Jacob's Pillow is a dance center, school and performance space located in Becket, Massachusetts, in the Berkshires. The organization is known for a Summer dance festival. The facility also includes a professional school and extensive archives a ...

that year. The same year, she became an artist-in-residence with the

Baryshnikov Arts Center The Baryshnikov Arts Center (BAC) is a foundation and arts complex opened by Mikhail Baryshnikov in 2005 at 450 West 37th Street between Ninth and Tenth Avenues in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City. The top three floor ...

. LAFA & Artists disbanded in 2010, and she returned to New York. In 2011, she founded Fang-Yi Sheu & Artists, which led to her working with dancers such as

Wendy Whelan Wendy Whelan (; born May 7, 1967) is an American ballet dancer. She was principal dancer with the New York City Ballet and performed with the company for 30 years, and toured in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Whelan has also been an influential gue ...

Tyler Angle This is a list of New York City Ballet dancers. Principal dancers Soloists This is a list of New York City Ballet soloists. Corps de ballet The following is a list of the current members of the corps de ballet. * Victor Abreu * Devin Albe ...

and Craig Hall, and choreographers such as

Christopher Wheeldon Christopher Peter Wheeldon OBE (born 22 March 1973) is an English international choreographer of contemporary ballet. Life and career Born in Yeovil, Somerset, to an engineer and a physical therapist, Wheeldon began training to be a ballet dan ...

and Akram Khan. In Taiwan, Sheu started a campaign named "Body art" in 2012, which promotes dance to the general public. In films, she appeared as a dance teacher in the 2012 film ''

Touch of the Light ''Touch of the Light'' () is a 2012 Taiwanese drama film directed by Chang Jung-chi. The film was selected as the Taiwanese entry for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, but i ...

'', and as twin sisters, a princess and a Taoist nun, in the 2015 film '' The Assassin''. Sheu also starred in and choreographed the dance scenes in the autobiographical film ''

Salute A salute is usually a formal hand gesture or other action used to display respect in military situations. Salutes are primarily associated with the military and law enforcement, but many civilian organizations, such as Girl Guides, Boy Sco ...

''; the film was released in 2022. For the film, Sheu won the Best Action Choreography at the 59th Golden Horse Awards.

Recognition

Sheu was listed as one of

Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" Dance Magazine's "25 to Watch" is an annual list published by Dance Magazine of leading young dancers and choreographers, as well as new dance companies and trends in dance. The list is printed in the January issue of the magazine each year. ...

in 2005. Also in 2005, she was awarded the

Order of Brilliant Star Order of Brilliant Star () is a civilian order of the Republic of China (Taiwan) recognizing outstanding contributions to the development of the nation. The order is instituted in 1941 and can be awarded to both domestic and foreign nationals. ...

with Cravat. She won the National Award for Arts at age 36, making her the youngest recipient of the award.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sheu, Fang-Yi 1971 births Living people Taiwanese female dancers Taiwanese dancers Modern dancers Taiwanese emigrants to the United States People from Yilan County, Taiwan Recipients of the Order of Brilliant Star 20th-century dancers 21st-century dancers