Today we’d like to introduce you to Cheng Xiong.
Hi Cheng, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always had a passion for dance. My older brothers and uncles loved dancing – particularly break(dance)ing, and I started teaching myself how to dance by observing them. Growing up on the east side of St. Paul, I had limited resources and exposure to other dance styles. Although it was just for fun to begin with, I found it to be my lifelong career. Through competing and being a part of Motion Crew, we performed at multiple events such as Hmong New Year, We Day, and even auditioned for America’s Got Talent in 2010. After high school, I accepted my first teaching position at a studio called Dance N-Magic which was the start of my teaching career within a studio environment, and I continue to teach to this day currently at Cypherside Dance School. I then auditioned for and was accepted to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Theater and Dance program, pushing myself to master new techniques such as ballet, modern, and jazz for the first time. With these new experiences came opportunities that changed the trajectory of my dance career. I was asked by Carl Flink, the artistic director of the Twin Cities based Black Label Movement to apprentice for his new work called Whack-A-Mole set to premiere in July 2013 at the Cowles Center for Dance in Minneapolis and has since been a member of the company. Being a part of the Black Label Movement has given me the opportunity to showcase a technique called Bodystorming nationally and internationally. This work made me realize that dance is a practice that reaches beyond the club, stage, or studio. With various connections made throughout college, I joined another company called STRONGmovement which taught me the importance that while dancing and performing may be worthwhile it is not the same without bonds and friendship. At that time in my life, I was deeply driven to make a career as a performing artist and thus became a part of BRKFST Dance Company. Within this company, we explored and improvised endlessly to find connection and flow with styles of all kinds: breaking, house, wacking, African diasporic movement, hip hop, contemporary, burlesque, and martial arts. Being a part of three total dance companies along with teaching at multiple studios and currently an instructor at the University of Minnesota-TC, I would say that my career in dance as an artist, performer, mover, educator, and community leader has only begun. During all these exciting moments in my life, I also was a leading member of Hmong Breakers Leadership Council who held “Rockin Jingle Bells” and “Battle Through Odyssey” at the Little Mekong Night Market from 2015-2018 and a part of the First Avenue Breakers from the Minnesota Timberwolves from 2018-2019.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Being a dancer has never been an easy path, from the disapprovals I received from my family, the lack of support I felt from my friends and communities, I decided to push through. Being a Hmong immigrant, dance was never an ideal career because it was risky. I had to work multiple jobs to make it as a performer, from working at the Mall of America as a character performer at Nickelodeon Universe, to taking on multiple teaching positions and being a daycare teacher during the day to rehearsing late into the night. Life was continuously on the go with very little room for a leisurely time. The pandemic of 2019 didn’t make life as a dancer and instructor any easier. I had to navigate from teaching in-person to online and had to shift my entire dance schedule down another two years. Many performances and events that were planned for 2019-2021 had to be pushed out years due to the pandemic and that meant a loss of funding, time spent rehearsing, and making dance. Even with the struggles that the pandemic brought everyone around me, I decided this was my moment to push my career further. I applied for the McKnight Fellowship grant and was awarded to be a 2022 McKnight Dancer Fellow. With this opportunity, I will be able to explore and dive into my dance styles even further to manifest my own individual piece to be showcased in September of 2024 at the Cowles Center for Dance in Minneapolis.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I specialize in movement styles of Break(dance) and Contemporary. I am an educator, dancer, choreographer, and community engager. I am known to be involved with multiple organizations. I am most proud of my accomplishments as a Hmong artist in the United States. I have 20+ years of experience in my field of work.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
I would say that the most important quality or characteristic to my success thus far is my grit. School and academia weren’t always fun and even though I loved learning it was a struggle. I was the first in my family to ever graduate college and that came with its own challenges. I didn’t need to be valedictorian, or the smartest kid in the room, I just needed to be the hardest-working student to achieve my goals in life. Even though I worked hard, there were many times that I questioned my decision to become a dancer. Seeing others succeed before the age of thirty, starting a family, and having a good-paying job were also goals and dreams that I had envisioned for my life. So even with all my hard work and grit, my fulfillment for success was dull without support from loved ones. I learned later in life that success isn’t always about working hard and defying the odds because you will always yearn for the company of others. Success comes in more ways than one and sometimes it can be lonely, so surround yourself around those that share your vision for accomplishment and triumph. I was fortunate to find friends, teachers, and mentors who want to see me prosper in my career and a lifelong partner who is eagerly supporting me.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com
Image Credits
Bill Cameron
Canaan Mattson
Shawn Vue
