Thang Dao

Thang Dao is a choreographer, educator, and artistic director whose work bridges contemporary ballet, modern dance, and cultural storytelling. With a career that spans the United States, Europe, and Asia, Dao has established himself as a vital voice in the field of contemporary dance. He is the founder of the Thang Dao Dance Company and has taught at Troy University, Kennesaw State University, and the University of Arizona as Assistant Professor, where he shares his expertise and vision with the next generation of dancers.

Dao holds degrees from some of the world’s most prestigious institutions for dance and performance studies. He earned his BFA from the Boston Conservatory and received formal training at The Juilliard School, which set the foundation for his professionalism and artistry. He went on to complete an MA for Individualized Study in Dance and Digital Technology at New York University and an MFA in Dance from Hollins University, building a practice that integrates scholarship, performance, and choreographic innovation.

As a choreographer, Dao has created works for leading companies including Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Ballet Austin, BalletX, Sacramento Ballet, Ailey II, Philadanco, and Ballet Arkansas. His choreography has been presented at Jacob’s Pillow, Taiwan National University of the Arts, and the Guggenheim Museum, among other major venues. In 2017, he won first prize at the DAP Festival in Italy, and his ballet *Stepping Ground*, commissioned by Ballet Austin, won the Audience Choice Award for four consecutive nights—a landmark achievement that affirmed the resonance of his artistic voice.

His accomplishments have been widely recognized. Dao is a Princess Grace Choreography Fellow and recipient of the Princess Grace Special Project Grant, as well as a Vilcek Prize Finalist for Creative Promise in Choreography. These honors reflect not only his artistry but also his role in shaping the contemporary dance landscape through works that balance precision, emotional clarity, and cultural depth.

Dao’s creative vision is deeply informed by his Vietnamese American heritage. Growing up between cultures, he found in dance a language that could hold dualities—memory and imagination, displacement and belonging, history and hope. This perspective continues to guide his choreography, where the body becomes both vessel and storyteller. For Dao, being Vietnamese American means carrying two intertwined legacies: resilience and survival on one side, creativity and possibility on the other. His work aims to challenge stereotypes, amplify overlooked narratives, and expand the visibility of Asian American voices in concert dance.

Beyond his choreographic achievements, Dao is a dedicated educator and mentor. He believes in dance as a form of community-building as much as performance. In classrooms and studios, he encourages students to take risks, embrace vulnerability, and trust their own voices. For him, teaching and choreography are inseparable practices—each feeding the other in a cycle that ensures dance remains alive, diverse, and responsive to the world around it.

With a career defined by both critical acclaim and a commitment to service, Thang Dao continues to push the boundaries of contemporary dance. His work stands as a testament to the power of movement to connect, transform, and inspire.