Born in Vancouver and raised in Calgary, Kaili Che 謝祖弘 (she/her) is an emerging Chinese-Canadian interdisciplinary artist, choreographer, and educator. 

Her art practices focus on building spaces that prioritize collaboration, curiosity, play, and vulnerability. She is deeply invested in value-based creations that invite accessibility and foster a sense of shared purpose. Her interdisciplinary approach often includes audience interactions that emphasize participation and immersion, sometimes through installations with textiles, objects, or even food. Kaili creates using contemporary dance, tasked improvisation, spoken text, soundscapes, and storytelling, exploring themes that resonate with her Chinese and Vietnamese heritage, family and cultural lineage, climate justice, and community work. She believes in the power of co-creating spaces that nurture meaningful connections and trust, where every voice is valued and every participant feels included. To her, true empowerment emerges when people come together to learn, unlearn, and grow as a community.

She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Dance with Distinction and an added concentration in Dance Pedagogy from the University of Calgary. She began focusing on her dance training at age 16 with Dance on Edge where she trained in RAD Ballet, ADAPT Jazz & Tap and Hip Hop. There she completed her RAD advanced 2 Ballet exam, ADAPT Pre-advanced Jazz and Pre-intermediate 3 Tap exams. She quickly grew fond of dancing and enriched herself in travels to Los Angeles, Vancouver, Long Beach, Anaheim and Toronto to further her dance training. 

As a performer, she is grateful to have participated in works and choreographic research processes of artists, choreographers and companies including: Project Intandem, Cloudsway Dance Theatre, kloetzel&co, Ivanochko et cie, W&M Physical Theatre, and more. Her curiosity in the psychological and physiological well being of dancers has led her to completing the Healthy Dancer Certification with SiDI and she also became a certified ADAPT teacher. Kaili is an advocate for education and she believes that teaching “through dance, about dance and in dance” with compassion will bring laughter and joy to everyday life.

‘‘Through Dance, About Dance, In Dance”

About Kaili

Learn more about my teaching philosophy

Get to Know Me!

Do you have a favourite animal?

I do but not just one, I have three favourite animals that I love equally: cows, sharks and jellyfish.

What do you do in your free time?

I really enjoy listening to podcasts like “The Happiness Lab” with Laurie Santos and “The Slight Change of Plans” with Maya Shankar, drawing & painting, card making, working out and thrifting.

What is your favourite colour?

I enjoy every colour of the rainbow but if I had to pick one it would definitely be the colour green!

What is your dream place to visit?

I would love to do a trip around Northern Europe: Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden!

Testimonials

  • “Working with Miss Kaili has greatly impacted me as both a dancer, and a person. She has this energy that makes you excited about every new thing that you are doing or learning. Miss Kaili has provided me with great experiences and resources, and has given me the stepping stones to an open minded and successful future. Miss Kaili has encouraged me to grow as both a dancer and a student, and to step outside of my comfort zone once in a while.”

    — Camille O. (Student)

  • Miss Kaili was my dance teacher for 4 years. She made every dance class something to look forward to. She was inventive, positive, energetic and someone I look up to. The classes she taught us exposed me to various dance styles and disciplines. Every class was a new way to think about dance and incorporate the standard dance steps into a new combination. Miss Kaili always pushed us within our limits to be the best dancer and person we could be. I have tried to bring how Miss Kalii taught me into my own dance classes with the students I teach. She was the best dance teacher I have ever had!”

    — Jade D. (Student)

  • “My daughters had the pleasure of having Miss Kaili as a teacher for a few years. They always loved her enthusiasm and her fun classes! I saw a huge improvement in their technique. Her teaching style and love for dance engages all of the students she teaches. It really shows she loves to dance!”

    — Sue S. (Parent)

  • “I have known Kaili since 2015 from auditioning on one of my creative projects at the University of Calgary, Department of Dance, Dance Montage, watching her perform with Project InTandem 2020, and I have had numerous opportunities to assess her on a variety of levels. In 2015 and 2018, I got the chance to work with Kaili in two of my projects “Le Journalier'' The Journey. The process was 10-11 hours of rehearsals weekly every Sunday, 2hours/day. Each day consists of proper warm up, training, vocabulary and full engagement of the project itself. Kaili's work possesses intelligence, integrity and great creative invention. She has a keen understanding of phrase and motif development, and her performance exhibits clarity of purpose. Kaili demonstrated the ability to combine the genres of physical theatre, hip hop and contemporary dance, inventive in design and very compelling to observe. Her presence brings awareness, maturity and an example to the dance community in Calgary. Specifically, this project speaks to one of the many qualities of her traits, and her great potential for the next installment. Kaili taught me the very importance of our roles and teamwork throughout. She made sure to follow up, guided me, challenged me, and opened up my brain on the leadership side of the arts. She is willing to work hard for the next future endeavors she has planned. I know that Kaili will make sure to apply herself continuing to share exquisite stories in the arts, collaborating on entrepreneurial projects, and to hopefully work with her once again’

    — Jason G. (Choreographer/Teacher/Dancer)

  • “The possibility to work with a dancer like Kaili Che makes any choreographer’s work richer. Kaili throws her whole heart and soul into her work, approaching dance tasks like puzzles to be chipped away at, constantly looking for how to refine the solution. Her own fascination with the work she is doing absorbs the viewer into the puzzle, making us as the audience feel a connection and investment in her as a performer. Kaili approaches her technical work in class with the same sense of curiosity and passion, searching out her own answers to technical questions and constantly looking for how she can find new answers. A dancer who is truly intrigued by the art of dance, and whose presence in it is making the dance community a more vibrant place.”

    — Heather W. (Choreographer/Teacher/Dancer)

Contact me.

Have questions? Want more information about classes or working together for performances and choreography? Get in touch through the contact link, or follow me on social media for regular updates.