Iu-Hui Chua choreographs, performs, directs, and devises physical theater, dance, and video performance. She explores the intersection of somatics, performance, process, and creativity.
She was a member of Anna Halprin's Sea Ranch Collective, an associate teacher for Ms. Halprin, and is on faculty at the Tamalpa Institute. Others she has danced for include Ledoh/Salt Farm, Inkboat, Dandelion Dancetheater, Guillermo Gomez-Pena, Ellen Bromberg, Sherwood Chen, Headmistress, Dohee Lee, SanSan Kwan, and Disneyland.
Iu-Hui has presented her award-winning work at the SF International Arts Festival, Videoholica International Video Art Festival Bulgaria, SomaFest, Athens Digital Arts Festival, ODC Summerfest, and site-specific locations in North America, Asia, and Europe. In 2015, Iu-Hui directed Gruesome Playground Injures, nominated for a TBA Outstanding Production of a Play Award.
Support from national grants and awards include the Cass Calder Smith Artful Harvest Circle Fellowship, Puffin Foundation Ltd., CA$H grant, Quick Grant Center for Cultural Innovation, Consortium for Women and Research Grant, and UC Davis Dramatic Arts Fellowship. Artist residencies include CounterPulse and the Djerassi Resident Artists Program.
Iu-Hui has presented at the Northern California Performance Platform at Stanford University, taught as a Lecturer at UC Davis, and been a Guest Lecturer at (SUNY) Purchase College and Sacramento State University. Currently she teaches dance, theater, and the Halprin Life/Art process internationally as well as Butoh at the Berkeley Rep School of Theater.
Iu-Hui is a faculty project co-director with Daniel Larlham of the Eco-Performance Lab, a TDPS-sponsored ensemble funded by The Green Initiative Fund. The Eco-Performance Lab (EPL) produces theatrical performances in collaboration with campus organizations, Bay Area climate and environmental justice groups, and environmental organizations and centers with the goal to contribute artistic, symbolic, and expressive communication to societal conversations about the ecological emergency. We host a series of workshops and talks featuring visiting artists, activists, and others working at the nexus of performance, ecology, and environmental justice. Our event series raises awareness about the environmental crisis, fosters solidarity with groups on the frontlines of environmental injustice, promotes ongoing relationships between campus groups and community-based organizations, and cultivates a sense of connectedness and kinship with the more-than-human world among participants. By providing space, resources, performance opportunities, and a sense of shared purpose, the EPL empowers students and communities to take action, exercise their creativity, and overcome anxiety, despair, and overwhelm.
Education: M.F.A. in Dramatic Arts (emphasis in Choreography), University of California, Davis. B.A. Sociology (emphasis in Race & Ethnic Relations), University of California, Santa Cruz. She is also a RSMT (ISMETA) and RSME (ISMETA).