In my movement practice, choreography, and teaching of dance technique, I am influenced by contemporary, postmodern, and classical modern genres that fuse natural alignment, release technique, and dense movement vocabularies that also pull from Chinese qìgōng and African diaspora dances of capoeira and hip-hop.
My interest in kinetic spatial experiences developed in studying contact improvisation and immersive theater. My experience in non-traditional aerial apparatuses informs my pedagogy to work with multidimensional surfaces in addition to the traditional stage, preparing dancers to work on the many shows that incorporate diverse spaces.
I continue to broaden my knowledge in all forms of modern and contemporary dance, weaving diverse movement practices into my teaching, research, and choreography.
Waeli has taught courses, classes, and workshops in--
Modern Technique
Contemporary Technique
Jazz Technique
Screendance
Dance History
Choreography
Dance Pedagogy
Performance
SELECTED TEACHING & GUEST PRESENTATIONS
TEACHING ---
2023 - present Visiting Lecturer, Department of Dance, Scripps College, Claremont, CA
2023 - present Dance Faculty, Department of Dance, Saddleback College, Mission Viejo, CA
2021 - present Dance Faculty, Department of Dance, Cypress College, Cypress, CA
2020 - 2021 Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Theatre & Dance, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
2019 - 2020 Guest Choreographer, Department of Theatre & Dance, Santa Clara University, Santa Clara, CA
2018 - 2019 Teaching Associate, University of California, Irvine
GUEST PRESENTATIONS ---
2022 Panelist, "The Struggle Continues: Claiming Identity, Practice, and Joy." Hosted by National Dance Education Organization.
2022 Guest Lecture, "When Movement Language and Visual Language Collide." Organized and hosted by the Department of Art at UC Irvine.
2022 Roundtable Panelist, "Emerging Perspectives." State of the Art: 2022 International Symposium on Screendance,
hosted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
2021 International Guest Lecture, "Embody Communal Practices & Cultivating Personal Pedagogy."
Hosted by Global Dance Conference and University of Roehampton.
2021 Artist Lecture and Workshop, "Screendance as Transformative and Culturally Provocative." Hosted by Texas Tech University.
2020 Artist Lecture and Workshop, "Eco-Anxiety Workshop: Uncertain Futures, Climate Grief, Healing Breath & Our Changing Season."
Hosted by tUrn at Santa Clara University.
2020 Interviewee, "Waeli Wang - Movement Artist, Educator, and Identity Theorist." Count 9, podcast interview with Benjamin Goodman.
2020 Artist Discussion, "Identity through Movement: Dance and Social Justice Frameworks."
Hosted by Asian American Pacific Islander Womxn in Leadership in partnership with Academic and Professional Women and UCI Digifilm.
