Peggy Choy
Creative transformation beyond the art
Creative transformation beyond the art
By Laura Salinger
At the centerpiece of dancer and choreographer Peggy Choy’s work and performances is that
sometimes-elusive notion of transformation. Consistently pushing the boundaries of dance, Choy’s
performances have been described as powerful, moving, mesmerizing, and starkly truthful. Founder of
the Ki Project and assistant professor at UW-Madison in the Dance Program and Asian American
Studies, Choy recently shared with Asian Wisconzine her views on dance and performance, her work
with the Ki Project Lab (an evolving program under the umbrella of the Ki Project), and upcoming
performances and projects to watch out for.
Choy attributes the inspiration for her work to her childhood in Hawai‘i, along with her training
across the arts; including ballet, flamenco, modern dance, violin, Chinese and Korean martial arts, and
apprenticeships with Javanese and Korean dance and music masters.
Although at the core of her life, dance has not been Choy’s sole focus. She has an M.A. in South
Asian Studies from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and an M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning
from UW-Madison.
“My world has always been beyond just dance. But I love dance, so it’s always at the center,” Choy
says. She completed her M.F.A. in dance and choreography in 2006 at the University of Wisconsin-
Milwaukee.
Yet long before obtaining her M.F.A., Choy was evolving into a celebrated and poignant dancer,
choreographer, director, and producer. She has won numerous awards for her performances including
the 2002 Choreography and Performance Award from the Wisconsin Dance Council and a national
award from the Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project for her choreography “Turtle.” In 1994, she
was awarded the Woman of Achievement Award by the Wisconsin Women of Color Network for her
At the centerpiece of dancer and choreographer Peggy Choy’s work and performances is that
sometimes-elusive notion of transformation. Consistently pushing the boundaries of dance, Choy’s
performances have been described as powerful, moving, mesmerizing, and starkly truthful. Founder of
the Ki Project and assistant professor at UW-Madison in the Dance Program and Asian American
Studies, Choy recently shared with Asian Wisconzine her views on dance and performance, her work
with the Ki Project Lab (an evolving program under the umbrella of the Ki Project), and upcoming
performances and projects to watch out for.
Choy attributes the inspiration for her work to her childhood in Hawai‘i, along with her training
across the arts; including ballet, flamenco, modern dance, violin, Chinese and Korean martial arts, and
apprenticeships with Javanese and Korean dance and music masters.
Although at the core of her life, dance has not been Choy’s sole focus. She has an M.A. in South
Asian Studies from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor and an M.S. in Urban and Regional Planning
from UW-Madison.
“My world has always been beyond just dance. But I love dance, so it’s always at the center,” Choy
says. She completed her M.F.A. in dance and choreography in 2006 at the University of Wisconsin-
Milwaukee.
Yet long before obtaining her M.F.A., Choy was evolving into a celebrated and poignant dancer,
choreographer, director, and producer. She has won numerous awards for her performances including
the 2002 Choreography and Performance Award from the Wisconsin Dance Council and a national
award from the Korean Spirit and Culture Promotion Project for her choreography “Turtle.” In 1994, she
was awarded the Woman of Achievement Award by the Wisconsin Women of Color Network for her
Peggy Choy’s “Maehyang Ri”
Photo by Carl Hefner
Photo by Carl Hefner
work as an artist and activist and in 2009, she was presented with the UW-Madison Outstanding Woman of Color award.
Thematically, much of her work focuses on the history of struggle, while simultaneously focusing on the possibility for a transformative
future. For Choy, it is not simply about getting up on stage and performing, it is about the synergy created between the performers and the
audience and the hope for change because of that synergy.
“The performing arts can distill, can clarify, can connect at the very deepest level of the human spirit and mind,” Choy says. “If you are
affected deeply, that’s where transformation can occur in your own life. If we connect, if what we offer as performers connects with you as the
audience, then the potential for transformation can occur.”
While Hollywood may be a testament to that all-about-me kind of stardom, Choy is consistently looking to leave any sense of ego behind.
“Performance, if it’s beyond the ego, can really lead to a transformative experience,” she says.
She also moves beyond genres and disciplines; utilizing music, poetry, and various forms of dance to create a visually stunning and
viscerally poignant performance. For Choy, artistic collaborations are a cornerstone of her work. Her work with the Ki Project, which she
founded in 2001, is a testament to that. (Ki is the Japanese and Korean word describing the internal life-force energy within us and within the
universe.)
Producing and sponsoring numerous performances, forums, festivals and conferences, it is the Ki Project’s mission to “support creative
thinking and intercultural performance for future generations.”
“At this level, there is the making of theory, engaging in creative brainstorming, vision-making,” Choy says. “I felt it necessary to establish
an organization that had a broad mission that connected beyond the arts. The vision is that dance and other kinds of intercultural performance,
can be inspired by and perhaps inspire change that is social, political, and cultural.”
Underneath the vision, however, is the actual physical work and creative process that take place in order to achieve that vision. Thus,
enters the Ki Project Lab. As Choy describes it, the lab is the actual action or practice of creating performance. It is about collaborations (not
just with dancers but other artists), networking, practice, mutual support and education. While Choy continues her journey to further develop
her own dance language, she hopes to inspire and be inspired by artists working to find their voice. She recently worked with students to
create “The Rising Tide: Women of the Scarred Earth” touring group that was supported by the University’s service learning initiative. The
touring group tied into her other performances “Gateless Gate: Women of the Scarred Earth” (2007) and “Age of Fire: Women of the Scarred
Earth,” part of Choy’s Women of the Scarred Earth Performance and Outreach Project.
Most recently, Choy, along with Katrina Flores of Women of the Scarred Earth, has produced “A New Music & Performance Forum” (event
listings below) which will take place Nov. 4-6 on the UW-Madison campus. The forum will feature a panel discussion, a lecture-demonstration,
and a concert. To celebrate Fred Ho’s just-published book, “Wicked Theory/Naked Practice,” the forum features the revolutionary jazz musician
himself, along with other educators and artists.
Peggy Choy will also perform her new piece “Transform 2” at the UW-Madison Dance Program’s Fall Faculty Concert on Nov. 21, at 8 p.m.
at the Wisconsin Union Theater. In the Spring, she will teach her new course “Afro-Asian Improv: Hip-Hop and Martial Arts Fusion.” Although a
new type of course for her to lead, Choy asserts she has been developing intercultural performances for years, including “Rooted in Our
Bones: Afro-Asian Arts Dialogue.” “Rooted in Our Bones” brought together the African American and Asian experience on stage at the time
(within a year of the Rodney King murder and ensuing riots) when the tension between these two groups was palpable.
A New Performance Forum, UW-Madison Campus, Nov. 4-6, 2009
WICKED THEORY/NAKED PRACTICE
Conversations on Improvisation, the Radical Imagination & Creating the Future Now
Presented by Women of the Scarred Earth; Curated by Peggy Choy & Katrina Flores
Fred Ho (Composer/saxophonist/ director & author of the new Wicked Theory/Naked Practice published by U. Minnesota Press)
Peggy Choy
Kevin Fellezs (School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Arts, University of California, Merced)
Katrina Flores (Curriculum & Instruction/First Wave, UW-Madison)
Salim Washington (Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music)
Tim Yu (English/Asian-American Studies, UW-Madison)
Wed., November 4
4-6 p.m., Multicultural Student Center Lounge - Wicked Theory Naked Practice and Institutional Memory
10 Years of Gains and Loses at UW-Madison for Folks of Color - An Action Dialogue - Where We Want to Go and How We’re Going to Get There!
Thurs., November 5
Noon, Panel: Wicked Theory/Naked Practice: The Subversive Legacy of Asian American Composer, Fred Ho, Play Circle Theater, Memorial
Union
Panelists: Kevin Fellezs, Katrina Flores, R. Anderson Sutton (School of Music, UW-Madison), Salim Washington & Tim Yu
Moderator: Peggy Choy
7 p.m.-Fred Ho Lecture-Demonstration: “Jazz” and the Revolutionary Imagination: Afro/Asian Identities, New Sounds and a New World, Morphy
Hall, Humanities Building
Fri., November 6
Noon, Fred Ho meets with students- Defining a Different Future: The Legacy of the Asian American Movement for Student and Artist Activists
Today, Multicultural Student Center Lounge
4 p.m., Lecture, Kevin Fellezs, Performing Hybrid Asian Identity, Memorial Union (See TITU, “Performing Hybrid Asian Identity”)
7 p.m., Mini-Concert: Tomorrow is Now! Morphy Hall, Humanities Building
Fred Ho, with Salim Washington and Peggy Choy
Co-Sponsors: Department of Afro-American Studies, Asian American Studies Program, Associated Students of Madison, Music-Race-Empire
Research Circle, MultiCultural Council, MultiCultural Student Coalition, Pathways to Excellence, School of Music, The Ki Project, Women of the
Scarred Earth, MEChA, Queer People Of Color (QPOC).
Publicity/Artwork: Stella Luong
For more information contact P. Choy (email: pachoy@wisc.edu)
Thematically, much of her work focuses on the history of struggle, while simultaneously focusing on the possibility for a transformative
future. For Choy, it is not simply about getting up on stage and performing, it is about the synergy created between the performers and the
audience and the hope for change because of that synergy.
“The performing arts can distill, can clarify, can connect at the very deepest level of the human spirit and mind,” Choy says. “If you are
affected deeply, that’s where transformation can occur in your own life. If we connect, if what we offer as performers connects with you as the
audience, then the potential for transformation can occur.”
While Hollywood may be a testament to that all-about-me kind of stardom, Choy is consistently looking to leave any sense of ego behind.
“Performance, if it’s beyond the ego, can really lead to a transformative experience,” she says.
She also moves beyond genres and disciplines; utilizing music, poetry, and various forms of dance to create a visually stunning and
viscerally poignant performance. For Choy, artistic collaborations are a cornerstone of her work. Her work with the Ki Project, which she
founded in 2001, is a testament to that. (Ki is the Japanese and Korean word describing the internal life-force energy within us and within the
universe.)
Producing and sponsoring numerous performances, forums, festivals and conferences, it is the Ki Project’s mission to “support creative
thinking and intercultural performance for future generations.”
“At this level, there is the making of theory, engaging in creative brainstorming, vision-making,” Choy says. “I felt it necessary to establish
an organization that had a broad mission that connected beyond the arts. The vision is that dance and other kinds of intercultural performance,
can be inspired by and perhaps inspire change that is social, political, and cultural.”
Underneath the vision, however, is the actual physical work and creative process that take place in order to achieve that vision. Thus,
enters the Ki Project Lab. As Choy describes it, the lab is the actual action or practice of creating performance. It is about collaborations (not
just with dancers but other artists), networking, practice, mutual support and education. While Choy continues her journey to further develop
her own dance language, she hopes to inspire and be inspired by artists working to find their voice. She recently worked with students to
create “The Rising Tide: Women of the Scarred Earth” touring group that was supported by the University’s service learning initiative. The
touring group tied into her other performances “Gateless Gate: Women of the Scarred Earth” (2007) and “Age of Fire: Women of the Scarred
Earth,” part of Choy’s Women of the Scarred Earth Performance and Outreach Project.
Most recently, Choy, along with Katrina Flores of Women of the Scarred Earth, has produced “A New Music & Performance Forum” (event
listings below) which will take place Nov. 4-6 on the UW-Madison campus. The forum will feature a panel discussion, a lecture-demonstration,
and a concert. To celebrate Fred Ho’s just-published book, “Wicked Theory/Naked Practice,” the forum features the revolutionary jazz musician
himself, along with other educators and artists.
Peggy Choy will also perform her new piece “Transform 2” at the UW-Madison Dance Program’s Fall Faculty Concert on Nov. 21, at 8 p.m.
at the Wisconsin Union Theater. In the Spring, she will teach her new course “Afro-Asian Improv: Hip-Hop and Martial Arts Fusion.” Although a
new type of course for her to lead, Choy asserts she has been developing intercultural performances for years, including “Rooted in Our
Bones: Afro-Asian Arts Dialogue.” “Rooted in Our Bones” brought together the African American and Asian experience on stage at the time
(within a year of the Rodney King murder and ensuing riots) when the tension between these two groups was palpable.
A New Performance Forum, UW-Madison Campus, Nov. 4-6, 2009
WICKED THEORY/NAKED PRACTICE
Conversations on Improvisation, the Radical Imagination & Creating the Future Now
Presented by Women of the Scarred Earth; Curated by Peggy Choy & Katrina Flores
Fred Ho (Composer/saxophonist/ director & author of the new Wicked Theory/Naked Practice published by U. Minnesota Press)
Peggy Choy
Kevin Fellezs (School of Social Sciences, Humanities & Arts, University of California, Merced)
Katrina Flores (Curriculum & Instruction/First Wave, UW-Madison)
Salim Washington (Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music)
Tim Yu (English/Asian-American Studies, UW-Madison)
Wed., November 4
4-6 p.m., Multicultural Student Center Lounge - Wicked Theory Naked Practice and Institutional Memory
10 Years of Gains and Loses at UW-Madison for Folks of Color - An Action Dialogue - Where We Want to Go and How We’re Going to Get There!
Thurs., November 5
Noon, Panel: Wicked Theory/Naked Practice: The Subversive Legacy of Asian American Composer, Fred Ho, Play Circle Theater, Memorial
Union
Panelists: Kevin Fellezs, Katrina Flores, R. Anderson Sutton (School of Music, UW-Madison), Salim Washington & Tim Yu
Moderator: Peggy Choy
7 p.m.-Fred Ho Lecture-Demonstration: “Jazz” and the Revolutionary Imagination: Afro/Asian Identities, New Sounds and a New World, Morphy
Hall, Humanities Building
Fri., November 6
Noon, Fred Ho meets with students- Defining a Different Future: The Legacy of the Asian American Movement for Student and Artist Activists
Today, Multicultural Student Center Lounge
4 p.m., Lecture, Kevin Fellezs, Performing Hybrid Asian Identity, Memorial Union (See TITU, “Performing Hybrid Asian Identity”)
7 p.m., Mini-Concert: Tomorrow is Now! Morphy Hall, Humanities Building
Fred Ho, with Salim Washington and Peggy Choy
Co-Sponsors: Department of Afro-American Studies, Asian American Studies Program, Associated Students of Madison, Music-Race-Empire
Research Circle, MultiCultural Council, MultiCultural Student Coalition, Pathways to Excellence, School of Music, The Ki Project, Women of the
Scarred Earth, MEChA, Queer People Of Color (QPOC).
Publicity/Artwork: Stella Luong
For more information contact P. Choy (email: pachoy@wisc.edu)