Wei-Shan Lai is a San Francisco and Taipei based choreographer, dancer and actress. She hails from Taiwan. She had been living abroad in London, Tokyo, and San Francisco for eleven years. Many of her works are drawn from the experiences of traveling and living in different cities. Dance is the most honest way of communication. Sharing life experiences through dance helps her to find the connections between body and mind. She believes art creates connections between individuals. 

The mission of creating works is to provoke thought, to open up new ideas and point of views of the world, to touch the hearts of people in a way only the full body expression of dance can. The creative process is highly collaborative, with the goal to bring each artist’s true self and individuality in to shape the works and stimulate ideas. 

Wei-Shan has trained in contemporary dance, ballet, jazz, and Chinese folk dance. Her first performing experience was Godot Theatre Company’s musical production, “Sunrise” in 2000. She joined Neo-Classic Dance Company as an apprentice in 2005. Meanwhile, she also obtained BSc and MSc in Zoology from National Taiwan University. Wei-Shan moved to London in 2008 and studied at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance where she received her diploma in dance studies. After graduation, she had been a freelance dancer/choreographer in London and Tokyo and also worked as a technician in Riken Brain Science Institute in Japan. She relocated to San Francisco in 2013. She has worked with Lenora Lee Dance, LEVYdance, inkBoat, Dance Monks, Epiphany Productions, and Inferno Theatre.

Wei-Shan has presented her works in London, Tokyo, Osaka, Taipei, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Bay Area credits include her recent works, “Journey”, “Scenery en Route vol. 2”, and “What Do I Remember” (work-in-progress) which were presented at The Garage, SAFEhouse Arts, LEVYdance Salon, sjDANCEco ChoreoProject, and Inferno’s Diasporas Festival.