About me

Cheng-Yang Peng is a Taiwanese freelance choreographer based in Essen, Germany.

Born in 1999 in Hsinchu, Taiwan, Peng began his movement training in 2016 under Master Wang Yong-Shun, immersing himself in martial arts and Tai Chi, where he was recognized as a national Tai Chi champion. This early foundation in disciplined physical practice and mindful presence laid the groundwork for his distinctive approach to contemporary dance.

In 2018, he moved to Germany to pursue formal dance education at the Folkwang University of the Arts in Essen and graduating in 2022. During last year of his studies, he was invited to perform as a guest dancer with Aalto Ballet Essen, marking his first professional stage experience, where he also deepened his classical ballet technique through working within a professional company environment. 

Following his graduation, Peng joined Ballet Hagen as a full-time company dancer from 2022 to 2023. In 2024, he expanded his artistic practice by choreographing and performing in the production Die Leiden des Jungen Werther (The Sorrows of Young Werther) for Theater Hagen. That same year, he represented his craft on a global stage, performing as a professional dancer in the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.

Peng’s choreographic language is characterized by a strong cinematic sensibility. He constructs movement like film sequences. Paying meticulous attention to framing, timing, emotional arcs, and dynamic transitions. His work blends precision and athletic physicality with energetic playfulness and raw emotional depth. Deeply influenced by the works of Alexander Ekman and Pina Bausch, Peng creates pieces that merge theatricality with a vivid sense of physical storytelling.

Since 2025, Peng has dedicated himself fully to his independent artistic practice. His recent creations include the duet Skepticist, which premiered at Somebody@Maschinenhaus 2025, and the solo Two Relationships, which was presented at the Stuttgart International Solo Dance Theatre Festival, where it received a choreography award. In April 2026, his latest work Lagom will premiere at Maschinenhaus Essen as part of the Somebody@Maschinenhaus 2026 program.