Xin Ji

Xin Ji was born in 1988 in Lanzhou, China, and lives and works between Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland and Beijing. He trained in Chinese Classical Ballet at the Beijing Dance Academy followed by a professional career in Japan with Shiki Theatre Company. After five years of touring, he moved to Aotearoa and studied contemporary dance at UNITEC. After graduation, he stayed in New Zealand to work with several leading dance companies and dance makers before working intensively with The New Zealand Dance Company from 2015. Last year, shifted to a freelance practice to allow more time for his own creative pursuits.

Xin's practice primarily revolves around dance performance and choreography, both nationally and internationally. In 2023, he collaborated with his long-time partner Xiao Chao Wen to co-choreograph the work MADE IN THEM for The New Zealand Dance Company's premiere season Stage of Being.

In addition to his dance and choreography practice, he also produces lens-based works. In 2016 his first dance film Chao was shown at the Tipperary Dance Platform in Ireland; the following year, his second dance film Looked In was presented at the Moving Images International Video Dance Festival in Cyprus. In 2020, his first commissioned dance film All Good If Not was shown at The Young Artists Platform in China and City Gallery Wellington | Te Whare Toi.