Ming Shen Ku

Since 1992, Ming Shen Ku has been a leading force in Contact Improvisation, helping introduce the practice to Taiwan and later share it across Asia. Her first CI performance, the duet New Journey with Steve Paxton, marked the beginning of a remarkable artistic path rooted in exploration, presence, and spontaneous movement.

In 1993, she founded Ku & Dancers, a company devoted to original creation and improvisation, which has since toured internationally. Together with the company, she also co-founded i-dance Taiwan in 2011, an international improvisation festival that has grown into an important platform for improvisational dance in Asia.

Ku has worked with dance companies around the world, and her solo works have also been presented internationally. The New York Times once described her work as “simple and handsome.” After a 25-year academic career, she retired as Dean of the Dance School at Taipei National University of the Arts and was named Honorary Professor. Her honors include the Wu San Lien Award (2009) and the National Award for Arts (2020).