PDX Meet Your Teacher: Ching Ching Wong
You know we’re in some real deep danceland lore when our own Dance Church teaching crew all across the country loses their minds over a new Teacher hire. Well, this is exactly what went down when we announced to our internal fam that we’d been lucky enough to hire new Teacher Ching Ching Wong (she/her). Right now, Ching Ching is gearing up to get sweet and fiery with our PDX dancing community, and we could NOT be more honored. When she was last based in Portland, Ching Ching was named one of Dance Magazine’s 25 to Watch (2017), and since then her stardom and success have taken her all over the world. Who needs a single-city life when “dance is home” (Ching Ching, quoted in Dance Magazine, 2024).
For all her international glory, Ching is also a grounded softie, and a truly silly human. She identifies as “pretty much a grandma” (negative 14 prescription!), knitting in a park, self-sewn outfits, obsessive avocado selection, sobbing to sad movies on airplanes). And she’s over the moon to be back in Portland, making new roots with folks in this sweet northwest city.
So you used to live in Portland, OR, but you’ve been touring and living the dancer/choreographer/teacher dream for the last several years. What did you get up to while you were away??
Ching Ching: Yeah, so I lived here for 7 years 2010-17 (apartments in NE Alberta, NW Everett, SE Hawthorne) dancing for NW Dance Project, and I've been away for 7 years.
I left my apartment in PDX,gave away almost all my belongings, and with $500 in my bank account set out on tour. Two years and 14 countries later, I founded Project Salamat (Salamat means ‘thank you’ in Filipino, the language of my birthcountry The Philippines) a global outreach program. Every stop, every community, has changed me, to share a few: Guang Ming College a Buddhist University in my birthplace of Manila, Philippine High School of the Arts, BlinkNow Home and School in Nepal. Across culture and language, there is something remarkable and transcendent in unleashing through dance together. After returning from Project Salamat, I danced for Jay Carlon, Roderick George, Yue Yin, Para.Mar, Heidi Duckler, Zvi Gotheiner, Audible, Oddknock. I staged work in Europe for Swiss choreographer Ihsan Rustem, and toured as rehearsal director for Ballets Jazz Montréal.
Lol, so pretty chill hiatus from Portland. But in all seriousness: that’s quite the stacked and packed professional adventure history. What brought you back to Portland?
Ching Ching: I am backkkk and calling Portland home again. Love letter to Portland, I have missed you:
- Oregon Park on NE Oregon St and 29th
- a fancy bartender drink at Dear Sandy
- breakfast for dinner at Katie O'Briens
- Posie's in Kenton for a pre or post class coffee
- qigong at NW Fighting Arts
- 5.99 half sandwich at Market of Choice
- musubi at H Mart on Belmont (I like the eel)
- solo Spa Date at Dragontree in NW
- or spa date with a buddy at Knotsprings
- Backstory Books and Yarn on Hawthorne
- cheering on my husband at TrophyCup PDX for Cyclocross racing season
- after traveling, taking the MAX to 42nd, dropping by Trader Joe's, and walking home
- beach time at Cathedral Park under the St. John's Bridge
Sounds like exactly the kind of cozy, local, dreamy landing that we all associate with Portland specifically, and with the northwest more generally. How does dance fit into your (breakfast)-sandwich-reading-at-the-spa-before-a-dressy-(but-not-overreaching)-cocktail-at-the-corner-spot NW dreams?
Ching Ching: This year I have been working on 'The Shelf Life' (an obsession with memories) in episodic form across companies throughout the US. In the episodes you will find light up shopping carts, 200 tin cans, and a 1980's computer named KEL. To quote author Darcy Van Poelgeest of Precious Metal (text featured in Ep05 made on the Portland artists of Open Space) "We're building a memory, a memory to save us all". Catch some of the episodes together in a full even length next April 2026 presented by my dear friends/collaborators LED Boise
I just performed in a blonde wig with a Britney mic (what a dream) with Oddknock Productions (Denver), an immersive theatre company. This speculative show about the intersection of AI and education offered us performers a unique opportunity to engage with the audience in a post show deep dive. The question was brought up, "What do young people need?". A beautiful angel, named James, answered "they need to be asked 'Who Are You?'. Along the way we forget, or we lose it. But, if you know who you are, you always have a home and that's a game changer"
Seems like you’ve found a lot of playful discovery in performing. How do you bring your deep dance nerd self to teaching? And what do you love about sharing dance with others in class?
Ching Ching: One thing I love about teaching is that CHANGE is palpable. We all walk through the door carrying, holding, supporting, gripping, searching, itching. And, we walk out CHANGED. The air feels different, we've manipulated the atoms in the space — it's wider and more expansive. We are both lighter in the heart and more grounded to the earth. We feel just a little less alone in this big lonely world. Our eyes can see each other and we can take a full breath. I want to hug you and for us to keep doing this thing called life together.
I want us to dance when we're overwhelmed, underwhelmed, when we need self-care, when we are hungry to get after it, when we must slow down, when it's getting too dark too early, when we need each other, and when we just need to drink more water and Dance Church it OUT.
…and then go get our musubi and coffee.
Ching Ching: Absolute dreamy perfection.
Sold. So when do we get to dance with you at Dance Church x PDX?
Ching Ching: EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! My first class will be Wednesday, October 22nd at Open Space! Sign upppp!
And, last question… we love to get to know you through your music vibe. Got anything that you just can’t stop listening to these days?
Ching Ching: I’ve been in airports a lot lately and yearning to find delight in this mid-drift state to fight the travel angst that can make your blood pressure elevate - I’ve been listening to this Alan Watts & Boretta track while watching the buzz of people pass me all going somewhere and nowhere. And on the dance floor: current fave song is Kyle (i found you) from Fred again…
because it’s true…”I found you beautiful”.
