Amy Zhang is a Sydney-based director, choreographer and casting director. Zhang’s journey has taken her from the unexpected to the celebrated, from an awkward hip-hop class attendee to one of Australia’s most rapidly recognisable names in screen, theatre, and live performance, all propelled by a love of storytelling through movement.
Zhang’s portfolio is as impressive as it is expansive, ranging from scenes of figures elegantly gliding through space like silk tulle to muscular bodies thrusting against hardwood floors to the beat of “The Motto.” Zhang has worked in commercial and art spaces, including projects for Hermes, Cartier, Nike, and The Hong Kong Museum of Art, among others.
Hi Amy! Firstly, congratulations on your work for the K-pop group KiiKii. Can you talk about the experience and kicking off 2026 in such a hectic way?
Thank you so much! That was my first time working in K-Pop, so it was a total dream experience. I loved getting to see the inside of the K-Pop machine. On top of that, being able to work with some of my favourite dancers, and feeling 100% trusted by both the Australian and Korean production teams — it really doesn’t get better than that. I loved starting my year off with that project.
Taking it back to the beginning, your entry into dance was unconventional. In your bio, you described your past self as “a nervous adult in a beginner Hip-Hop class”. What inspired you to take that initial step?
I have my mum and cousin to thank for my dance career. My cousin moved to Australia and was living with my family. She wanted to take these adult groove classes and asked me to go with her. To be honest, I was an angsty and socially anxious 17-year-old so I really wasn’t down. My mum, however, thought it would be a nice way for us to bond, so she basically forced me to go.
I took one class and was hooked — I guess the rest is now history.
What was the point at which it went from a passion to a full-on career? Was there any trepidation in taking that leap?
Honestly, I was a little delusional. After about two years of taking classes at this adult drop-in studio, people were giving me a lot of props for how much I’d improved in such a short time. I’d also been booked a handful of times as a dancer for these corporate flash mobs (they were very big at the time haha), so in my mind I was like, okay… maybe I’m actually good at this.
At the same time, I was studying Business and Art History at uni, and I started noticing that some of my peers were so passionate about their degrees — going above and beyond with assignments and readings. I realised they would always outperform me academically because they cared more about their field. But that was how I felt about dance.
That’s when it clicked for me: if success comes from caring enough to put in the work, then I was probably better off dedicating myself fully to dance. So I dropped out of uni and booked a trip to LA to chase my dreams. Looking back now, I really believed in myself — and at 19 you don’t fully understand what it means to pursue the arts full-time — so I just made the decision to make this my career and have kept choosing dance ever since.
I’ve always been curious about the first stages of choreographing a performance. What are your initial figurative or literal sketches you lay down first?
If I’m working for someone else, I love to understand the full creative direction and technical scope of what we’re working with first. I find that having boundaries or a framework allows me more freedom in my creativity.
From there, I get into the studio and just start dreaming. I’m definitely a visual person though, so I like to physicalise a draft pretty quickly. I have a background in freestyle so the making part is usually just me spitting out physical ideas until I land on something I think feels right and then diving deeper into that.
If it’s a personal project or I have input in the creative direction, then I take a more research-based approach to start. I like spending time gathering references and fleshing out my why for the work before I get into the studio to actually make anything.
You’ve worked with an enviable list of clients and collaborators, including Nike, Calvin Klein, The Veronicas, and more. Do you approach commercial work differently from anything personal or based in a more grass-roots context?
I’d say the main difference is how much creative input I can offer. When I’m working with commercial clients, they often have a pretty clear creative concept. So my mindset is more about hitting the brief. All my decisions are based on how we can best achieve what the client wants, whilst putting my spin on it. Whereas with personal projects, I’m not answering to anyone, so I’m much more driven to realise exactly what I’m imagining.
What does it mean to you to tell a story through movement?
There’s this principle I learned from working in musical theatre that talks about the timing of when and why songs or dances appear in a show: “When you can’t speak, you sing, and when you can’t sing anymore, you dance.”
I think that beautifully articulates the way I feel dance can communicate emotions and feelings in ways words can’t.
Are there any misconceptions that people have about dance as a form of communication?
Maybe not a misconception, but I do think dance as a whole doesn’t receive the same level of respect and appreciation as other art forms or sports. But I think it comes from a lack of knowledge around what it really takes to be a dancer or choreographer.
To work in dance you need physical athleticism, an understanding of music, culture and fashion, as well as your own sense of style, artistry and storytelling — on top of having an understanding of the production side of film or stage.
I hope that one day people will value dance the way they do other artforms and have a greater appreciation for all the work it takes to make dance look that fun and easy.
In late 2024, you released the e-book, ‘How to Network: a guide for introverted creatives’. Why was it vital for you to pass this information forward?
I was teaching at a lot of full-time dance programs — schools designed to prepare dancers for professional careers. Aside from dance, I taught a class focused on the non-dance skills needed to build a lasting career, and I kept getting asked the same questions around the challenges of networking as an introverted artist.
Through sharing with them what I’d learnt from my own breakthroughs, I could see how much I was able to shortcut so many meltdowns I went through across my career.
I then wrote the e-book as more of a resource to compliment my teachings but since sharing it have later realised how much bigger and more universal the information is for anyone trying to put themselves out there.
Now, as an instructor and teacher yourself, do you ever reflect on the full-circle journey you’ve taken from student to standing in front of a class?
Absolutely. I love what dance has done for my life and value the art of learning so much. So, I don’t take the job lightly.
The way I teach and like to hold space in a room comes from all my experiences as a student — both the good and the bad.
I love seeing my students shine and selfishly get such a kick out of knowing I had a hand in their growth.
Lastly, are there any plans for 2026 you can let us know about?
My audience has grown a lot in the last year, so my plan for the start of this year was to travel and meet as many of those people as possible. I’m currently on the tail end of a teaching tour across Asia and America and I’ve been having a blast.
I’m definitely keen to keep travelling more in 2026, but I’m itching to get back in the studio and keen to get creative again — so if anyone needs movement, hit me up haha.
Thanks to Amy for taking the time to chat. To see more of her work or to make a enquiry, head here or follow her on instagram.
