About Lydia

Lydia Feuerhelm-Chiu is a contemporary dance choreographer, educator, and videomaker based in the Bay Area, CA. Her passion for performing arts started at a young age, and has remained a guiding force throughout her life.

She started to find her teaching and directorial voice in high school, when she realized that coaching others through movement brought her immense joy and fulfillment. She eventually found her way to teaching partner dance styles in Chicago (Ballroom, Swing, Salsa) for 5 years, before moving to the Bay Area and developing her own brand of modern & contemporary dance classes starting in 2020. She's now been teaching dance for over 10 years to students of all ages, and finds the most joy when she's able to help students connect to their bodies in new ways. 

Her choreographic work has been selected for presentation at numerous festivals and conferences, including American College Dance Association, Full Circle Dance Festival, GLO Artist Showcase and was selected as an audience favorite at Dance for $9.99. She co-founded the choreographic collective The Coincidentals, which produced numerous events and performances throughout Chicago in theaters, studio spaces, and private residences from 2014 - 2019.

She has performed with a variety of choreographers and organizations including Margi Cole, Timothy Buckley, Melissa Lobes, Natasha Carlitz Dance Ensemble, Palo Alto Children’s Theater, and High Release Dance Company.

In addition to her dance work, she moonlights as a performance videographer & editor with Rapt Productions, and continues her own artistic practice creating videos, playing ukulele, and cooking up something delicious.