Sen Hea Ha, 1996, 1997, 1999
has been studying Korean traditional and contemporary dance since age five, with emphasis on ritualistic dance forms and ceremonial expressions. She is a graduate of the Arts Department of Kyungsung University and has worked with the Baegimsae Dance Company in Korea. Since moving to the United States in 1993, she earned her M.A. in Dance Ethnology from UCLA in 1996, completing her thesis on Korean American shamanism in Los Angeles, and earned her M.F.A. in choreography/performance at UCLA, receiving the award Outstanding Graduate Student (Dance) from the National Dance Association. As a performer and choreographer, Sen Hea has worked in a variety of local and international venues. She has performed her own work at the Kaleidoscope Dance Festival in Los Angeles, Los Angeles Women Festival, LACE's Twisted Spring Dance Series, Southwest Regional American College Dance Festival (ACDF) in Arizona and Long Beach, and at California Plaza. In 1997 she was in Wuppertal, Germany, as an invited guest studying with Pina Bausch, where she had the opportunity to participate in workshops and taught Korean dance to the company. She performed in Peter Sellars' opera production of "Le Grand Macabre" at Chatelet Theatre du Paris, France, "Oedipus Rex/Symphony of Psalms" in 1994 at the Salzburg Festival and in 1998 in Het Muziektheater, Amsterdam, and is again invited by Peter Sellars to dance in an opera production at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden, London. In 1998, she was invited to choreograph and perform in Solo, Central Java and at the Makassar Dance Festival in Ujung Pandang, Indonesia. In June 1999, she will be performing with Paul Thompson at La MaMa E.T.C. Theatre in New York and will be presenting her own contemporary work in Hamburg, Germany for Hammoniale '99. Sen Hea has given numerous workshops for Korean dance and culture and has taught Korean traditional and contemporary theatrical dance. She collaborated with John Bishop on a video documentary "L.A. Shamanism", funded by California Folk Arts & Traditions. She is also founder and artistic director of Intercultural Korean Arts Xchange (IKA Xchange) based in Los Angeles, aimed at introducing traditional Korean arts and culture in an interactive setting in order to promote understanding and intercultural exchange.

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