Professor Xiao-Xiong Zhang was born in Cambodia and moved to China in his early teens. He earned the Bachelor of Arts degree from the History Department of Jinan University before emigrating to Australia in 1983, where he studied modern dance at the Centre for Performing Arts (Adelaide) and started the career as a professional dancer. Professor Zhnag has long experience in performing arts. He danced with the One Extra Company (Sydney) from 1985 to 1987, the Australian Dance Theatre (Adelaide) from 1987 to 1992, and Vis-a-Vis from 1994 to 1995. In 1992, Professor Zhang also performed in Jim Sharman’s Shadow and Splendour, a joint production by the Royal Queensland Theatre Company and the State Theatre Company of South Australia. Professor Zhang later moved to Taipei in 1996 and took up the position as the Associate Professor of the Dance College of the National Taipei University for the Arts (former NIA) and the teacher of modern dance for the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre. He also joined the Taipei Crossover Dance Company in the same year and toured to London, New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Hong Kong, Guangzhou, Beijing, and the Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, during which time the Company had also presented his works.

In 2004, Professor Zhang joined the Taipei Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall National Theatre production, the Legend of Madame Tsai. He is also the leading character of Chang Tso-Chi’s film Synapses (2019).