Mona Lai - Instructor | Studio Director

Certified teacher of Beijing Dance Academy Chinese Dance Exam Syllabus | Progressive Ballet Technique (PBT) | Barre Fitness Instructor | Pilates Certified

Mona was born in Vancouver and raised in Hong Kong where she started dancing at the age of three. She received her Chinese classical and folk dance, ballet, contemporary and tap dance training at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA). Mona completed the full 13 grades of the Beijing Dance Academy Graded Examination at the age of 15 and was selected to perform with the Hong Kong Dance Company in the annual dance production “Journey to the West” as well as a student representative for the “Shanghai Cultural and Arts Festival”. During her study at HKAPA, Mona was chosen out from 200 students to play the role of Topsy in the intensive musical production, “The King and I”. During her study in Vancouver, Mona founded the Chinese Dance Society where she taught and choreographed Contemporary Chinese dance to students. The dance troupe was invited by various community schools and organizations to perform in multicultural events.

Now a certified teacher of the Beijing Dance Academy Graded Chinese Dance Examination Syllabus, Progressive Ballet Technique (PBT) and certified Barre Fitness Instructor, Mona was the winner of local major dance competitions, including 1st place in the National Solo category of the 2012 Raise the Barre Dance Competition, 2nd place in the 2015 Surrey Festival of Dance and 1st place in both National Solo and Choreography category of 2016 Peak Invitational Dance Challenge. 

Completed projects and works include “The Living Archive”, a collaborative performance with the New Westminster Museum and Archives together with local new media artists, dancers and songwriters at the Anvil Center. Choreographer and Movement Director for Drama Lover Production’s original Cantonese musical “Love for Sale” presented at the Norman Rothstein Theatre in 2017.

Apart from dance, Mona was trained in music and has achieved Grade 8 of the Royal Schools of Music Piano Examination.

Yian Chen - Instructor

Yian is a movement practitioner and contemporary dance artist. As a performer, she has worked with artists, educators, and mentors from across Canada, the United States, and Israel. As a choreographer, Yian has collaborated with sound artist, Nathan Marsh, in the Interplay2018 (The Memory Palace). She also had a work-in-progress presented in Pre-show Vol5. Her most recent performance in 12 MinutesMax is a playful project by Kathrine Vincent.

Yian completed her BFA in Dance in Simon Fraser University in 2018. Upon her graduation, she received the Contact Improvisation scholarship with EDAM and have an ongoing training under Peter Bingham’s direction. Yian is grateful and exciting to begin her teaching here in Aura School of Dance.