Dr. Zhibo Zhao is a highly trained dancer-choreographer and practice-based researcher who was awarded National First-Rank Dance Artist by the Chinese government. She studied at Beijing Dance Academy (BDA) from the age of 10, beginning with a six-year training programmed in Chinese Classical Dance, followed by a BA and MFA. 

She has been an associate artist of the ArtsCross project since 2009. She received her PhD from Middlesex University, UK, in 2023, focusing on dance improvisation in relation to Chinese dance and dancers. She has worked tirelessly to deliver talks and workshops on Chinese dance and has created both short and full-length works from her unique cultural perspective.