Li-Chou Cheng started his professional training when he was 13 at the Beijing Dance Academy in China. At the age of 19, he joined the Beijing Central Ballet as a dancer and soloist and served as a Ballet Master and Rehearsal Director for the company.

 Since immigrating to the United States in 1980, Cheng has served as Assistant Professor at the University of Utah and Arizona State University. In 1988, Cheng was named the Principal teacher for both the Boston Ballet Company and School. Cheng was Professor of Professional Practice in Ballet with the School for Classical & Contemporary Dance at Texas Christian University for 28 years.

As a guest teacher in demand nationwide, he has worked with many ballet companies and their summer dance programs, including, Boston Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Ballet West, Ballet Met, Ballet Austin, Indianapolis Ballet, Eugene Ballet, Ballet Oregon, North Carolina School of the Arts, and Walnut Hill School of Arts. This year marked his 17th year to teach for Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School’s Summer Intensive.

His international teaching experience includes Beijing Dance Academy, The National Ballet School of Canada, The National Institution of Arts in Mexico, the Taipei National University of Arts, and the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre in Taiwan. In 2019 Mr. Cheng was invited to participate in the 60th anniversary of the Central Ballet of China and restage a classical pas de deux.