Chris Zou

Instructor • Rotating Faculty Member

• B.S. in Biology at UC Riverside

Raised in the Bay Area, Chris found his passion for dance at a young age while standing in front of the TV imitating the moves to “Eye to Eye” from “A Goofy Movie” before actually even knowing what dancing was. It was much later after a year of being on his high school’s hip-hop dance team when he decided to pursue his passion for dance while studying for his Bachelors of Science in Biology at UC Riverside.

Since then, Chris has danced, choreographed, directed, and competed throughout California on various teams including 909 Dance Troupe, Collective Faction, Team Millennia, Hall of Fame, and The G.O.O.D. Project, while also having trained with Kreativ Mindz Dance Academy where he had the opportunity to learn from renowned choreographers from all over the world.

In the midst of his training, he fell in love with teaching and has been teaching hip-hop to all ages for 7+ years. Excited to be at FOCUS, he’s is pumped to share and apply his knowledge to provide a strong hip-hop foundation for the students. Mixing various styles such as popping, tutting, and housing, into his choreography, accompanied with fundamental grooves, and the occasional trendy dance move, Chris’s class emphasizes quality of movement, growth, and most of all a good time! He hopes to teach the students that skills and tools learned in dance also apply and are valuable in everyday life.

Chris is a Rotating Faculty member for Hip Hop Competing Blocks.