Luna Zhuo (Lan Zhuo) is a dance educator and Pilates movement instructor grounded in somatic movement practice. With a foundation in Chinese dance alongside modern and contemporary training, her work bridges Eastern and Western movement traditions. Currently pursuing her MFA in Dance at Saint Mary’s College of California, she brings an integrated perspective to artistic development and physical training. Luna teaches children and adults with an emphasis on body conditioning, coordination, and expressive growth, preparing students for competitive dance environments at both national and international levels. As a certified Progressing Ballet Technique® (PBT) teacher, she incorporates conditioning principles to support healthy, efficient movement.

Alongside her dance work, Luna teaches Pilates as an integrated movement discipline. She is currently completing the Polestar® Pilates Comprehensive training, applying Pilates principles to support alignment, strength development, and functional body awareness. Informed by her somatic background, her Pilates teaching emphasizes injury prevention and sustainable conditioning, bridging structured training with embodied learning.

Her graduate work focuses on somatic movement research, exploring how embodied awareness informs dance education and movement healing. Through a research initiative at Saint Mary’s College led by Professor Rosana Barragán, Luna studies one-on-one with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen, founder of Body-Mind Centering®. This mentorship continues to shape her evolving approach to somatic-informed dance training.

Luna began professional dance training at age six, growing up in a cultural lineage deeply connected to Mongolian dance traditions. She has performed internationally, including appearances at the CCTV Spring Festival Gala in Beijing — one of the world’s most widely viewed cultural broadcasts — and the Chinese-Russian College Students Art Festival in Moscow. Her international work also includes a month-long residency in Kuala Lumpur for a Mongolian dance production.

Her artistic achievements include a Gold Award at the 25th International Folk Art Festival in Belgium, a Gold Award in the Chinese Xiaohe Elegant Demeanor Competition, and First Prize in the Inner Mongolia “Lucheng Cup” Dance Competition. These experiences continue to inform her artistic voice and her commitment to culturally grounded, embodied dance education.