Hao is the founder of HaoExpression and Executive Director of HaoExpression Dance Company (HEDC). Her path has been anything but traditional: leaving Vietnam at 15 as a boat person, studying Business Informatics in France, working as a software engineer in Paris, before becoming a mom and devoting to the performing arts in California.

Hao teaches ballet primarily to beginning adult dancers. Having returned to ballet herself at age 42, she understands the challenges and aspirations that many adult beginners experience. Trained in the French ballet tradition with Rodolphe Cassand, she enjoys helping students make sense of ballet's French vocabulary and often explains technique through basic anatomy, geometry, physics, and logic.

Hao also practiced for many years under the guidance of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. His teachings continue to influence the way she builds community and supports students in the studio.
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In addition to teaching, Hao creates performances and supports independent artists through HEDC. Influenced by Anna Halprin's Tamalpa Life/Art Process®, she encourages dancers to connect technical training with creativity, storytelling, and authentic self-expression.

Reviews

I really enjoy your class. I always feel like I have some take away from it. I love your choreography, your detailed explanations of how to break down new movements step by step, and especially appreciate your patience in correcting my mistakes over and over again 🙂
— KT, Adult Ballet Dancer

i love hao at HaoExpression in mountain view! she takes all her dancers so seriously and really dives into the 'why' behind why students aren't understanding a certain step or technique.
— @princessbunnyballet, Reddit

You’ve given me so much, I went through my notes and found so many beautiful nuggets of wisdom from you. I’m forever grateful for the insights and the beauty of movement you showed me.
— SK, Movement-Based Expressive Arts Participant