Ada Cheng (USA)
Previously participated: KIAR 2024 – December
Workshop: July 3 – 5, 2026 / Venue: Space A, Kathmandu
Ada Cheng, Ph.D., is a playwright, solo performer, and educator based in Chicago. With a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Texas at Austin, she brings a unique interdisciplinary perspective to her work. Ada is affiliated with the American Blues Theater and the Writer’s Incubator Program at Playground-Chicago. She has been recognized with multiple honors, including the 2021 Educator of the Year award by the 7th Congressional District’s MEATF and AMEC, and she is a current member of the Illinois Humanities Road Scholars Speakers Bureau.
Ada’s plays have been presented in prestigious festivals and stages, including the Mid-America Theatre Conference and LowellArts’ Playbytes festival. Her work has been published in various literary and dramatic journals, with titles like Confinement and Negotiation in Silk Road Review and Literature Today. She has also contributed to Fresh Words: An International Literary Magazine and Et Tu, Brute?: An Anthology of One-Minute Plays. Ada’s short films, such as The Letter and A Letter to My Younger Self, highlight her versatility in multimedia storytelling.
Her book Standing Up: From Renegade Professor to Middle-Aged Comic reflects her journey from academia to performance art. She has participated in artist residencies, including ARTESUMAPA in Colombia and Chateau Orquevaux in France, expanding her creative horizons globally.
Elena Golovanova (Italy)
Elena Golovanova is a Russian journalist, editor, and author with over 20 years of experience reporting on culture, society, travel, gastronomy, science, and contemporary social trends. Based in Italy, she has worked as a foreign correspondent and regular contributor for leading Russian publications, producing stories that bridge cultures and offer thoughtful perspectives on people and places.
She earned a degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from Moscow State University and completed postgraduate studies in Art Studies at the State Institute for Art Studies in Moscow. Throughout her career, she has held editorial positions at Domovoy and the Russian edition of Travel+Leisure, while contributing to publications including Afisha-Mir, Robb Report, Interior+Design, and Time Out. Since 2007, she has been a regular columnist for Aeroflot, S7, Gastronom, and Baku Magazine. She is also the author of several non-fiction books. Fluent in Russian, English, and Italian, Golovanova continues to document culture, creativity, and human stories across international contexts.
Seo Kyong Sun (S. Korea)
Workshop: 12th July 2026 / Venue: Space A, Kathmandu
Seo Kyong Sun is a South Korean choreographer, performer, and educator whose practice explores improvisation, site-specific performance, and collaborative artistic processes. With a background in dance and choreography, she creates works that investigate the relationship between body, space, memory, and everyday life, often engaging audiences through participatory and interdisciplinary approaches.
She holds a B.A. in Dance from Sungkyunkwan University and an M.A. in Choreography from the Korea National University of Arts. Since 2009, she has taught in the Department of Performing Arts at Dankook University while actively developing independent artistic projects. Her work has been presented across Korea and internationally through the Asian Improvisation Art Exchange in Korea, Japan, and Taiwan. She has also organized long-term collaborative initiatives, including the Jib Series, which transformed domestic spaces into venues for performance and artistic exchange.
Seo has received support from the Seoul Foundation for Arts and Culture, the Seoul Dance Center, Kyoto Art Center, and the Arts Council Korea. Through choreography, performance, writing, and arts education, she continues to explore how movement can foster dialogue, community engagement, and new ways of experiencing contemporary life.