Meet Patricia Zhou, the Dancer Taking on Her Next Challenge in 'Cats'
“It’s very easy to make work that looks good, but what’s more interesting is creating work that looks like you.”
For Patricia Zhou, movement has never been just about technique; it’s about emotion and storytelling. The dancer, choreographer and filmmaker has built a career that effortlessly bridges disciplines, from rigorous ballet training to contemporary performance, directing behind the camera and now stepping into one of musical theatre’s most renowned productions. Starring in Cats at Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in London, Zhou brings her own artistic perspective to a reimagined classic, embracing a role that feels both unexpected and perfectly timed.
Throughout her career, Zhou has continually challenged herself to evolve, trading the pursuit of perfection for creative freedom while remaining deeply committed to her craft. Whether she’s creating choreography, directing or performing on stage, her work is driven by a clear point of view and a desire to build spaces where artists can fully express themselves.
Ahead of Cats‘ opening, we caught up with Zhou to talk about finding dance by accident, the defining moments that shaped her career, stepping into the world of musical theatre and why staying true to your own creative vision matters more than ever. Read on for the full interview.
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got into dancing?
I’m a dancer, choreographer and filmmaker. I got into dancing kind of by accident. My parents, being typical Chinese parents, didn’t want me and my sister to stay at home after school and watch TV, so they sent us to dance lessons at the local recreation center. One of the teachers said they saw a lot of promise in me, so he started pushing me a lot to do competitions.
I was spending a lot of time doing that, travelling to different places in the summer and doing national competitions. But my parents thought I should focus more on my studies as I was turning 11 or 12. So, one year when I was in China visiting my grandparents, they sent me to these really strict ballet lessons in the hopes that the teacher was so mean that I wouldn’t want to dance anymore. Weirdly, after those lessons, it completely changed my entire personality and how I approached everything. I think the discipline of these really strict and professional ballet lessons made me realize I wanted to be a ballerina.
My parents were still super hesitant, but someone recommended that I audition for this Russian ballet school in America, and I ended up getting a scholarship. My parents then gave in and said I could dance as long as I had perfect grades, in case I didn’t make it as a dancer.
I did four years of training there, worked professionally for ballet companies for years, moved to LA to join a contemporary dance company before realizing I wanted to have more agency over the performances. I ended up leaving to make my own work, which now means dancing on the West End!
It’s amazing that you figured out you wanted to be a dancer so young.
Yeah, it’s funny because I guess 11 or 12 seems so young, but weirdly in ballet that’s actually really old. But I think it’s worked to my advantage because I’ve seen a lot of child prodigies burn out because they were pushed too hard as kids. Also, because I came to it a little later on, I didn’t have this idealized version of becoming a principal dancer at the Paris Opera Ballet; I was just happy to be there, going with the flow. I think this has allowed me to be a bit more flexible with my choices.
You’ve had a bit of a dance hiatus, and now you’re performing in Cats. Can you tell us how the opportunity came about and what you were feeling at the time?
I was brought onto Cats unofficially first, about 2 years ago. Chrissie, the director and choreographer, had been approached to do a remake of the production, and I think he was hesitant to do it for a while because it’s such an iconic show. Unless you really feel like you’re able to do it justice, what’s the point? So, eight of us were brought in to do an undisclosed workshop. We had no idea what we were doing until the first day, when they told us.
I don’t really have a musical theater background, so I’d never seen it. This meant I didn’t have a lot of expectations, and I didn’t really have that many feelings about it when we started. But throughout the first week, we worked on the main dancing section of the show, and then I thought, “Oh my gosh, this is so exciting.”
Since going freelance, I don’t really tend to do projects unless I feel really excited about them, because it’s so much work and so much of your time and energy. But I really thought, “Okay, this needs to happen.” When I was actually offered the role, it felt like it was meant to be, and exactly what I had been waiting for. Also, because I haven’t done a musical before, it felt like an exciting challenge.
You’ve spent time behind the camera as well. How do you think that’s changed your approach to being a performer?
Being behind the camera and also directing has changed my feelings on how much pressure I put on myself as a performer because you realize that at the front of the room, they’re also trying to figure it out. When I’m in front of the room directing, I’m not expecting people to get it perfectly from the beginning, so it feels more like a collaborative effort. When I go back to being a performer, it feels less pressurized. You realize as the leader that you also want the performer to feel comfortable and confident in what they’re doing. As I get older and transition more to being in front of the room, I think more about creating spaces where people feel safe to explore and feel important; they’re there for a reason.
Cats, as you said, is one of those productions that many people know so well. What surprised you most about the production?
After I got offered the job, I thought, “Okay, I need to do a deep dive and understand what I’m getting myself into.” So I watched different versions of the musical, I watched the film and I read a lot about the different characters. I found that the original choreography is what most people know; it’s just so iconic, so I was really intrigued as to how Chrissie was going to re-approach it.
What’s really interesting about this cast is that everyone has these individual, incredible, unique skill sets. So it’s been interesting to see how that is brought out within a piece that is essentially an ensemble, where a lot of the time we’re moving in unison. The way they’ve approached it feels like, “How do we bring all these different people together, but also amplify their special, unique talents in ways of moving?” This has been very interesting as a performer, seeing how they’re able to really nurture different, unique styles and have them all feel valid. It’s really eye-opening, and I’m excited for people to see it because every day in rehearsals I sit there with my jaw on the floor.
The production is outside at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre. What do you think this adds to the show?
I think it adds so much. Even just within our training, we do cat meditations where we close our eyes and imagine maybe our skin transforming into fur, and within some of that imagery they’ll say “Now you feel a breeze and it bristles through your fur,” but we will actually be outside and we will be able to feel that breeze, or we might suddenly turn our faces and the sun comes out. So I think it will add other elements for us performers to play with. There’s also something really special about being under the same sky as the audience; the breeze that you feel is the same breeze that the performer is feeling. It’s very unifying in a really special way.
Ballet is all about perfection, and contemporary dance is more free. Where do you feel most comfortable?
Coming from ballet, I’ve not necessarily felt like a super technical dancer, because for me it’s very much emotionally led or led by music. When I was a kid, I learned routines and didn’t actually know the steps without the music, but as soon as you put the music on, I would know exactly what the dance was. Of course, ballet training is so much about technique and doing things in a very specific way, so hopefully now I’ve been able to meld that. I train almost every single day even if I’m not performing, because it’s really about making sure your muscles are trained to work in a very specific way so that when you’re actually performing, your body and your muscles are working without you having to think, so that you can actually emote and feel vulnerable without losing all of that technique.
Do you have any creatives who inspire your movement?
Yeah, so many! Filmmakers like Wong Kar-wai and Wes Anderson. There’s this amazing photographer called Leslie Zhang, who works a lot with Vogue China. There’s this other photographer, Elizaveta Porodina, and when you look at their work, it’s like you’re transported to their world and their point of view. It’s the same for some brands, for example, Cecilie Bahnsen or Chet Lo, you really understand their point of view. It’s immediately so clear.
It doesn’t necessarily influence the way I move, but I think it influences the way I approach work. It’s very easy to make work that looks good, but what’s more interesting for me is creating work that looks like you. This is like my North Star of how I want to approach things as I continue to build more work. I think, “How do I stick to my own vision on it?”
You mentioned that you came to ballet a bit later than many professionals do. What would you say your relationship with discipline is?
I feel like those 10 lessons in China really changed my entire life. I’m very hard-working and very focused, so if I take something on, I will work as hard as possible to get that done to the best level I can achieve. It’s a hard mark to go by because what is the best that you can achieve? That’s limitless, right? If you just keep working, it could be better and better, but there’s also the other side of that. For example, if I’m working on a film and editing it, I could literally do that until my partner comes home and finds me in the dark because I’ve been sitting in the same spot for like 14 hours or something. Sometimes it’s great, but I do get tunnel vision. Perfectionism does have its plus sides, but it’s not always the best health-wise. But I think it shows in the projects that I undertake. I always give my 150%, because otherwise I just think, what’s the point?
Finally, what’s next for you?
For the moment, I’m working on Cats, and after our Regent’s Park run, we go on a UK and Dublin tour for almost a year. I’m not really thinking ahead in the short-term, but for long-term goals, I would love to have my own studio and dance company. I want to keep creating and fostering spaces where dancers are able to really develop themselves as artists in their own way. Maybe I’d be able to mentor them to become the best versions of themselves.
I also want to create my own work on a more regular basis. Currently, there aren’t loads of people doing new classical ballet. I would love to navigate how I can bring my own stories and my own aesthetic and culture into a space that is traditionally not my culture or my aesthetic. So, I think modernizing the dance in a way that feels more me, and also in a way that feels good for people to move in. There are so many more stories that can be told.
