Sheu rehearses for My Heart. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Being the lead dancer in Martha Graham's iconic works, Clytemnestra and Chronicle, Sheu was praised by critics as "the finest present-day embodiment of Martha Graham's technique and tradition".

"I showed the pages to my father, who finally agreed that I could dance," recalls Sheu of the time she was featured in the US press.

When she was principal dancer of the established company, she was free to dance any role she wanted. But Sheu made the decision to quit the job and return to Taiwan in 2010 only because of her need to discover more about herself, she says.

Besides Fang-Yi Sheu & Artists, Sheu also initiated "creation weeks" in 2015, inviting international young talents to participate in new works.

The same year, she expanded her artistic field by starring in Taiwan-based filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien's movie The Assassin, which won the award for best director in Cannes in 2015.

"I always try to remind myself of why I dance and the joys it brings to me," says Sheu.

Her autobiography published in 2008 is called Dare to Be Different.

Contact the writer at chennan@chinadaily.com.cn