As a young teenager in China’s capitol city, Kingston Liu began dancing as a way to get in shape. He hasn’t been able to stop.

“People have very different ways of expressing their feelings,” said Liu, who is studying statistics at the University of Virginia. “For me, when I hear music, I hear so many different layers that I cannot really express through words or singing. Dancing just came naturally to me.”

Liu, now a fourth-year student, still dances every day, whether with a group or on his own. He has danced with student groups like the AKAdeMIX hip-hop dance crew and now leads The Mighty, a hip-hop group hosting free dance workshops around Grounds. He has danced around Charlottesville – on stage, during TED talk-style performances, or simply around downtown – and in regional competitions, always looking for ways to improve.

He mostly focuses on hip-hop, with emphasis on freestyle improvisation. Since coming to UVA, Liu has also honed his skills in video production and graphic design and become an ambassador for the arts on Grounds, eager to share the dance and art programs that have shaped his time here. That’s in addition to his studies in statistics and business, undertaken with an eye toward a postgraduate master’s program and business career.

Below, join Liu in a visual tour of his life on Grounds.