It's fitting that Willow Chang titled her latest dance piece "Ourobouros."

An ancient image of a serpent swallowing its own tail, the ourobouros symbolizes the eternal cycle of renewal, of changing forms.

This idea of evolution — of re-creating oneself — is very much a part of Chang's life.

She's done everything from dance hula to design costumes to sing at weddings. (She's also a part of The Advertiser's Fashion Forum.)

Now her focus is on Middle Eastern dance forms, particularly belly dancing.

"For me, it fits so nicely into the triangle of things that are important to me: dancing, singing and visual arts," said Chang, 34, who founded Sangha Dance Theater. "There's a lot of variety in the movements. ... It feels bottomless."

But it's not enough that she dances.

She wants to share her passion with everyone she meets, everywhere she goes — and maybe even change some perspectives in the process.

And she wants to do this through dance.

"Ourobouros" is a modern fusion piece about the human side of the mythical monster Medusa.

"She's a misunderstood woman," Chang said, laughing. "At first you're repelled and disturbed by her image, but through the movements and the music, you soften your original belief (about her). That's what art can do. It's transformative on a subconscious level."

Chang will perform this piece at the 20th World Congress on Dance, presented by the International Dance Council tomorrow through Oct. 29 in Athens, Greece.

It's one of the largest gatherings of dance specialists and professionals in the world, luring about 400 attendees from 40 countries.

The theme, "Promotion of Diversity," caught Chang's attention.

The dance instructor, who earned her bachelor's degree in dance from the University of Hawai'i-Manoa in 2002, hopes to represent a part of the Hawai'i dance scene on a global scale in Athens.

"I want people to think about Hawai'i as a cultural place, that it's not just about surfers and hula dancers," Chang said. "Those are very cool things, but there are a lot of different cultures here that coexist very harmoniously in Hawai'i."

Reach Catherine E. Toth at ctoth@honoluluadvertiser.com.