Initiated by the Pan America Dance Alliance and co-hosted by the South Coast Chinese Cultural Center . Special consultant for the project: Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company is one of the few American professional dance troupes initiated and led by Asian women. It has spread diverse dance culture in the United States for nearly 30 years.
In order to select the “My Heritage, My Dance” scholarship program, the organizer invited a number of professional and authoritative jury members to participate in the discussion, and finally selected the award-winning clubs/organizations for this scholarship program based on multi-dimensional professional considerations. Let’s get to know the teachers who are members of the judge.
Mrs. Chen Jin, graduated from Beijing Dance Academy, specializing in Chinese folk dance and classical ballet. She has more than 30 years of experience in dance performance and teaching. Mrs. Chenโs students have won top awards in Chinese folk dance, ballet across the board. Mrs. Chen is also the examiner of the Chinese folk dance teacher training grade test and the examiner of the studentsโ examination.
Yulan Chung, Executive Director of South Coast Chinese Cultural Center (SCCCC) and Principal of Irvine Chinese School (ICS) . Yulan became the Principal of ICS in 2012. She was later appointed as the Executive Director for the Cultural Center in 2013 Under her leadership, ICS celebrated its 40 years in 2018 as the largest Chinese school in the U.S. With her vision and efforts, SCCCC has become the largest cultural center in the region with its own full size Chinese Orchestra, a Chinese Dance Company, and a Chinese Wushu Team on the way. With her tremendous contribution in promoting diversity in the community, Yulan was appointed as a member on the City of Irvine’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee. She will also be recognized on Irvin’e Wall of Recognition in June 2022.
Professor Hu received his B.A. in Dance from Beijing Dance Academyโs conservatory program. He performed in Chinese traditional and folk dance forms and was the recipient of many awards at major Chinese dance competitions. He was honored with a faculty position and taught Chinese traditional dance at Beijing Dance Academy for eight years. In 1985, he received an Outstanding Instructor Award for instructing student competitors in the Chinese National Dance Competition โ โTaoli Cupโ, given by the Chinese Dance Artists Association.
Kerry is the Co-Artistic Director of the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company, where she began her dance journey under the direction of her mother Hwee-Eng Lee while also immersing herself in the pre-professional ballet world. After graduating from Stanford University with an engineering degree and working for a top-ranked economic consulting firm, she followed her heart into the professional dance world in New York City. As a traditional Chinese and modern/contemporary dancer, she toured nationally and internationally with the Nai-Ni Chen Dance Company, H.T. Chen & Dancers, Dance China NY, and gloATL before returning home to co-lead the Atlanta Chinese Dance Company with her mother. The troupe of 100 dancers has enchanted Chinese and non-Chinese audiences alike through twenty original full-evening productions and hundreds of community outreach performances for schools/universities, museums, libraries, senior centers, military bases, arts festivals, international days, corporate events, Asian American community celebrations and more. The company has been the recipient of several grant awards from the National Endowment for the Arts and Georgia Council for the Arts. Among other honors, Kerry was the only Chinese dancer among the finalists who received a ticket on So You Think You Can Dance Season 11 and was a recipient of the Louis Sudler Prize in the Performing and Creative Arts.
Renowned dance educator, theorist, and one of the key contributors who institutionalized Chinese folk dance. Professor Pan spent most of his professional career as a dance instructor and administrator at the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy (BDA) where he founded the Chinese Folk Dance department and served as its dean for over 20 years. He also serves as faculty advisor in the masterโs and doctoral programs at BDA. He was the principal director of the pre-opening performance at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, as well as the dance director for Chinaโs 60th Anniversary Grand Musical. He also founded the โTao-Li Cupโ national competition for Chinese dance.
During more than 12 years under Rickโs leadership, Arts Orange County has addressed the needs of the arts and culture community in Orange County, California by becoming a trailblazer among nonprofit arts councils worldwide– augmenting traditional arts agency programs and services with its unique role as the communityโs go-to arts consultant to government, education and nonprofit organizations. This has helped enable Arts Orange County to become a leading advocate for the arts and arts education on the local, state and national level.
PACDA Rotating Supervisor of the Board. Ms. Shin Yue Wang, Founder and Artistic Director of Shin Dance Academy and Shin Dance Company. She graduated from the prestigious Minzu University of China with a degree in Chinese Ethnic Dance and Dance Education, and continued at the University by becoming a lecturer and instructor before residing in Los Angeles in 1994. An award-winning artist with over 40 years of stage performance and dance instruction experience, Ms. Wang has represented China as a performing ambassador to many countries and was hailed by critics as โone of the best performing artists”. Her talents in dance, music, arts and literature combined with her unique personal perspectives and interests create unforgettable dance pieces that are expressly rich and beautiful in thought, emotion, culture and creativity. Her numerous awards include Best Performer, Best Performance and Best Instructor in the nationally acclaimed โTaoli Cup” Competition in China.
Tong Wang graduated with honors from the prestigious Beijing Dance Academy in 1986. He performed as a principal dancer with companies such as Shanghai Ballet, Tulsa Ballet Theatre, Dayton Ballet, Colorado Ballet, and, most recently, Ballet West. While dancing professionally, Tong completed his B.F.A. and M.F.A. degrees in Ballet Teaching and Choreography with the University of Utah Ballet Department and also worked as a guest faculty member. Following a successful career as a principal artist, Tong Wang has continued to devote his talents to the field of dance as a choreographer, dance professor, and master teacher. Internationally, he continues to choreograph new works, teach master classes, and stage his work in various dance schools and companies, including Beijing Dance Academy, Zhejiang Professional Arts Academy, Nanjing University of the Arts, Shanghai Normal University, Tianjin University, and Fudan University. Currently Tong is an associate professor at the distinguished Dance Department of University of California, Irvine.