(Minghui.org) NTD’s 11th International Classical Chinese Dance Competition took place at the Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center in Chester, New York, from September 11 to 14, 2025.
More than 100 leading classical Chinese dancers from all over the world competed in a showcase of their skills on the international stage.
The classical Chinese dance competition was one in a series of international cultural and arts events hosted by NTD aimed at promoting traditional culture. In China, this culture has been all but destroyed by the Chinese Communist Party over the past several decades.
The finals concluded on Sunday. Seven gold, 10 silver, and 11 bronze medals, along with 23 honorable mentions, were awarded across junior and adult divisions.
Awards ceremony on September 14
Classical Chinese dance training includes three main components—bearing, form, and technique. It is an expressive dance form rooted in 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture, and is also one of the most comprehensive dance systems in the world.
Organizers said that the competition would launch a new era in classical Chinese dance by fostering cultural exchange, making this ancient Chinese culture renowned throughout the world and promoting traditional dance with pure authenticity, pure goodness, and pure beauty.
The highest standard of the dance form—“shen dai shou” (the body leads the hands) and “kua dai tui” (the hips lead the legs)—are forgotten ancient techniques that dancers have been seeking. The techniques have been reintroduced to the world by Shen Yun Performing Arts’ founder and artistic director, Mr. D.F. This once nearly lost technique allows dancers to create powerful, sweeping movements that magnify both emotion and a dancer’s presence on stage.
Judges: “Contestants This Year Are Really Outstanding”
Each contestant was required to perform a short dance routine along with a set of required techniques and movements, demonstrating leaps, spins, and classical technique.
William Li, a principal dancer and company manager with Shen Yun Performing Arts
Judge William Li shared how dancers this year brought higher technical difficulty, expressive storytelling, and timeless cultural values to the stage.
“I think that the contestants this year are really outstanding, especially in their technical movements. The level of difficulty is going up higher and higher, and especially this year, all of the contestants are very outstanding in this aspect.
“‘Shen dai shou, kua dai tui’ is something that we’ve always been looking at as one of our main judging criteria. And every year, you notice that the contestants are getting more and more adept at using this technique. So that’s really gonna show in the form of how their body is more expressive. Their movements and poses are more grand, and you notice that throughout all of the contestants as well.
“‘Shen dai shou’ makes your movements more expressive. And in classical Chinese dance, your movements have to express an emotion or convey a message. So it’s all about getting your message across to the audience, and ‘shen dai shou, kua dai tui,’ that’s going to make your movements a lot more clear. So whatever you’re trying to portray is going to be more expressive to the audience. And there’s a lot of self-choreographed pieces which are very touching, and even as a judge, when I’m watching them, I’m feeling very touched and moved.
“I think the contestants are doing really well in portraying bearing. And I think one of the key elements of bearing is that you’re portraying the inner essence of you as a performer. And the foundation for that is the history and the virtues of Chinese culture. So virtues such as compassion, forbearance, courage, loyalty. You yourself, in everyday life, have to have these values portrayed. You have to act with these kinds of values, and then in your dancing, it will naturally come out. So it's not something that is forced or fake but something that comes out very naturally through your dancing.
“I think classical Chinese dance is actually something that is very international. We have contestants from all over the world coming to join, as the virtues and values of Chinese history are universal. For example, loyalty, courage, faith. This is something that, all over the world, we think are good things—it’s not just unique to Chinese culture. So anyone can come and perform classical Chinese dance from any part of the world, and you can also bring out these virtues in your bearing on stage,” he said.
Angelia Wang, a principal dancer and instructor with Shen Yun
Judge Angelia Wang said, “Everyone had their bright spots. Some people’s techniques were very good. Some people’s bearing and form were very pretty. Some people were very moving in portraying characters.
“Traditional Chinese culture especially has very good traditional values and virtues. I think these good things do not have national borders and should be learned or promoted by everybody,” she said.
Gold Award Winners: A Chance to Learn and Improve
Karina Fu, gold award winner of the adult female division
Karina Fu said she was “very surprised” that she won the gold award. “Other contestants all had strong skills and each had their own strengths. Everyone performed excellently,” she said.
“I did not come to the competition to win an award. I only wanted to improve myself. Because I gain a lot each time I participate in the competition, even though this process is quite hard,” she said.
Grace Rubacek, gold award winner of the junior female division
“I think it’s an honor to be able to just participate in the competition, and it’s an amazing experience, because you can learn from everyone, like everyone has something you can learn from,” said Grace Rubacek, who won the gold award in the junior female division of the competition.
“When I was on stage, I tried to just listen to the music and feel what it gives me, like the feeling of the music. I try to let it flow through me and just lead my moves. And I also try to talk to the audience with my heart,” she said.
Lionel Wang, gold award winner of the adult male division
Lionel Wang from Canada won the gold award in the adult male division. “I just try to give everything I have to the audience and let the audience see what I have to give,” he said.
“I see this award as an extreme encouragement for me to master and perfect in every aspect as a classical Chinese dancer,” he said.
Eric Lu, gold award winner of the adult male division
Katelyn Zheng, gold award winner of the junior female division
Adam Parker, gold award winner of the junior male division
Hugh Yang, gold award winner of the junior male division
Audience: “Truly a World Championship”
Cynthia Sun, 2023 Miss NTD (NTD Television)
2023 Miss NTD Cynthia Sun said, “There was a girl who was performing earlier that pretended like she was dancing with her husband when there was no one on stage, and there was another girl that danced like she was being dragged away by like the police. And you could really feel her emotions in that moment, the terror, the fact that her clothes were being pulled on.
“And it’s just an incredible feat. I’ve seen lots of plays before. I’ve seen operas in Italy. I’ve gone to Switzerland. You know, I’ve seen Houston Ballet growing up all my life, but I’ve never seen anything like this competition today. It truly is a world championship,” she said.
James H. White, songwriter and human rights activist (NTD Television)
“I’ve been brought to tears several times today, so it’s obvious they’re conveying the story in a very real way, very emotional way,” said James H. White. “It’s amazing to use art as a way of communicating peacefully that story and the genocide that’s happening in China.
“And I think we can take lessons from what’s happening in China today and also what's happening here in America today, around the world. We have to use peaceful strength and spirituality as a way of moving forward together as a society and culture,” he said.
Winners List
Gold Awards
Junior Female Division: Katelyn Zheng, Grace RubacekJunior Male Division: Adam Parker, Hugh YangAdult Female Division: Karina FuAdult Male Division: Eric Lu, Lionel Wang
Silver Awards
Junior Female Division: Nancy Li, Catrina O'Neill, Sophie ShaoJunior Male Division: Bryan ZhaoAdult Female Division: Nara Oose, Luna Yu, Grace HuangAdult Male Division: Ryan Zhou, Daniel Liang, Johnny Tsai
Bronze Awards
Junior Female Division: Vicky WuJunior Male Division: Andrew Liu, Leo Wen Li, Kevin HuangAdult Female Division: Katherine Parker, Lillian Parker, Sunni ZhouAdult Male Division: Daniel Zhang, Masayuki Sho, Ethan Guo, David Xiao
Honorable Mentions
Junior Female Division: Abigail Wong, Grace WangJunior Male Division: Yoshiaki Sho, Louis Tong, Justin Shi, Lucas Cao, Parsa BaniasadiAdult Female Division: Yingmei Zheng, Paula Lian, Linjie Huang, Marilyn Yang, Hannah Jao, Dahlia Lin, Nancy XuAdult Male Division: Bill Hsiung, Pin Chun Chan, Matthew Zhang, Yuanming Chen, Tommy Han, Jimmy Cha, Hubert Qu, Hungwei Sun, Alan Lee
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Category: Media Reports
