Outperforming in October: Shen Yun Dancers Take Gold at International Competition

The dancers on day two of the competition after finding out they made it to the finals.

Shen Yun’s Evangeline Zhu, who won first place in the adult female division.

Shen Yun's Jane Chen, who took second place in the adult female division.

Shen Yun's Ellie Rao, who received Honorable Mention in the adult female division. Shen Yun's Kenji Kobayashi, who received first place in the adult male division.

Shen Yun's Jay Huang, who took first place in the adult male division.

Shen Yun's Alvin Song, who won first place in the adult male division.

Top classical Chinese dancers from around the world faced off at New Tang Dynasty Television’s 7th International Classical Chinese Dance Competition in lower Manhattan, Oct. 19-21.

In the semi-finals, over 50 artists strived to push the limits of classical Chinese dance. This competition—one in a series of nine global competitions by NTD Television—aims to promote traditional Chinese culture through classical Chinese dance.

In addition to technical skill, contestants are judged for their ability to interpret and depict traditional virtues and principles from China’s five-thousand-year culture. Throughout the event, dancers staged a variety of folk tales, legendary characters, and historical episodes.

At the competition’s close, Shen Yun performers received 13 awards, including first place in both the adult male and adult female divisions. We’ve gathered some of their winning snapshots above.

Shen Yun performers’ competition results:

Adult Male Division

First Place: Kenji Kobayashi, Alvin Song, Jay Huang

Second Place: Danny Li, Benjamin Lee

Third Place: Tim Lin, Felix Sun, Albert Yang

Adult Female Division

First Place- Evangeline Zhu

Second Place- Jane Chen

Bronze Award- Daisy Wang

Honorable Mention- Ellie Rao, Yili Baumann

With one month to go, these dancers are now putting the finishing touches on Shen Yun's next world tour—2017 is going to be our biggest season yet.