Yong
YAO
Artistic Director
received a
Gold Award in China for his Yellow River!
dance suite, which was voted as one of the
“Masterpieces of the 20th Century."
Mr. Yao founded
YaoYong Dance
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He
was twice awarded the “Best Dancer” title. Upon
graduation from China’s most prestigious dance institution—Beijing
Dance Adacemy * in 1984, he joined the faculty of
the Academy as lecturer and choreographer. His work
includes modern, classical and regional folk styles.
These works garnered many awards in dance competitions,
among them The Prince and the Goddess is featured
in CPAA's 2003 Chinese Performing Arts Festival.
In 1992, Mr. Yao’s choreographic work for the tremendously
popular TheatreWorks production of M. Butterfly
won high acclaims. He was awarded a choreography
fellowship by the Arts Council of Santa Clara County
in 1993. He has also taught a number of master classes
on Chinese dance at DeAnza College and San Jose
Dance Theatre. In 1994, Mr. Yao’s Yellow River Suite
won the Gold Award when it was voted one of the
“Masterpieces of the 20th Century” by six authoritative
arts organizations, with the approval of the Ministry
of Culture of China.
For CPAA’s
Tenth Anniversary in 2001, Mr. Yao created the energizing
Pageant of Drums , which breaks new ground in the
unity of dance and drumming. Mr. Yao is listed in
Who’s Who of Contemporary China .
Mr. Yao is currently
working on the choreography of a new 4-act dance
drama Middle Kingdom—Ancient China , a collaboration
of CPAA and Ballet San Jose Silicon Valley (BSJSV),
due to premiere in February, 2005.
* Beijing Dance
Academy *北京舞蹈学院 -- The most prestigious performing
arts organization in China and the dance institute
known as “the cradle of China’s dance artists.”
The Academy is a college level institution of higher
education, offering majors including dance performance,
dance education (history and instruction) as well
as production. It also has an adjunct dance school
that has been offering 5-year formal dance training
since the 1950s.
Mr Yao heads YaoYong
Dance, CPAA's dance academy in San Jose. |