A graduate of the Beijing Academy of Dance, China's top dance school, Vina Lee is an accomplished dancer, choreographer, and dance instructor. She was an award winner at the Guangzhou Region Professional Dance Competition (in Chinese classical and ethnic dance styles) in 1984. From 1988 to 1990, she was a principal artist with Guangdong Dance Theatre. During that time, she also became a model and participated in fashion shows in Guangzhou, Macau, and Brazil. She immigrated to Australia in 1990 and has since taught classical ballet at the Sydney Dance Company, McDonald College, and the Aboriginal Dance Theatre Redfern. Additionally, she performed in the Closing Ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and the Opening Ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. She was a principal dancer and choreographer to NTDTV's 2004, 2005, and 2006 Chinese New Year Global Galas. Ms. Lee's strength as a dancer and choreographer is her ability to creatively integrate dancing with acting. She played the lead role in Jun Li's award-winning short films, The Stranger and Twelve Moons. She has appeared in several television series on Australia's Special Broadcasting Service (SBS), Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), Channel 7, and Channel 9, and has been featured in films produced by the Australian Film Television and Radio School. Ms. Lee has also extended her talents to directing television programs. Her documentary Three Women was broadcast by NTDTV in 2003 and became an Internet hit in China. In recognition of her leadership and commitment to humanity, the New York State Assembly awarded Ms. Lee with "Outstanding Woman Leader" during 2006 Women's History Month.
Michelle Ren is the winner of numerous top awards in Chinese dance and artistic gymnastics, and has an amazing capacity to captivate audiences.
In 1990 Ms. Ren took fourth place in China's National Artistic Gymnastics Competition. In 1993 she took fifth place in the youth category of the Eighth China National Sports Competition. In 1997 she took first place in the youth category of Liaoning Province's Taoli Bei (Peach and Plum Cup) Dance Competition and in 2002 was the second runner-up in the national Popular Culture Award Competition. Ms. Ren was a soloist and lead dancer in numerous large-scale productions in China.
In 2004 she won an Overall Platinum first prize in the teachers' solo category of the Showstopper Dance Competition, held in California. In 2007, Ms. Ren won first prize in the Adult Female Division of NTDTV's International Chinese Classical Dance Competition. This makes her effectively the number one female performer of Chinese classical dance in the world.
Xuejun Wang specializes in Chinese classical and folk dance, ballet, dance education and choreography. Upon graduating from the Beijing Academy of Dance, he performed as a principal dancer for the Guangzhou Dance Troupe between 1978 and 1984. In 1984, he was the First Prize winner of the Guangzhou Region Professional Dance Competition.
Upon immigrating to Australia, he joined the Sydney Dance Company in 1992 and performed in the company's premiere of Synergy with Synergy. He has played leading roles in numerous dances, including Kid. Lefty in Louis Falco's Black and Blue, the Beast in Beauty and the Beast, as well as principal roles in Graeme Murphy's works-Ellipse, Air and Other Invisible Forces, Berlin, Free Radicals, The Protecting Veil, and Body of Work. With the Sydney Dance Company, Mr. Wang has performed in Europe, North America, Mexico, Singapore, Japan, and Taiwan.
One of Mr. Wang's strengths is his talent in mastering contrasting styles of dance. He has participated in a wide spectrum of dance workshops, including workshops held by Ben Stevenson (Artistic Director of Houston Ballet Company) on ballet and choreography, Luise Perez's (Principle Dancer of Joffrey Ballet Company) workshop on contemporary pas de deux, Leslie Fridman's Modern Dance workshops, as well as workshops by Tina Paul on Jazz and tap dance, and Jose de Udaeta on Spanish dance. In 2007, he performed with the Divine Performing Arts as the principal dancer in The Loyalty of Yue Fei (which he choreographed) and Dunhuang Dream at New York's Beacon Theatre and Radio City Music Hall, as well as at 25 other venues in North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
Known for his prodigious leaps and polished flips, Jason Shi adds excitement to the stage. A rising star, Mr. Shi currently holds the highest title in his age division for classical Chinese dance - He was awarded the gold medal in the Junior Division of the first International Chinese Classical Dance Competition, held in 2007. Mr. Shi became a principal dancer with Divine Performing Arts in 2006.
Having grown up in China, attended university in Belgium, and spent her recent years in Canada, Cecilia Xiong brings to the stage a remarkable versatility in the roles and styles she is able to perform. From 2002 to 2006 Ms. Xiong was a principal dancer with Toronto's Lotus Performing Arts Troupe. Since joining Divine Performing Arts in 2006 she played the lead role of Bodhisattva in the dance drama, When the Lion’s Eyes Turn Red. During Divine Performing Arts' 2006-2007 international tour she was featured on the cover of Australia's Capital Express magazine.
Alina Wang is distinguished by her superb elevation and flexibility. She began training in ballet at a young age and later went on to study Chinese classical and folk dance. Ms. Wang has appeared in a number of major productions, gracing stages throughout the world. A woman with a big heart, she performs as a volunteer at Asian community events as well. In 2007 Ms. Wang served as a soloist in several Divine Performing Arts dances, including the Mongolian Bowl Dance and Forsythia in Spring.