On September 14, 2025, the final day of the 11th NTD Television “World Chinese Classical Dance Competition” was held at the Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center in New York State. After four days of intense competition, the competition produced 7 gold winners, 10 silver winners, 11 bronze winners, and 23 outstanding awards.
NTD President Dr. Zhou Shiyu awarded the gold and silver winners and expressed sincere thanks to the judges, participants, and their parents. He said, “Your hard work has brought about this wonderful competition. Thank you all! Congratulations to all the award winners and young talents who participated!”
The judges of the competition mentioned that the contestants showed significant progress in the techniques of “hand movements, hip movements, and legwork,” representing the highest level of Chinese classical dance today.
The audience was moved by the contestants’ performances of the “pure, virtuous, and beautiful” Chinese classical dance art. Many students from art schools mentioned that the participants have shown them the way forward, inspiring them to work harder in their future artistic careers.
NTD “World Chinese Classical Dance Competition” is one of the international cultural and art competitions held by NTD Television. The competition focuses on Chinese classical dance as the competition item, requiring participants to demonstrate authentic Chinese classical dance movements to promote traditional Chinese culture.
Female youth group contestant Fu Baihe felt “very surprised” to win the gold award. She said, “Because the other contestants were really strong, each with their own strengths. Everyone performed exceptionally well.”
Fu Baihe mentioned, “I didn’t compete with the goal of winning a gold award, but rather to improve myself. Each competition is a learning experience for me, and each time I participate, I gain a lot; although the process is quite arduous. Dancing is like that – there are struggles and joys. When you persevere and have a breakthrough, the joy of achievement is precious.”
She expressed gratitude to everyone who supported her along the way, especially thanking Mr. D.F., the artistic director of Shen Yun Arts. “Everyone has helped me a lot along the way. I most want to thank the artistic director of Shen Yun Arts.”
Fu Baihe concluded by saying, “I believe art knows no boundaries. Winning the gold award this time, I hope to do even better in the future.”
One of the gold winners in the junior female group was a Western girl named Grace Rubacek, with a Chinese name, Li Enci. She mentioned that being a Westerner dancing Chinese dance requires more effort than others, immersing herself in traditional Chinese culture.
“For a Westerner, this is challenging and requires a lot of effort,” Li Enci said. “I have learned a lot about Chinese history, such as Tang poetry, and the way Chinese people think. I have been diligently studying the Chinese way of thinking, which has been very helpful… I am becoming more like an Asian person.”
Li Enci said winning the award is an inspiration for her, encouraging her to continue forward. “Participating in the competition itself is an honor. It’s a great experience, and everyone has something to learn from. I believe this is not the end, but a beginning.”
Canadian participant Wang Yuxi won the gold award in the junior male group with a performance of “Old Horses Stabled in the Wulan Ladder Aim for a Thousand Miles.” He expressed surprise and gratitude for his award.
“I felt shocked and excited when I heard my name called. This is my second time participating in the NTD competition, and I danced with more composure,” Wang Yuxi said. “I am very grateful to the judges for giving me this opportunity. It’s a great encouragement for me, giving me more confidence on the stage.”
As a Chinese person born abroad, traditional Chinese culture has taught him many things. “The most important thing I have learned is: you must respect your teachers because by respecting them, you can learn the most from their teachings.”
According to the judges of the competition, the mastery of the technique of “hand movements, hip movements, and legwork” in Chinese classical dance is the primary criterion for evaluating the contestants.
“We have always focused on ‘hand movements’ and ‘hip movements’ as our main judging criteria. We have noticed that the contestants are becoming more proficient in the use of these techniques,” said Judge Li Baoyuan. “This is reflected in their more expressive body movements and more magnificent gestures and postures; all participants demonstrate this, not only in jumps and rolls but also in the techniques of ‘hand movements’ and ‘hip movements,’ which they have mastered better.”
This technique allows the contestants to express their stories more clearly and touchingly.
“Everything a dancer does is to convey a message to the audience, and ‘hand movements and hip and leg movements’ make your movements more expressive. Whatever you want to express, the audience can feel it,” Li Baoyuan said. “Many self-composed and performed works are very moving. Even as a judge, when watching these works, I am also very touched. This is one of the advantages of Chinese classical dance because it can portray any emotion in any story. This has been fully demonstrated in the performances of our contestants.”
Therefore, Li Baoyuan congratulated the award-winning contestants and every participant because they are at the top level of contemporary Chinese classical dance.
“‘Hand movements’ and ‘hip movements and legwork’ are the essence of the skills in Chinese classical dance.” Li Baoyuan said, “So undoubtedly, these participants are world-class.”
Another judge of the competition, senior dancer Wang Chen, stated that the performances of the NTD competition contestants in both traditional stories and original works embody authentic Chinese traditional culture.
“I saw in the performances of this year’s competition that many participants, in their original performance pieces, whether a mood, a character, or a contemporary event, have chosen their themes based on traditional Chinese moral views, rather than merely portraying whatever comes to mind.”
Wang Chen said, “Classical dance is part of Chinese traditional culture. When a contestant depicts figures from Chinese history, they also show the virtues and moral values behind these figures, such as the ‘benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith,’ and ‘gentleness, politeness, frugality, and modesty’ spoken by the Chinese, which are very important and touching.”
Wang Chen believes that although the contestants’ level is already quite high, “art knows no bounds.” She believes they will continue to focus on Chinese classical dance as an art form, continuously improving and reaching higher levels.
Sun Jiaxun, a sophomore in an art college, admired the contestants’ dance skills after watching the finals.
“Each finalist was very skilled, with a high level. Each had their outstanding qualities; for example, the details like the arches of their feet, knees, etc., were done very well,” he said. “Several performances really impressed me, including one that depicted a story of striving for freedom and democracy, as well as the dance ‘Brothers.’ The effect was achieved because their dance expressed sadness so well; even the furthest audience could see them crying, thanks to their excellent ‘hand movements, hip movements, and legwork.'”
Compared to the contestants, Sun Jiaxun felt that he still needs to significantly improve his basic skills. “I have been inspired, and I hope to learn from them and strive harder in the future.”
Liao Pinrou, a freshman in the dance department, watched the NTD competition for the second time and learned a lot from it.
“The level of the competition is getting better with each edition. Every time, I see something new. Just observing these dance movements, choreography techniques, and the use of music from the audience’s perspective… has provided me with great inspiration,” she said. “Because their mastery of ‘hand movements, hip movements, and legwork’ is the epitome of Chinese classical dance, when I see their graceful movements, I have different feelings; they have greatly inspired me in terms of body and arm strength.”
Liao Pinrou mentioned that she found a “guidance” and a “direction” from the competition.
“If I didn’t watch the NTD competition or the Shen Yun performances, I might stray off course and not know the direction,” she said. “But every year, I watch Shen Yun and this competition, which gives us students a guide, showing us where to strive towards and reaching higher levels of dance.”
Moreover, the competition has strengthened Liao Pinrou’s determination to pursue Chinese classical dance. “My artistic dream is for the audience to see the beauty of Chinese classical dance through my performances, to be shocked, and to contribute to this art form.”
Helen Li, NTD’s Deputy Director for the competition, expressed satisfaction that this year’s competition concluded successfully. She said, “The competition showcased more and more highly skilled Chinese classical dance talents, which is amazing.” She added, “Simultaneously, the competition has sparked more interest in Chinese classical dance. If we can make a modest contribution to the restoration and promotion of traditional Chinese culture, we feel honored.”