The legitimate traditional Chinese classical dance embodies not only movements and skills but also a cultivation of the soul and a transmission of historical and cultural heritage. The 11th NTD International Classical Chinese Dance Competition will be held in New York from September 11th to 14th, 2025. As a globally representative event for Chinese classical dance, the competition, established in 2007, is dedicated to promoting the artistic principles of “simplicity, goodness, and beauty” and advancing traditional Chinese classical dance onto the world stage.
One of the judges for this year’s competition, Wang Chen, a dance teacher and principal dancer of the Shen Yun Performing Arts, was interviewed on September 5th. She introduced the judging criteria, technical system, cultural significance, and expectations for the competitors of this edition. She emphasized the importance of purity and humility in showcasing the artistry on stage for dancers.
In terms of judging criteria, Wang Chen pointed out that the competition’s professional evaluation system primarily revolves around the three core elements of Chinese classical dance: bearing, form, and technique, which are integrated as a whole. She stated, “We will assess the contestants from these perspectives and select the winners based on the high level of professional skills and performance of classical dance performers.”
The soul of Chinese classical dance, known as “bearing,” embodies the national characteristics and physical beauty of the Chinese people, which are key to Chinese classical dance. “Bearing reflects the characteristics and physical beauty unique to the Chinese nation, it embodies the entirety of Chinese culture and the distinctive charm of the Chinese nation.”
“Form” focuses on the dancers’ body lines and movement patterns on stage, such as the “flat round, upright round, and eight-character round” in Chinese classical dance. Wang Chen mentioned, “The contestants’ postures such as twists, leans, rounds, and curves on stage are also very important.”
The “technique” part showcases the unique technical features particular to Chinese classical dance, including thrilling high-difficulty movements and comprehensive spinning techniques, such as point-step turns, probing waves, sweeping courtyards, grand Swifts, and large jumps with golden crowns. “These are parts that are very exciting in Chinese classical dance but not commonly seen in other dance genres,” Wang Chen explained.
In the competition, dancers are required to complete a full choreographed performance within a few minutes, along with a combination of technical movements. Wang Chen explained, “The technical movement combination part is about two minutes, while the choreographed performance showcases around three minutes.”
She mentioned that the key to dance choreography lies in how contestants interpret the “music’s essence” and highlight the “technical highlights” and “stage routings” in their performance.
“Despite the challenges in techniques, the choreography might be relatively easier compared to the choreographed scenes because it requires embodying the character’s personality and interpreting it within a short time,” she said.
For example, in portraying the joy of a young girl in spring, dancers need to consider how to present the spring atmosphere through music, costumes, movements, and expressions. “How to express a youthful maiden in dancing? How to embody spring? What kind of music, costume, and emotion need to be showcased in the dance, making Chinese classical dance choreography quite intricate.”
As a significant technical benchmark in the competition, the technique of “shoulder with hand, hip with legs” is praised as the highest level of manifestation of authentic Chinese classical dance form. This technique, passed down by Shen Yun Artistic Director Mr. D.F., is a traditional essence long lost in Chinese classical dance, which Shen Yun Performing Arts is striving to revive on contemporary stages.
Wang Chen expressed, “Personally, I believe that the technique ‘shoulder with hand, hip with legs’ at the highest level is also a way of exerting force, allowing the performers to maximize the use of their bodies to articulate their dance language.”
She explained that through this technique, dancers can fully demonstrate the amplitude of their dance moves and convey emotions more clearly and powerfully, “Amplifying the movement amplitude helps in clearly expressing the connotations of dance postures. For example, expressing the emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness, embodying the traditional values of ancient Chinese people such as kindness, courtesy, frugality, humility, and respect, or virtues like benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and faith.”
For Wang Chen, Chinese classical dance is not just a form of dance art but also a carrier of Chinese cultural heritage. Wang Chen exemplified her role as a female dance performer in showcasing the virtues and values of Chinese women through dance: “On stage, I often portray the image of traditional Chinese women, hoping to present to the audience the qualities possessed by Chinese women – gentle, modest, enduring, and humble.”
In Chinese classical dance, male dancers often embody traditional values such as loyalty, righteousness, and courage: “Loyalty to the country, to the family, and the courage shown in difficult choices are qualities worth learning by modern men in Chinese tradition,” Wang Chen said.
Furthermore, she noted that Chinese classical dance reveals the traditional values deeply ingrained in the Chinese people, even in portraying deeply sorrowful themes, the performers restrain themselves with great control instead of expressing themselves hysterically.
She believed that Chinese classical dance differs from Western dance art forms, with both shared similarities and intrinsic differences. “There is a universal consensus on the perception of beauty. Even though dance postures differ, they all seek to present clean visuals, bright colors, and fluent lines of beauty.”
Additionally, she remarked that Chinese art and Western art have a significant difference, where Western art tends towards realism while Chinese art emphasizes “painting in spirit” and “leaving white space.” “In traditional Chinese ink wash painting, depicting only a fish and a few ripples can represent a small stream or river, while in the West, the depiction would be highly lifelike,” she elaborated.
Wang Chen stated, “Despite the different expressions, the ultimate goal is to present the harmonious beauty of art.”
Addressing the prevalent focus of many contemporary dancers on technical development while overlooking the cultivation of virtues, Wang Chen admitted, “An ancient saying goes, ‘Good virtues carry the world’… People with talent but lacking in virtues may often find themselves leading an uncomfortable and difficult life.”
She stressed that for dancers, the purity and humility of the inner self are crucial to the exhibition of artistic talents on stage. “There is greatness in modesty… The sun shines on the earth, yet the sun never boasts, ‘Look at how this sunlight all comes from me.’ Chinese classical dance emphasizes the unity of internal and external, striving not only for skills but also for the artistic realm of ‘morality harmonized with art.'”
As the competition approaches, Wang Chen advises the contestants to hold onto their original intentions and showcase everything they have learned with a calm mind. “Art knows no bounds; every dancer always has areas for improvement and growth. Therefore, during the competition, maintaining a relatively calm mindset and demeanor, performing to the best of your abilities, will bring a beautiful experience to the audience.”
“Don’t try too hard to showcase yourself… Think of the competition as a training process,” she said. “Regardless of the outcome, if you gain something from the competition, you are the greatest beneficiary.”
Competition Dates: September 11th to 14th, 2025
Location: Sugar Loaf Performing Arts Center, New York State
On-Site Viewing: Semifinals and Finals on the last two days (September 13th to 14th) will be open to the public, online ticket purchase available (click here)
Live Broadcasts: Global live streams on September 13th to 14th
Morning 9:30 to noon; Afternoon 1:30 to 6:30 – Global online streaming
Morning 10:00 to noon; Afternoon 1:30 to 4:30 – Global online streaming + NTD TV simultaneous broadcast
Evening 6:30 to 7:30 – Global online streaming + NTD TV simultaneous broadcast