Ms. Wang came to Xian Yun with 16 years of teaching experience and two college degrees, one in education and the other in early childhood development. In her teaching she helps young children understand, speak and write the Mandarin language, bringing in stories for the class to read together and working with the students to recognize and write the characters. As you watch her you will see the careful balance she maintains between praising the students for what they are doing and encouraging them to increase their abilities. She often uses the characters’ etymology to help students remember their meaning.

Born into a family of artists, Ms. Anne Sohn has had a passion for the arts from a young age. At the age of six, she started learning traditional Korean dance. In 2006, she was accepted to Fei Tian Academy of the Arts New York where she received training in Classical Chinese dance. She toured with Shen Yun Performing Arts for two years and then went to study abroad. Upon returning to the United States, she began teaching Chinese dance at Xian Yun CA in 2010. After finding great interest in early childhood education, Ms. Sohn joined Xian Yun CA’s After-School program in 2015 and is currently pursuing a degree in education.

Mr. Yu was a lead dancer with Shen Yun Performing Arts from 2006 to 2008. He has performed in over 60 cities, and in over 200 shows around the world. Mr. Yu made it to the final round in the Global Chinese Classical Dance Competition sponsored by NTDTV in 2007. He won a prize for excellent performance the following year at the 2008 competition.

Ms. Ritter has a Master’s degree in Physics from the University of Bern, Switzerland, in 1994, with a minor in math. She obtained the teaching credentials for secondary schools in 1997 for mathematics and physics. She has more than 17 years of teaching experience. She left Switzerland in 2006, lived in Greece, India, and Malaysia, and came to the United States in 2010.

Mr. Carpenter earned his BA in History and Journalism from Sacramento State University, and his Master’s in History from San Jose State University. Before coming to Xian Yun CA, he worked as a substitute teacher for grades K through 12, gaining experience with both public charter schools and at-risk youth. He is a member of Phi Alpha Theta, an honor society for history majors.

Ms. Cao is a performing artist experienced in dance choreography and teaching. She graduated from Beijing Dance Academy, the leading dance college in China, in 1997. She became a performer in the Chinese Coal Mining Art Troupe and later on became a teacher at the Chinese Coal Mining Art School. Before she was nominated as principal of Xian Yun CA, she was a choreographer with the Shen Yun Performing Arts Company located in New York from 2008 to 2010.

Mr. Guang Li studied classical Chinese dance at Fei Tian New York. He then traveled and performed with Shen Yun from 2008 to 2010. After his time in Shen Yun, he began teaching classical Chinese dance to middle and high school students in Taiwan. He has taught at Fei Tian CA now for several years. In both Taiwan and at Fei Tian CA, he has choreographed award-winning dance pieces, including awards won by our students in the KAR dance competition.

Mr. Randazzo has an M.A. in ESL teaching for all ages and is certified in general education elementary school teaching (for all subjects K-6). He is a licensed teacher with over 20 years of teaching experience in public and private schools. Mr. Randazzo also served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer in Mongolia as a teacher trainer. He trained and certified international faculty for the teaching profession. Mr. Randazzo has extensive experience in school residential programs.

Ms. Lona Lou received an M.A. in Finance Management from the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Before leaving China, she was a division Chief and Senior Economist for the International Department Research Division at China Development Bank in Beijing, and taught Finance and Investment at Henan University of Finance and Economics. Ms. Lou worked in several non-profit organizations in the Bay Area before joining Xian Yun Academy of the Arts California.

Mr. White has an Honors B.S. degree in Biochemistry with Distinction, and a minor in Spanish Language and Literature, May 2013, from the University of Delaware, Newark, DE, where he was on the Dean’s List every semester. From 2011 – 2013 he was an HHMI Research Scholar with C.G. Riordan Group. After graduating from U.D. he became a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in the Graduate Program in Chemistry at the University of California, Berkeley. He gained experience teaching through being a Graduate Instructor at U.C. Berkeley, and before that a teaching assistant and a tutor-facilitator at the University of Delaware. He is a Phi Βeta Κappa Member and Clift Award Winner and has also earned the Elizabeth Dyer Award for Excellence in Chemistry and Biochemistry, the Frank Collins Award in Biochemistry, the Kevin Scott Beall Memorial Award in Chemistry, and the AAUP Student Award, U.D. Chapter

Mr. Cai was a professor of Chinese in China, teaching the Chinese language to foreign students since 1984. He also taught media production. He has an extensive knowledge in Chinese literature and culture. With his dignified manner he seems to exemplify the expression of traditional Chinese culture. And then as we look beyond his reserved demeanor we see his caring for his students expressed in the time and energy he puts in to work with them and help them deeply understand the lessons, shaping his teaching to fit the needs of each student.

Ms. Hao has loved painting since childhood. She received three years of professional art training at an arts high school. In 1991, she studied art at the Fine Arts Department of Hebei University of Science and Technology. After graduation, she began to study and practice Western classical painting, traditional Chinese painting, graphic design and sculpture. Many of her works are customized and collected privately. In 2014, she participated in the “World Realistic Portrait Painting Contest” and won “Outstanding Humanities Award.”

Born in Anhui, China, Ms. Ren came to the United States at age 4. At age 14, she began studying Classical Chinese dance at Fei Tian Academy of the Arts in New York and graduated in 2012 with honors. Ms. Ren toured and performed for 6 years as a talented dancer with Shen Yun Performing Arts in top theatres around the world. Ms. Ren received an Excellent Achievement Award and Honor Award at the 2010 and 2012 NTDTV International Classical Chinese Dance Competitions. Ms. Ren has built up extensive teaching experience by teaching all levels and age groups at Fei Tian CA and Fei Tian Taiwan. She loves to encourage, interact and communicate with her students through dance.

Dr. Sherry Zhang holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Oregon State University. Dr. Zhang worked for Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory as a post doctoral chemist conducting research on Lithium-ion batteries for hybrid electric vehicles. Dr. Sherry Zhang later worked as a consultant at a medical device company for 2 years. Dr. Zhang started her own company in the Silicon Valley in 2005. Dr. Zhang has a passion for traditional arts and has helped Xian Yun Academy of the Arts California to open its door in San Francisco in 2010. Dr. Zhang served on the board of directors until she became the principal for Xian Yun Academy of the Arts California in 2015.

Born in the United States, Ms. Hu grew up with a passion for dance, piano, and the arts. At 6 years old, she learned ballet and tap dance. Then at age 12, she encountered Chinese dance and felt it was the perfect way to connect to her Chinese roots. She performed in Tianjiao Performing Arts and NTDTV’s Chinese New Year productions from 2003 to 2006. She deepened her understanding of Classical Chinese Dance by attending Fei Tian Academy of the Arts New York. Later she joined Shen Yun Performing Arts as a principal dancer, touring globally from 2006 to 2008, showing thousands of people the beauty of traditional Chinese culture. Ms. Hu has been sharing her love of this artistic form by teaching Classical Chinese dance fundamentals and tumbling skills, and choreographing a variety of dances at Fei Tian CA since 2010. Several of her students have gone on to become performers in Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Ms. Li was born in and grew up in Germany. She started dancing when she was 5 years old, with ballet, and began learning classical Chinese dance at age 9 from a teacher from Shen Yun. In 2007, she won Honorable Mention in a competition in New York, and then proceeded to study at Fei Tian Academy for dance. She performed in the Holiday Wonders, and for seven years, she toured the world as a principal dancer for Shen Yun. At Fei Tian California, Ms. Li teaches dance and also helps choreograph the dances.