Dance Virtuoso from Hangzhou Shines in America

Lu Jun taught dance and choreographed in Singapore， Hong Kong and Australia before she went to United States. She has worked in USA as a dance teacher and a choreographer.

Lu Jun is a dance genius born in Hangzhou， the capital of Zhejiang Province. Her musician father wanted her to take piano lessons and grow up to be a musician， but the girl loved dancing so much and the father had to let her follow her whims. Her father lamented to himself that the daughter did not choose piano， but now her father and many other people are glad that Lu Jun is a star dance teacher and choreographer of international renown.

Lu Jun’s dancing career started at Daguan Primary School of Hangzhou， a cradle where young dancers and instrumentalists receive additional training under the care of experienced teachers. She was spotted at the age of ten when scouts from Beijing came to Hangzhou to recruit young dancers. They were deeply impressed by Lu Jun， thinking she had every quality for becoming a future dance star. The professionals were right.

So Lu Jun came to study in Beijing where a system of schools provided her with the best dance education in the country. She finally enrolled at Beijing Dance Academy. From her student years on， she won many national dance awards. Her first major career award was a silver medal in performance (teens group) at the Second National Taoli Cup Professional Dance Competition in 1988. As she blossomed as a star dancer onto national stage and international stage， her best prize-winning performing years spanned the 1990s. After graduation from the academy， she worked as a performing instructor at the academy. As a brilliant folk dancer， she was also a principal dancer of the Youth Dance Troupe with the academy. As a dancer， she visited European countries.

Toward the end of the 1990s， Lu Jun began to turn her attention to choreography and soon won gold medals for her choreography. In 1999， her genius as a choreographer was recognized in “Best Choreography” awarded for “The Fan” at the 1999 Asia-Pacific International Dance Competition held in Singapore. In 2000， “The Yellow River” and “The Dance of Singapore” were awarded the gold and the silver medals in the “Best Choreography” category at the 2000 Singapore Youth Festival Dance Contest. During this time， she was the principal dancer at a Singaporean dance troupe.

The years around the turn of the century were a very busy period of Lu Jun’s life. She taught dance and choreographed in Singapore， Hong Kong and Japan. She soon expanded her teaching repertoire which includes such subgenres as Chinese folk dance， classic dance， modern dance， ballet， jazz， flamingo， and tango.

It was during these years that Lu Jun learned a great deal through her international ties. The dance performance and education degrees she holds now include a certificate from Queensland University of Science and Technology in Australia.

At the invitation of her former college fellows， Lu Jun came to JL dance school in Huston， USA to teach. She worked there for three years teaching the children of some Chinese immigrants. This gave her an opportunity to develop a course suitable for American learners. In 2002， she created and choreographed a jazz dance. It was a sensational success at Broadway.

In 2006， Lu Jun came to San Jose， also known as Silicon Valley in California， and set up Lu Jun Performing Arts Academy. The school offers dancing and singing lessons to children of all ethnic groups and adults. One distinguishing feature of the academy is that dancing and learning is performance-oriented. Students in different age groups can participate in various performances. This way， the academy has built up a very large repertoire.

Lu Jun Performing Arts Academy held a year-end celebration in late December， 2009 at the Santa Clara University’s theater. Lu Jun and more than 100 enthusiasts studying at her academy took part. Different teams presented different programs to their relatives and the community. The whole show featured not only Chinese dance elements in a modern style but also showcased western dance elements. Different cultures fused in the dances created or adapted by Lu Jun. The audience had a hilarious time. The last program was Chicago， a jazz dance led by Lu Jun herself. □