Wang Xuejun

Wang Xuejun is an Australian ballet dancer of Chinese descent, as well as a performer of Chinese classical and folk dance. He trained at the Beijing Dance Academy, and has performed as a principal dancer with Australia Sydney Dance Company. More recently he has been a principal dancer and choreographer for the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Biography

Wang was born in Beijing, China, in 1963. He was singled out at a young age to train at the Beijing Dance Academy, being selected on the basis of his body conditions, which were deemed ideal for dance. From 1978 to 1984, he performed as a principal dancer with the Guangzhou Ballet and then the Guangdong Dance Theatre.

In 1991, Wang left China and received a humanitarian visa in Australia, later becoming an Australian citizen. After arriving in Australia, Wang performed with the Sydney Festival Ballet. and Ellipse.

In October 2005, Wang was in Shanghai in a production of the Legend of Mulan with the Sydney Dance Company. During rehearsals, he was arrested by Chinese immigration officials because he had handed literature identified as "pro-democracy" to someone. Wang views his role with Shen Yun as being to educate people about traditional Chinese culture: "We try to explore this history in terms of modern society, to let people know how good and beautiful our culture truly is.