Bridging cultures through dance

After years of balancing a career in software engineering with evening dance rehearsals, Olivia Xia, a Chinese American born in Washington, DC, never imagined that her lifelong passion for Chinese classical dance would take her back to China.

When Xia stepped onto the stage at the Irvine Barclay Theatre to receive the inaugural Li Chen Fellowship for Chinese Dance Studies, the moment reflected both her personal journey and the organizers' broader efforts to promote Chinese classical dance through education and international exchange.

"I'm incredibly honored to be the first recipient of this fellowship," Xia told China Daily. "I started learning Chinese dance when I was 10. Chinese classical dance is my passion. It connects me to my cultural roots and provides me with a rich artistic experience. This fellowship will help me pursue dance as a profession."

The fellowship, which provides $5,000 annually for two years to support Xia's graduate studies at the Beijing Dance Academy, was unveiled during the recent 2025-2026 Taoli World Dance Competition North America Finals.

Presented by the Pan America Chinese Dance Alliance (PACDA), the competition brought together hundreds of dancers, educators, choreographers and scholars from the United States and Canada, making it one of the largest gatherings dedicated to Chinese dance outside China.

The fellowship was established by Kurt Haunfelner, former vice-president of exhibits and collections at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, in memory of his late wife, Li Chen, a Chinese dancer who died in 2025 after a six-year battle with breast cancer.

For Haunfelner, supporting young dancers is a way to preserve both his wife's legacy and the cultural tradition she devoted her life to.

"I think Chinese classical dance is extraordinary," he said. "It expresses 5,000 years of Chinese history. It's deeply connected to the natural world. It's beautiful, it's heartfelt and it brings people together."

Haunfelner said he believes culture offers something politics often cannot.

"Sometimes we let politics get in the way of the connection between human beings," he said. "But when we connect on a human level, we understand that we all have the same dreams and the same hopes."

The Taoli World Dance Competition was founded in 2017 by Pan Zhitao, a professor at the Beijing Dance Academy. It has evolved into an internationally recognized platform dedicated to preserving and promoting Chinese dance overseas.

This year's finals featured performances in Chinese classical dance, Chinese folk dance, contemporary Chinese dance, ballet and modern dance by competitors ranging from children to adults.

The competition was judged by an international panel of leading dance educators and artists from China, the US and the United Kingdom, including Pan, Xu Wenqi, Hu Erdong, Wang Tong, Huang Yihua, Yang Na, Luo Wanlin and Lorenzo Guerrini.

Beyond performances, the event included multicultural master classes, academic forums, alumni exchanges and educational workshops designed to encourage artistic dialogue across cultures.

Cheer Pan, co-founder and executive director of PACDA, said Chinese dance has seen remarkable growth since she began teaching in the US three decades ago.

"We are encouraged to see Chinese dance increasingly recognized, appreciated and embraced on international stages," she said.

Pan said the competition seeks to preserve the artistic standards and cultural identity of Chinese dance while encouraging international exchange.

"Cultural exchange does not mean giving up our own identity to follow someone else's standards," she said. "It means sharing our cultural values with confidence while respecting and appreciating the traditions of others."

She hopes younger generations will gain not only professional training but also a deeper appreciation of their cultural heritage.

"True internationalization is not becoming someone else," she said. "It is having the confidence to be yourself on the world stage."

Local officials said the competition also reflects Irvine's identity as one of Southern California's most diverse cities.

Scotty Hong, executive assistant to Irvine Mayor Larry Agran and commissioner of the Irvine Sustainability Commission, said the event demonstrates the city's commitment to multiculturalism.

"I saw performers gathered from across the United States and Canada," Hong said. "This is a great showcase of what our city values most, which is diversity."

Former Irvine mayor Farrah Khan said the performances introduced audiences to the richness and diversity of Chinese culture.

"We're glad to see audiences from different ethnic groups experience Chinese dance, especially classical dance and dances representing different regions of China," she said. "It helps people better understand the diversity within China itself."

In the audience was Inge Lindholm, a professor at the USC Marshall School of Business, who has attended the competition every year.

"I think now more than ever, especially as technology continues to reshape our lives, we need the arts to ripple through our communities just as quickly," Lindholm said.