Beijing Dance Academy
The Beijing Dance Academy is a municipal public professional dance college at Haidian, Beijing. The academy is the highest institution for dance education and assessment in the People's Republic of China, conducting the nationwide teacher qualification level examinations in Chinese dance.
The Beijing Dance Academy was established as the Beijing Dance School in 1954, and turned into the Beijing Dance Academy with the approval of State Council and the sponsorship of the Ministry of Culture in 1978. In 2000, its sponsorship was transferred to the Beijing Municipal People's Government. The Academy provides BA and MA degrees and has become the only institution of higher learning for professional dance education in China.
The Academy, known as "the Cradle of Dancers" and adjacent to Zizhuyuan Park, Haidian District, has over 500 faculty and staff, and over 2,000 full-time students. The Chinese government provides significant funding to the Academy and directly oversees its operations.
Notable alumni
- Xuan Lu – actress and professional ballet dancer
- Chi Cao – male ballet dancer; Principal Dancer, Birmingham Royal Ballet; film actor and dancer, Mao's Last Dancer
- Li Cunxin – male ballet dancer
- Liu Shishi – television actress of The Young Warriors, The Legend of the Condor Heroes, The Heaven Sword and the Dragon Saber, and most known for Scarlet Heart
- Liu Yan – female classical dancer
- Song Qian – idol, member of the South Korean girl group f; actress in China and Korea under the stage name Victoria Song
- Wang Yan – television actress of My Fair Princess II and My Fair Princess III
- Zhang Ziyi – actress
- Wang Likun – television and film actress
- Wei Wang – male ballet dancer; Principal Dancer, San Francisco Ballet
- Zhang Huiwen – television and film actress
- Huang Xuan – television and film actor
- Dong Sicheng – Actor, model and member of the South-Korean group NCT and its China-based subunit WayV under the stage name WinWin
- An Yuexi – film actress; graduated from Musical Theatre Department
- Chengwu Guo – male ballet dancer
- Wan Peng – television actress
- Jiang Mengjie – actress
- Ayanga – musical theater actor, dancer, and singer of Mongol ethnicity
- Zheng Yunlong – musical theater actor and singer
- Wang Yijin – idol and actress, member of BonBon Girls 303
- Zhang Yifan – idol and actress, member of BonBon Girls 303
- Zhao Xiaotang – idol and actress, former member of C-Pop girl group The9
- Gina Jin – television and film actress
- Li Yitong – actress and singer
- Wang Yuwen – actress