Yuan Yuan Tan - the Youngest Principal Dancer

Hi Dancers! Hope your week has been going well, this week's Friday Feature is the talented Yuan Yuan Tan who was the youngest person in San Francisco Ballet's history to become a principal dancer at age 20! Read on to find out more interesting facts about her!

Yuan Yuan Tan was born in Shanghai in 1977. She began to dance when she was 11 years old, at the Shanghai Dance School. Originally, her father did not want her to become a dancer, instead he wanted her to be a doctor. However, her mother was quite supportive of Tan's dreams and fought for her daughter to dance. The debate was actually determined by a coin toss, which of course Tan had won, or else we wouldn't be reading about her success as a dancer right now! The state paid for her schooling at the Shanghai Dance School, and she expected to finish her education in Stuttgart. She also started English lessons in adult school, but she lasted just a few lessons before her rehearsal schedule got in the way. She joined San Francisco Ballet as a soloist in 1995 and was promoted to principal dancer in 1997. “Her grace, skill, versatility and strength have helped her become the first Chinese prima ballerina in the United States and one of the greatest Chinese ballerinas of all time,” according to the city of San Francisco and Helgi Tomasson, the artistic director and principal choreographer for San Francisco Ballet. Tan has gracefully served as cultural ambassador for San Francisco and the United States. She has also won multiple international awards at an early age; including a gold medal and the Nijinsky Award at the 1st Japan International Ballet and Modern Dance Competition (1993) and a gold medal in the 5th International Ballet Competition in Paris (1992). Today, she is a marquee name for the company, while San Francisco Ballet itself is widely considered to be among the best in the world.

Cite:

https://datebook.sfchronicle.com/dance/yuan-yuan-tan-goes-on-and-on-extending-her-ballet-record-for-longevity

https://www.committee100.org/member/yuan-yuantan/#:~:text=Yuan%20Yuan%20Tan%20was%20born,to%20principal%20dancer%20in%201997.

Here are some videos to check out of Yuan dancing!

Thanks for tuning in this week everyone, hope to see you again next week, until next time! :)