Dongli Youth Dance Troupe based in West Windsor and Plainsboro competed in the 2013 American Youth Talent & Art Contests. Season three concluded on April 28. One winner was selected for each place from the finalists in each of the following categories: vocalist, solo dance ensemble, group dance ensemble, solo instrument, group instruments, and visual arts.
Allison Liu, a member of the troupe and a sixth grade student at Grover Middle School, won the second place for her solo performance. She will go to the International Dance Challenge, a regional competition in Connecticut on May 4. Liu finished in first place in her age group and advanced to the national semi-final in July in Tennessee.
Dongli Youth Dance Troupe won the third place in group dance. At the event, the troupe performed a “Joyful Celebration of Spring,” a Chinese folk dance. “It is very hard to perform a folk dance with the three minutes time limitation while they need to express the spirit of dance and display the dance elements and skills together,” said Rao Fu, one of the parents. “Thanks for Dongli’s wonderful choreography and coaching. Our girls did it and I am so proud of them.”
The dance troupe, a team of 13 dancers, ages 5 to 13, often performs in libraries and senior centers in the area. The dancers include Elena Li, Amy Deng, Karen He, Jessica Cheng, Kelly Chen, Kathleen Chen, and Allison Liu from West Windsor; Emily Luo from Plainsboro; Lily Marianik from Lawrenceville; Tiffany Chan, Michelle Pan, and Jennifer Tong from South Brunswick; and Eva Li from Robbinsville.
The final competition will be rebroadcast on Sunday, May 19, at 9 p.m., on SinoVision Channel 63.4 (WMBC-TV).
