ABOUT THE GROUP

Instructors and Staff
Alumni

Our story

The Boise Traditional Chinese Dance Group was started in 2004 with one teacher and one student, a mother and her daughter. Over the years, we’ve grown from one dance class to multiple classes, including children and adult dancers. We are now a nonprofit dance group, sharing culture in each of our performances around the Treasure Valley and more.

Our mission is to introduce Chinese culture to American society, and to serve the Chinese-American community by maintaining its cultural heritage.

Meet the Founder

Hua Yan is the founder and head instructor of the Boise Traditional Chinese Dance Group. She received the Traditional Arts Apprenticeship from the Idaho Commission on the Arts in 2005, 2007, and 2009. Besides teaching dance, Hua has also taught the Chinese language at the Boise Modern Chinese school for 10 years. She was named a “Rotary distinguished Educator” in recognition of exceptional teaching and inspirational guidance of the students of Boise, Idaho by the Rotary Club of Boise in 2013.
Hua retired in 2023 after working over two decades as a full-time molecular scientist and manager for J. R. Simplot Company. She received her BS, MS and PhD degrees in plant biology at Wuhan University, China, where she won multiple national awards for her research. Hua did post-doctoral research in the Ohio State University, where she became a permanent U.S. resident through the outstanding scientist category.

“Giving back to my community means a lot to me.
During my dance activities, I am involved in teaching, dancing, choreography, costume design, and performance. I have improved my leadership and management skills. I can then bring my newfound skills and knowledge back to the community, to help in a more effective way. It is a good opportunity to make new friends and show appreciation to the community and the people who helped me.” - Hua

Cultural Background

Within our dance group, we focus on all kinds of folk, classical, and ethnic dances. China consists of approximately 56 ethnic groups. The Han Chinese is the ethnic majority, but our group also displays ethnic minorities such as Dai, Yi, Yao, Miao, Zhuang, Uyghur, Tibetan, Mongolian, and more. Each dance is accompanied by a traditional costume and Chinese music, with characteristics reflecting the cultural and historical background of the unique ethnic group. A variety of props are used including fans, umbrellas, chopsticks, ribbons, swords, handkerchiefs, chopsticks, etc.

  • Uyghur Ethnic

  • Zhuang Ethnic

  • Mongolian

  • Dai Ethnic

  • Tibetan

  • han ethnic