MEET OUR INSTRUCTORS AND STAFF
Julia Chen
Julia grew up in Taipei, Taiwan where she started ballet and Chinese cultural dance from a young age until middle school. When she moved to idaho with her daughter, they joined the Boise Traditional Chinese dance group in 2008.
Julia currently works as director of developement NCS technology in addition to managing the dance group.
Director
Xueqing (Shellie)Xiong
Adult and Teens’ performance team instructor
Starting from the age of 5, Xueqing trained with the Royal Academy of Dance until an intermediate level. Since then she has been learning Chinese dance and began teaching in 2021.
Xueqing works for JR Simplot company in the plant science department as an associate scientist.
Ruby Jiang
Children’s/teen intermediate instructor
Ruby was born in Qingdao, China where she trained in jazz, ballet, and traditional Chinese dance since the age of three. After moving to Idaho, she learned tap, hip hop, modern dance, while continuing jazz, and ballet. At the age of 12, she danced with a competitive team until 18. In 2008, she joined the Boise Chinese Traditional dance group and eventually began teaching in 2016.
Ruby recently graduated from BSU’s nursing program and has a bachelor’s degree in biology.
Mikayla Johnson
Minis’ Instructor
Mikayla has been dancing since the age of three. She trained in hip-hop, contemporary, jazz, and ballet with a competitive team until 2020. At the age of 5 she joined the Boise Traditional Chinese Dance group and began teaching in 2023.
Mikayla is currently a graduating high school senior.
Yule Stimpson
Petites’ Instructor
Yule joined the Boise Traditional Chinese Dance group in 2012, and began teaching children’s dance classes in 2015, sharing her passion in each generation. In addition to her involvement in dance, she teaches high school math and runs Agape Chinese school.
Ling Jian
Adults’ Classical Instructor
Ling Jian studied early childhood education in China, specializing in dance performance. She studied music theory and has seven years of professional ballet training. Ling Jian has also performed in various activities including folk, classical, and ballroom dance, as well as fashion shows.
Since joining the Boise Traditional Chinese Dance group in 2017, she has progressed from a student to an instructor, driven by a beautiful belief about dance.
Yan Zhao
Costume Manager
Yan Zhao joined the Boise Traditional Chinese Dance Group in 2020 as both a dancer of the adult group, and our costume manager. She keeps track of our costume catalog, and helps the dancers with costume fittings.
Outside of dance, she enjoys taking ballet classes with Ballet Idaho, and getting outdoors.