Global Regional Jury Biography

Qi Huan, born in Liaoning, China, was a principal dancer with the Royal New Zealand Ballet (RNZB) and was a full-time ballet tutor at the New Zealand School of Dance (NZSD). Qi studied dance at the Shenyang Music and Dance Institute, then after, at the Beijing Dance Academy (BDA).

His first exposure to teaching ballet was due to a serious knee injury which stopped him from dancing in his last year at the BDA. In 2003 - 2004, Qi taught at the BDA as a full-time junior ballet tutor. After going through rehabilitation training, his dream as a dancer came true when he joined the RNZB in 2005.

Qi performed many leading roles including Ethan Stiefel and Johan Kobborg’s Giselle, Sir Russell Kerr’s Swan Lake and Petrouchka, Garry Harris’s The Nutcracker and Don Quixote, Christopher Hampson’s Cinderella and Romeo & Juliet, Greg Horsman’s Sleeping Beauty, David Dawson’s A Million Kisses to my Skin, MacMillan’s Concerto Pas de Deux, Benjamin Millepied’s 28 Variations, George Balanchine’s Who Cares?, Jorma Elo’s Plan to A, and Michael Pink’s Dracula.

He started teaching again in 2012 at the Royal New Zealand Ballet, New Zealand School of Dance, Queensland Ballet, Wellington Dance Academy and Singapore Ballet Academy. Apart from teaching, he ventured into choreography, creating short dance pieces which were performed by the RNZB dancers.

In 2012 and 2014, Qi was invited twice by ballet superstar Gillian Murphy to guest perform at the in Singapore and Cabo San Lucas. In 2013, he had a great opportunity starring as Albrecht in Ethan Stiefel and Johan Kobborg’s film production Giselle.

In 2015, he was invited by Mao’s Last Dancer Li Cunxin to perform and teach as a principal guest artist at the Queensland Ballet. In that same year, he was also invited to teach at the Asian Grand Prix in Hong Kong. Most recently, Qi represented the NZSD at the Assemblée Internationale 2017 hosted by the Canada’s National Ballet School.