Born in Henan, China, Yao Zhenyuan graduated as a ballet major from Shanghai Theatre Academy and further studied at San Francisco Ballet School on scholarship. She danced with Suzhou Ballet Theatre (SBT) in 2021 before joining Hong Kong Ballet as a Corps de Ballet member in 2022.

With SBT, she has performed Le Dingxiang in Wang Yabin’s My Name is Ding Xiang and in Romeo and Juliet, Carmen, The Nutcracker, Coppelia, The Rite of Spring, Carmen, Tang Yin, Chopin’s Poem and The Legend of Beauty, to name a few. She was a finalist at the 2017 and 2019 Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition, as well as 2018 Shanghai International Ballet Competition.
 

Danncer Q&A
1. What was the first ballet you ever performed?
Don Quixote’s Cupid Variation.

2. How do you unwind after a show?
Enjoy a spa treatment.

3. What keeps you motivated on tough days?
To set a target and gradually achieve it.

4. What is the place where you feel most yourself?
When I am learning.

5. If you could have one more talent, what would it be?
Logical thinking.

6. What’s your favourite food?
Hotpot.

7. What would you be if you were not a dancer?
Lawyer.

8. What’s your fashion style?
Casual.

9. What are your hobbies?
Pilates and yoga.

10. What is your favorite movie/book?
My favourite book is To Live.

11. Where is the most interesting place you have ever visited or want to visit?
Tibet.

12. What is the coolest thing about being a dancer?
Bringing happiness to audiences.

13. If you can have a super power, what would it be?
Time travel.

14. Who is your favorite dancer who has inspired you?
Marianela Nuñez