User:Katcha Shaby/sandbox

Yuanyuan Zhang
Yuan Yuan Zhang is born in Xinjiang in 1994, ; she is a currently a soloist dancer with the Het Nationale Ballet.

Early life
As a child, Yuanyuan Zhang loved dancing so much that she couldn’t sit still when she heard music. She started her ballet training at the age of nine at the Sichuan Dance School, going on to study at the Shanghai Theatre Academy when she was sixteen. After completing her dance training, one thing was certain: she wanted to go abroad.

Career
In 2014, Yuanyuan joined Het Nationale Ballet’s Junior Company. Just one year later, she transferred to Het Nationale Ballet, starting out as an élève, with subsequent promotions each year: becoming a member of the corps de ballet in 2016, a coryphée in 2017, a grand sujet in 2018 and a soloist in 2019.

Awards

 * Gold medal - Cape Town International Ballet Competition - 2014
 * First prize - Star of East China - 2014
 * First prize - "Taoli Cup” China Ballet Competition - 2012
 * Best New Dancer & New Works - Shanghai Dance Competition