JIYAN DAI (戴吉言）
Principal Dancer of Texas Ballet Theater(former)
Choreographer, Photographer
Balletmaster
PDTD RAD Certified
PBT Certified
Jiyan Dai is a male dancer, Founder, and CEO of Ballet Ballet Dance Studio. He started his dance journey at the age of 10 in the Dance Department of Shenyang Conservatory of Music, where he specialized in ballet. Jiyan won multiple awards for excellence in his coursework during his time at the school, including being named the top student in his program several times. At the age of 14, he won the Bronze Award at the Nagoya International Ballet Competition in Japan.
Jiyan continued his education at the Beijing Dance Academy, where he excelled in ballet, duets, character dance, and contemporary dance, earning his Bachelor’s degree. During his time at the academy, he won the Bronze Award in the Youth Ballet Competition Of the 8th peach Blossom Cup and the Gold Award in the Modern Dance Competition Of the 9th Peach Blossom Cup. He also won the “Artistic Award” at the 2006 St. Petersburg International Ballet Competition. Jiyan represented the academy and the ballet department in Europe, Moscow, Budapest, Vienna, and several cities in Japan for international dance exchange programs.
At the age of 19, Jiyan joined the Universal Ballet in Seoul, South Korea, where he became a principal dancer in multiple productions, including Onegin, Sleeping Beauty, Don Quixote, Giselle, Swan Lake, Eros, Le Corsaire, Nutcracker, The Dancer, and contemporary pieces such as Petit Mort, Sechs Tänze, In the Middle Somewhat Elevated, and Minus 7. Jiyan toured internationally with the ballet company and performed in more than 13 countries, including the United States, Canada, Russia, Japan, Oman, South Africa, and several other European countries. In August 2011, while Jiyan was performing in San Francisco, dance critic Lewis Segal stated that “The biggest discovery in the 70-dancer company is Jiyan Dai, a young Chinese dancer of fabulous ballon, exactitude, and finesse.”
Jiyan continued his dance career in the united States, joining the Tulsa Ballet in 2012, where he danced in several productions, including Wayne McCregor’s Presentient, James Kudelka’s There Below, Paul Taylor’s Company B, and Christopher Bruce’s Rooster. In 2014, he was invited by the renowned ballet master Ben Stevenson to join the Texas Ballet Theater as a principal dancer, performing in numerous productions, including Sleeping Beauty, Swan Lake, Cinderella, The Nutcracker, Cleopatra, and works by Balanchine, Christopher Bruce, and Alice in Wonderland. In 2018 Jiyan traveled to Brisbane, Australia to perform as a guest artist in The Nutcracker with the Queensland Ballet, collaborating with the artistic director, Li Cunxin.
Jiyan has choreographed multiple dance pieces for the Texas Ballet Theater School, including Classic Theme B, Dream, and Awakening. He has taught ballet classes at numerous dance schools in Texas since 2014. In 2021, Jiyan received the Royal Academy of Dance’s professional Dancers Teaching Diploma, a certification that recognizes his qualifications as a ballet teacher.
In January 2022, Jiyan established Ballet Ballet, the first professional Chinese ballet school in Dallas, Texas. The school is a Royal Academy Of Dance authorized and RAD Dance Exam Center, dedicated to nurturing a new generation of young dancers worldwide, developing their character and refining their technique, and passing on the essence of ballet to every aspiring dancer.