Dai, Ailian (1916–2006)

Chinese dancer. Name variations: Madam Dai Ailian. Born May 10, 1916 in Trinidad, West Indies, of Chinese parents, whose forebears came from Guangdong Province; died Feb 9, 2006, in Beijing, China; studied Chinese culture and language with such masters as Zhang Daqian and Ye Qianyu.

One of China's premier dance icons, had enormous impact by introducing principles and study of Western ballet and modern dance to China and championing Chinese folk dance traditions at home and abroad; took 1st dance lessons in Trinidad; traveled to London (1931) to study ballet and modern dance with Anton Dolin, Kurt Jooss and Rudolphe von Laban; traveled to China after war broke out (1939), giving benefit performances in Hong Kong and on mainland; became 1st principal of Beijing Dance Academy, where students were taught both ballet and Chinese dance; studied ancient dances and recorded traditional choreography; worked with historians to research dances as old as 5,000 years; produced and performed such dances as "Yao Drum" and "The Dumb Shouldering a Lunatic," Tibetan dance "Ba'an Xianzi," Miao dance "Jiarong Wine Party" and Uygur "Dance of Youth" (1940s); became president of National Dance Troupe under People's Republic of China and served as 1st headmistress of Beijing Dance School as well as co-founder and 1st president of Central Ballet Theater (1959); combined Chinese and Western dance to create such masterpieces as "Lotus Dance" and "Flying Apsaras," which won awards at festivals in Berlin (1953) and Warsaw (1955); toured worldwide with National Ballet of China.