XIN LILI
Director of Shanghai Ballet
National First-Class Dancer
Admitted to the Shanghai Dance School in 1973, Xin Lili majored in ballet before graduating with honors in 1980, at which time she joined the Shanghai Ballet and rose to become a principal dancer. In 2000, Xin was appointed Artistic Associate of Shanghai Ballet, and in July 2001, she was named Artistic Director of the Shanghai Ballet. She was appointed as the Director of the Shanghai Ballet in September 2011.
With a pure, graceful, and lyrical temperament, Xin has appeared on stage dancing principal roles in Swan Lake, Giselle, Don Quixote, and Romeo & Juliet, in addition to roles in the Chinese ballets The White-Haired Girl, Thunderstorm, Song of Youth, Soul, and The Butterfly Lovers. As a choreographer, she has shown her talent in her modern pas de deux, Twine.
Xin received the Silver Medal at the New York International Ballet Competition in 1987 and the First Grand Prix Couple in the third Paris International Dance Competition (Classical) with her partner Yang Xinhua in 1988. She was named as one of the Shanghai Top Ten Young Artists in 1993 and received the Prize for Excellent Performer of Classical Arts in both 1993 and 1999. She won the Shanghai Brave Female Award in 1994.
Xin trained Fan Xiaofeng and Sun Shenyi, who both won Gold Medals at the 19th Varne International Ballet Competition in July 2000. She guided Ji Pingping and Fu Shu to Gold and Silver Medals, respectively, at the ninth Paris International Dance Competition (Classical) in November 2000. She also trained Ke Da and Yu Xiaowei, who won the Senior Division Gold Medals at the third Shanghai International Ballet Competition in July 2004. She coached Wu Husheng to win a Silver Medal (no gold medal given) and the Igor Youskevitch Award at the ninth New York International Ballet Competition in June 2007, in addition to the Gold Medal at the fourth Shanghai International Ballet Competition in August of the same year. In June 2009, her students Guo Hongyu and Zhang Wenjun won the Senior Division Medal and Best Pas de Deux at the Sixth Helsinki International Ballet Competition. She taught Qi Bingxue and Yuan Anpu, who received Gold Medals in the fifth Shanghai International Ballet Competition.
In December 2001, Xin created and choreographed The Butterfly Lovers, which premiered at the closing ceremony of the Shanghai International Arts Festival. From 2001 to 2018, Xin served as a jury member for numerous international competitions, including the Prix Benois de la Danse, the Shanghai International Ballet Competition, the Beijing International Ballet Competition, the New York International Ballet Competition, the China Hong Kong Young Ballet Stars Award, the Cape Town International Ballet Competition, the Korean International Ballet Competition, the Mongolia International Ballet Competition, and the World Ballet Trial in Tokyo Stage. In June 2010, she was invited to attend the 60th anniversary of English National Ballet and performed as the Mother in Swan Lake.
As Artistic Director, Xin introduced British versions of Swan Lake and Romeo & Juliet, French versions of Coppelia and La Sylphide, and Balanchine’s Serenade and La Valse to the Company’s repertoire. In 2006, the Company created the modern Chinese ballet A Sigh of Love, followed by The Last Mission of Marco Polo and The Nutcracker (Shanghai Grand Theatre version) in 2010. In 2012, the Company created the modern ballet Jane Eyre, along with the contemporary ballet The Echoes of Eternity in 2015. In 2016, the Company created Hamlet, with The Bright Red Star, The Sleeping Beauty, and The Lady of the Camellias following in 2018 and 2019.