Lorita Leung – Founder

Lorita Leung was born in Shanghai and grew up in China during the 1940s and 1950s. During her early years, she was a dancer with the Lanzhou Army Song and Dance Troupe. In 1963, she moved to Hong Kong, where she spent seven years with Rediffusion Television as a leading Chinese dance instructor and choreographer.

In 1970, Lorita relocated to Vancouver and immediately founded the Lorita Leung Dance Academy. It became the first Chinese dance school in North America to implement professional training standards. In 1993, she introduced the Beijing Dance Academy Chinese Dance Graded Examination Syllabus to Canada. That same year, she was awarded the Canada 125 Commemoration Medal in recognition of her service to Canada and its communities.

In 2006, Lorita was named one of the “Most Influential Chinese People in BC” by The Vancouver Sun. In 2012, the Vancouver Park Board recognized her as one of twelve Remarkable Women in the field of Arts and Culture.

She was also featured in numerous publications on Chinese dance, including Chinese Dance – In the Vast Land and Beyond: An Introduction to Leading Chinese Dance Artists of Contemporary Times. In recognition of her important contributions to dance in Hong Kong, Lorita was honoured as a featured artist in the Hong Kong Dance Oral History Project, which includes two bilingual books and a documentary film.

Lorita passed away peacefully in her sleep in March 2025. She leaves behind a remarkable legacy, now carried forward by her daughter, Jessica Jone, and son-in-law, Chengxin Wei. Her profound impact on Chinese dance in Canada will never be forgotten.