Zhou Lei 周雷
Director
In 1978, Zhou Lei joined the Song and Dance Ensemble of the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army. In 1979, he was among the first batch of students admitted to the Art College of the People’s Liberation Army. In 1982, upon graduation with distinction, he entered the Song and Dance Ensemble of the General Political Department of the People’s Liberation Army as a dance captain. He received the Grand Prize and Grade 1 Performance Award in the internal dance competition. In 1988, he participated in the 2nd “Peach & Plum Cup” Dance Competition and obtained the Excellent Performance Award.
In 1991, he graduated with distinction from the Beijing Dance Academy Ethnic Dance Department (Professional Division), and was invited to join the Academy’s Youth Dance Troupe as a principal dancer and dance captain. He has been awarded Merit Citation Class 2 by the Chinese Government (equivalent to Deputy Professor Grade). He has danced a number of lead and principal roles in renowned repertoire, including “Yellow River”, “Terracotta Warriors”, “Farewell to My Concubine”, etc.
In 1992, he was invited to join a major-league Hong Kong dance troupe to perform the lead role in the dance-drama, “Journey to the West”. Upon return to China, he continued to perform lead roles in dance dramas “Emperor Tang Ming” and “The Mermaid”. He represented China and performed overseas in Canada, the United States, France, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.
After moving to Singapore in 1995, he choreographed for and performed in many local arts festivals, dance festivals, Asean dance festivals, National Day celebrations and Chingay processions. He also represented Singapore in arts festivals in Thailand, Macau, Japan, Switzerland and Malaysia.
His choreographic works include the opening item in the 1999 Renci Hospital charity show, the Singapore Buddhist Association’s 1999 Vesak Day musical, as well as a number of Chinese classical, Chinese ethnic, and Chinese contemporary dance pieces. He also choreographed dance dramas “The Night Banquet” and “Cold Nights”.
He was formerly the dance instructor for the National University of Singapore Chinese Dance Group, and choreographed and co-created a number of dance pieces and full-length productions for the Group, including the “Rhythm of Life” concert series. He had led the university group and secondary schools for overseas exchange and performances, to countries like Switzerland, Malaysia, Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, Macau and Australia, etc.
In 2012, he led the NUS Chinese Dance Group to participate in the 10th “Peach & Plum Cup” Dance Competition in the professional dance institutions category, and the Group obtained a 3rd Class Award. At the same time, Zhou Lei was awarded the “Gardener Award” for the results of his nurturing efforts towards the Group. In the same year, he was invited by the National Arts Council to choreograph a pas de deux, “Plum Romance” for the concert, “A Celebration of Chinese Dance”.
In 2007, Hong Lei International Cultural Performing Arts Pte Ltd successfully signed an agreement with the Beijing Dance Academy Examination Institute, becoming an overseas partner for the academy's international examination courses. Over the years, it has continuously nurtured generations of students, further promoting and developing Chinese dance in Singapore.
In 2019, it successfully organized the Singapore Vanda International Arts Festival and the inaugural dance competition, enhancing global dance art exchanges, sharing cultures, and fostering mutually beneficial collaborations. The event also aimed to promote the professional and international dissemination of dance awareness while providing artists with an international platform to showcase their artistic works.
From 1999 to present, his schools entries for the Singapore Youth Festival Dance Competitions organized by the Ministry of Education have received many awards, including Gold with Honours and Gold, and were selected to perform on Opening and Closing Nights of the Festivals. Since 1998, he has been the Artistic Advisor and instructor of the Theatre Arts Troupe, and he has choreographed a number of dance pieces for the Troupe’s “Dances of the Orient” concert series. In 2007, through the invitation of the National Arts Council, he led the Troupe to represent Singapore at the Geongju International Performing Arts Festival in Korea. The same year, he set up Hong Lei Cultural & Performing Arts International Pte Ltd.