Our non-touring days are all about training, rehearsing, more training, and more rehearsing. However, there is something we always look forward to: the annual basketball tournament.

This year’s Shen Yun Basketball Tournament weekend brimmed with enthusiasm and excitement. Many of the artists here not only dance and play instruments, but also excel in other things, too.

Did you know that many Shen Yun guys have a strong passion for basketball? They enjoy it so much that dinner times are often spent playing out on the court—as if we don’t get enough exercise already!

So for our tournament, Shen Yun was divided into four teams:

Team New York (Shen Yun New York Company)

Team Touring (Shen Yun Touring Company)

Team International (Shen Yun International Company)

Team Production (Shen Yun’s production crew)

The first day kicked off with heavy rain in the late morning. But that didn’t stop the tournament, as by the late afternoon the rain cleared up, and sunshine even managed to seep through the clouds.

The crowd seemed super enthusiastic, turning up to the game with things like neon-colored T-shirts and banners. Our cheering squads also showed up with Chinese drums (to bang on while they chant). Musicians brought their trumpet, the Chinese suona, and even a ram’s horn!  

First, Touring (my company) was up against Production. “No sweat,” I thought, “We’re dancers, our stamina definitely exceeds theirs,” an advantage in a full-court 40-minute game.

But the score was very close throughout the game. If one team scored, the other managed to quickly get even. I usually don’t watch sports, but watching them play was more nerve-wracking than riding a crazy rollercoaster.

Final Score: Touring 53, Production 50. Violinist Zeyu Chang lead the scoring with 18 points, followed by Principal dancer Tim Wu, with 16.

Next up, New York vs. International. Tough one, since both teams were combined of dancers and musicians. I couldn’t decide who would win, or who to root for. First half was close, but by the end of the second half it was clearly determined that New York would go on to the finals.

Final Game: Touring vs. New York

Half way through the final, New York was far ahead of Touring. But with a miraculous comeback, lead by Zeyu Chang (20 points) and Tim Wu (18 points), Touring shot its way to champion.

All four teams played brilliantly, displaying plenty of sportsmanship. Not so much about the competition, it was a fantastic way to take our minds off the current pre-tour stress. I’m looking forward to next year’s game already! But in the meantime, it’s back to training and rehearsal, because the all-new 2013 program is already taking shape! Are you excited?

September 15, 2012