Seongho Cha (; also known as Jimmy ChaVictoria Looseleaf, Online, performers step it up, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2008.) is a South Korean dancer currently with the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts. Cha began dancing at the age of 15Anaheim Ballet, Inside Rehearsal: Jimmy Cha and rose to prominence in his home country of South Korea, winning top honors at a national ballet competitionShen Yun Performing Arts, Meet the artists > Seongho Cha and going on to represent South Korea at the 2006 USA International Ballet Competition.Clarion Ledger, 2006 USA IBC competitors by countryRenee Renouf, Jackson International Ballet Competition , Ballet Magazine, June 2006
Life and career Cha joined Anaheim Ballet in 2002 as a soloist and principal dancer. He subsequently won a full scholarship to study dance at Point Park University, where he was called a "resident powerhouse technician."Jane Vranish, Dance review: Students generate powerful moves in Byham show, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 18 March 2006. While dancing the lead role of Ichabod Crane at a Pittsburgh Playhouse production of Sleepy Hollow in 2004, Cha was lauded as a "complete package…a deceptively intelligent dancer."Jane Vranish, Dance review: 'Sleepy Hollow' is a Halloween treat, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 23 October 2004. Cha graduated with a BA in dance from the Conservatory of Performing Arts in 2006 and continued his studies at New York University.Olivia Flores Alvarez. Shen Yun Performing Arts, Houston Press, 17 Dec 2009 Cha had also previously attended Sejong University in Seoul. He has an interest in Oriental medicine and has sought to find ways of combining the philosophy of traditional medicine with his dance.Korea Times, "Oriental Ballet", 02/04/2004
In 2008, Cha made the transition from ballet to classical Chinese dance, joining the Falun Gong-run Shen Yun Performing Arts as a principal dancer.
References
External links
Anaheim Ballet video profile of Seongho (Jimmy) Cha Profile on Shen Yun Performing Arts