2017 Stanley and Marvel Chong Memorial Foundation Awardees
Ana Dolny. Ana has been dancing with CAAM CDT for 12 years. She was selected for
this award on the basis of her integrity, serious approach to dance, and leadership
qualities. According to Teng Laoshi, no matter where Ana is positioned (front or back)
or whether the instructor watches or not, she is consistently serious about learning and
practice. She never misses a class without a legitimate reason, takes the initiative to
lead the others to practice, and actively participates in outreaches.
Charlotte Emanoff. Charlotte is in her sixth year at CAAM CDT. She was selected for
this award on the basis of her serious approach to dance and her skills. According to Li
Laoshi, Charlotte is respectful to the teacher and adults and gets along well with her
peers. She has a good attitude toward learning and a high attendance rate, which is
translating into excellent skill. Charlotte has never turned down an outreach.
Eileen Jiang. Two-time winner Eileen Jiang was re-selected for this award because
she always takes learning seriously, actively participates in community activities and
outreaches, and demonstrates good leadership. Specifically, she helps bridge
communications between the instructors and students, and offers extra assistance to
dancers who need a little extra help. She is patient with new students and, without
asking, has stepped into the role of a teacher's aide.
Echo Nelson. Echo has been dancing with CAAM CDT since she was 3 years old.
According to Teng Laoshi, Echo was selected for this award because she loves
Chinese dance, takes learning seriously and works hard. She is able to follow
directions closely to practice and has made huge improvements in the past two years.
Echo never misses a class without a legitimate reason and actively participates in
outreaches.
Photo credits: (left to right, top to bottom): The Dolny family, Jijun He, The Emanoff
family, The Emanoff family, Jack Yan, Christopher Yu Olson, Douglas Nelson, Adam
Emanoff.