Cindy Wang was selected as a finalist to attend the National American Miss pageant in Wichita, KS on July 22, 2012.
Selected as a finalist in May, Jasmine youth member Cindy Wang, a sophomore at the Pembroke Hill School, participated in the National American Miss pageant in Wichita on July 22nd. Wang participated in a series of competitions including Personal Introduction, Personal Interview, Formal Dress, and many more. Competitors were judged based on personality, uniqueness, communication skills, proper etiquette, and general poise.
Enrolled in a variety of different competitions, Wang was quite successful in all. She received 1st place in the Talent Competition, 5th Place in the Spokesmodel Competition, and placed in the Top 15 out of more than one hundred girls competing for the Miss Kansas Jr. Teen title.
"I signed up to perform two talents in the Talent Competition. I played piano for one and performed a peacock dance for the other," recalls Wang. "I chose to perform a Chinese folk dance because it is a unique part about me and reflects my heritage. I also love dancing, so it was the perfect opportunity for me. Both the judges and the audience seemed to enjoy it very much since it was something that they had never seen before."
Although the piano performance won Wang the Talent Competition, her dance performance also earned high marks. She received a 7.6, just a mere point away from making it to the final round.
Wang started Chinese folk dancing as early as age five through the local Chinese New Year Celebration. She joined Jasmine in 2008 when it was founded, and Wang is now the Jasmine Youth Director. Wang currently leads the Jasmine "Giving Heart" community service program, which aims to raise money for those in need in the local Kansas City area through Chinese folk dance performances, while simultaneously allowing others to experience Chinese culture first hand.
"I love Chinese folk dances because of the variations in style and movement. Also, the costumes are so gorgeous. They're all so intricate, yet all so different, like the dances themselves. For instance, for the peacock dance I performed at the pageant, the costume was a long, white dress covered in sequins and beads, " Wang describes.
"In the years I have been with Jasmine, I have explored a few different folk dances, such as Yang Ge dance, Mongolian dance, and Xinjiang dance, and I have been able to use a lot of those props. But no matter what you're performing or what prop you're using, every dance is so vivid and joyful, and I just love being able to share that joy with others."