It’s no secret that many of Shen Yun Performing Arts’ earliest dancers were alumni of China’s Beijing Dance Academy. Yet a decade after New York-based Shen Yun’s inception, its performances started to look worlds apart from that of any Chinese dance company. “Think about it, Beijing [Dance Academy] has its pick of the best dancers from not hundreds but thousands across the country. When we [Shen Yun] began, it certainly wasn’t like that,” said Gu Yun, one such alumnus who is a longtime dance teacher and choreographer with Shen Yun. When Shen Yun’s dance academy was newly formed, it received applicants who were more eager than trained. In September, Gu gave an interview in New York state in between judging an international classical Chinese dance competition, to which dancers from around the world had applied. He said that those who weren’t from Shen Yun had applied hoping to learn more …