Born in China, Lan Zheng started dancing at the age of nine. At age ten, she was one of only fifteen girls in all of China selected by the Beijing Dance Academy for its prestigious pre-professional ballet program. She trained there for seven years under the guidance of Shu Xiang Wang and Sin Ron Cao, studying classical ballet technique as well as Chinese Folk Dance, Russian and Spanish Character Dance and modern dance. Upon her graduation in 1999, Zheng was hired by Shanghai Ballet Company, one of the five national professional ballet companies in China. She rose through the ranks in the Shanghai Ballet Company and became a Soloist Dancer in 2004. During her 13-year tenure at the Shanghai Ballet Company, Zheng performed in productions directed by Jose Martinez and Pierre Lacotte of the Opéra National de Paris, Derek Deane of the English National Ballet, Ben Huys of the New York City Ballet and Bertrand d’At of the Opéra National du Rhin. As a result, although trained under the Vaganova style, Zheng has been influenced by the French and English styles as well. She performed internationally in Australia (2002), Spain (Coppelia, 2003), Japan (Swan Lake, 2006), United States (Coppelia, 2007), Thailand (Romeo and Juliet, 2009) and Finland (2010). In 2011, she was recognized as a “Master” dancer by the Chinese government.

Zheng began her teaching career in 2007 at the Xiao Ying Xing Dance School in Shanghai, China, where she taught ballet for young children. In 2012, she moved to New York City and joined the Ballet des Amériques as a Company Dancer and Teacher. There, she taught advanced ballet technique to the School’s students enrolled in the preprofessional program. She relocated to Baltimore in 2013.