My North Star

2022 was a year of new beginnings. That year, Shen Yun established its eighth troupe, the New World Company, and as part of classes at Fei Tian College, I was lucky enough to be a part of it. It was a new company, which meant a new environment with new faces, new classmates, and a new dance teacher.

Many members of Shen Yun practice the spiritual discipline of Falun Dafa, which follows the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. These principles have shaped Shen Yun into a company filled with people who put others before themselves. My new dance teacher has performed with Shen Yun for over fifteen years and practiced Falun Dafa for more than two decades. The principles of this spiritual practice are visibly reflected in her person and can be seen in almost every aspect of her being, from her interactions with her students to how she teaches her dance classes.

When I first learned she was going to be my dance teacher, I was thrilled. Through previous interactions, I felt that she gave off an aura of warmth and friendliness. I had also heard from other classmates about her dedication to her class and her students. I was excited to begin training under her guidance.

From the very beginning, she made it clear: in her classroom, we were not only going to learn dance. In the long run, she hoped to influence us to become better people. We had to hold ourselves to high standards, and we were required to be responsible for ourselves and our actions.

There is a traditional Chinese proverb that reminds us, “Before learning an art, you must first learn to be a good person.” I strongly believe that as artists, we have the responsibility to cultivate ourselves into people of good moral character before we can present ourselves to the audience. Since the body is the medium we dancers use to express our internal thoughts and feelings, our true inner selves are reflected in every single movement. My dance teacher also encourages us to use the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance to cultivate our character and gradually become better and better people. Amidst today’s modern dance culture, in which more importance is placed on personal expression and enjoyment, I appreciate and respect her decision to follow this traditional teaching method, which emphasizes the development of the artist and not just the art itself.

What I find special is that she not only encourages us to become better people, she also strictly follows the principles herself. She tries her best to treat each and every student equally. In fact, we rotate spots in class every day so that everyone can get a chance to stand in the middle. I know from experience that at other dance schools, teachers normally pick favorites. Some students naturally have better conditions than others, such as favorable body proportions or superior abilities. As a result, those students may have better chances of success in the future. Teachers may pay them more attention, since they’re easier to teach. However, this isn’t the case with my dance teacher. If she sees someone struggling, she treats it as her own problem and figures out a solution.

Personally, I struggle with learning new routines. The movements just don’t stick in my head, and it takes me forever to learn even a simple formation. By the time most of my classmates have gotten the routine down, I’m usually still confused about the first few movements. My teacher noticed this problem, and she offered to give me recordings of the dance routines beforehand so I could learn them slowly, at my own pace. That way, I would be on the same page as the other students when she taught everyone the new routine. I was deeply touched by her offer, because I had never met any other teacher who went out of his or her way to consider the well-being of each and every student. She treated my problem as if it were her own.

From a student’s perspective, we hope to find a teacher who can help us become the best that we can be. Conversely, how many teachers are willing to put their students’ well-being first? As someone who’s been a student for the majority of her life, I can safely say the answer is basically none. Through my teacher’s simple offer, I was able to see how the practice of Falun Dafa sculpted her into a different type of person. By embedding the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance into her heart and using them as her constant guide, she has become a teacher who puts her students before herself.

There are many dance teachers who can teach well, but how many are truly dedicated to their students? How many are willing to sacrifice personal time and effort for sheer love of the art rather than profit? As someone who has found a dance teacher willing to go even further than that, I often ask myself: How lucky am I?