14 years. That’s how long I’ve been associated with Shen Yun, whether through performing in practicum as part of my school curriculum or as a full-time employed dancer. 14 years is no short time, and I view them as the most important years of my life.

I was born and raised in Warsaw, Poland. At the time, the first wave of Asian immigrants had just moved to Poland, and I was part of the first generation of Asian kids born there. It goes without saying that I stood out quite a bit. At school, I could count all the Asian faces using only one hand with fingers to spare. Not surprisingly, I often faced racism. In order to survive, I built walls around myself, thinking that becoming tough on the outside would help me survive. It kind of did, but life wasn’t good.

Coming to the States and enrolling at Fei Tian Academy of the Arts (editor's note: a school where many Shen Yun artists study) felt like a breath of fresh air. Not only was I not targeted because of my race, everyone was caring and supportive, and I felt at home. The opportunity to perform with Shen Yun as part of my school curriculum and later as a professional was a dream come true. However, the culture at Shen Yun is what really changed me and made me who I am today.

From the very first day, I could tell this company was like no other. Everyone was eager to teach me everything there was to know about being in a performing arts company. I remember one of the veteran dancers, Seb, spent a lot of his own time teaching me about life on and off stage. He took me shopping for tour essentials, introduced me to the contents of a makeup bag, and taught me many life hacks that I still use to this day. But most importantly, he instilled in me the importance of responsibility and selflessness.

He was in charge of the male dancers in our troupe, and I could see his work ethic and the way he carried himself every single day. It was never about him. No matter if he had a bad day or had something on his mind, he was always ready to help others with a smile on his face.

Through his actions, he showed me that only by being selfless can you impact others in a positive way. I started slowly tearing down my protective walls and tried to become more open and selfless.

Seb was just one example; there are hundreds of others here at Shen Yun. In the span of 18 years, we’ve grown from one company to eight. We started from nothing, and now we’re a top-class performing arts company that tours around the world every year. And every year we come up with a whole new program. Every. Single. Year. How is that even possible?

There are people accusing us of ridiculous things that I don’t even want to mention. Our success wouldn’t be possible if those accusations were even half true. The results and success of Shen Yun are a testament that what we are doing is right, and the audience reviews and the impact that Shen Yun has prove it.

I remember receiving a letter from an audience member in London. It was written in Polish. It thanked me and all the members of the company for our performance and urged us to keep pushing forward. These little gestures mean the world to us and give us motivation to keep striving for greatness.

14 years later, I often think back to all the lessons I learned from veteran dancers. And now that I’m the veteran, I strive to impart the wisdom of my predecessors to the newer generation.

Shen Yun has been able to succeed all these years because no one is living for themselves. It is about helping others, making each other better.

And that is the lesson I will always keep in my heart.

 

This article originally appearead on the Shen Yun Community website. Read it here.