Say, "CHEEEE!"

Sherri and I after getting home just in time for me to go
teach my last ballet class for the ward members.

This post is out of chronological order by quite a bit. Many Sundays ago Sherri, a sister in the ward, came up to me and noted that if I had been a dancer, I should visit Taiwan National University for the Arts, very near to where we are living, while we are here. She said they had a ballet and dance department there, that she was friends with the dean of that department, and that she could take me there.

Of course, this was delightful all on it's own. I told her I was very interested in going and mentioned I have a friend from my days at Ballet West, Jiang Qi, who I knew was in Taiwan teaching at some university. Sherri told me it was probably TNUA, and though I couldn't believe the world would be THAT small, I thought it would be fun to go anyway.

Sure enough, a few days later she messaged me that Qi (pronounced "Chee") WAS teaching there, and Sherri arranged for a visit.

The visit itself, on Tuesday, Nov 24, was very nice. The university was beautiful. Sherri took us around the grounds and to a Museum of Art full of modern media pieces, which were, in my opinion, hilariously terrible. I should write about some of them just for amusement. But I'll save my fingers for a more important record.

These water buffalo are the school's pets and graze in this field. This one startled the kids by suddenly moving towards them. Thankfully, they were paying attention and were able to quickly move beyond the length of it's tether. 

Me and the Dean of the Dance department of TNUA.

So, after Sherri's tour, we met up with the dean who took us around her department. The studios were beautiful. I was also impressed with the students, who could not have been dancing very long, given the kind of school schedules and FULL academic days lived by kids age 5 on up. Finally, we would up on the top floor outside a freshman modern class and Jiang Qi's men's class. Sherri told me she could be with the kids in the hall and let them play and watch the modern while I went in to see Qi's class with Kai.

So with 10 minutes left in class, Kai and I entered. Qi recognized me right away, came to hug me, and introduced me to his students as a dancer he danced with many years ago. The 15 boys burst into applause at Qi's enthusiastic introduction, which I thought was really cute. Kai and I then settled ourselves on the floor and watched the rest of class.

Jiang Qi is the gentlemen between Kai and myself. The other boys are his students.

Qi was as graceful and gracious as a teacher as he had been a dancer. I had forgotten how absolutely regal he is. At 60, he isn't doing a lot of dancing any more, but there is no mistaking from his demonstrations that he was a fabulous dancer. It was so fun to see him and remember. I got to tell him about going to see him perform with Ballet West when I was younger, in my teens. I don't remember the ballet he was in, but the second or first act ended with him being lifted up on the shoulders of other dancers and waving to the audience as the curtain fell. I was watching the show in the VERY deep Ogden theater and was sitting in the balcony on the very LAST row. As it happened, I was grateful I was there. I was so drawn into the action by Qi's performance, that when he waved to the audience, I waved back! Thankfully there was no one sitting behind me to wonder why on earth someone was waving at the stage! (I didn't share that I also remember his final performance with Ballet West. I got to sit on stage and watch him dance the Blue Bird in the Sleeping Beauty. His power and grace, combined with my knowledge that it was the last time I would see it, brought tears to my eyes, which wasn't optimal - to be crying ON STAGE in a scene that had no reason for tears - but I was moved.)

Two of the blessings of Qi's influence watch the modern class.

But as I described afterwards for my kids how neat it was for me to see this great dancer again, I realized Qi's influence on my life runs much deeper. It was Qi's connections in China that brought Utah Regional Ballet there, and they took me - Qi might be the very reason I've been to China.

MORE significant than that, it was Qi who offered me the job with Guangzhou Ballet in China after my mission. (At that time he was preparing to return to China to be their Ballet Master. He never did but instead became a professor of dance at a university in the US.) Because of this offer, when Jonas Kage, my boss at Ballet West, offered me a position of apprentice, I was able to refuse the offer, preferring China to an apprenticeship, at which point, Jonas offered me a better contract.

AND, having received a better position, Qi then encouraged me to stay at Ballet West, though at the time, a part of me thought, "What could be better than an opportunity to combine my love of ballet with my love of Chinese?" However, Qi's counsel was wise: once I was IN China, it would be very difficult to get another dancing job elsewhere (due, I assume, to the cost and hassle of international flights to audition). In MY mind, the other difficulty, of course, was who to marry if I lived in China. I was 23, and knew I needed to find a good Mormon guy. Qi's counsel to stay tipped the scales in favor of my long-term future, and it was while dancing for Ballet West and living in the Avenues in Salt Lake City that I met my hubby and father to my 4 beautiful children. So in a way, I told them, they had Qi to thank that they were even born!

Perhaps, on that last point, it became an outing they won't soon forget! I only wish I had digested all of that sooner so I could thank Qi in person! What a blessing to get to see such an influential person in my life again! The world God created for each of us really is THAT small!