About

Christianity is the most central part of my identity, and it is the reason why I dance. I actually became a Christian while onstage in the middle of a ballet! We were performing a Japanese - themed ballet, The Nightingale and the Rose, in which a nightingale sacrifices its life to save a dying princess. The ballet was written to reflect the story of Jesus Christ laying down his life to save us. When I performed this ballet, I had been going to church for almost 15 years, but I didn’t really understand the gospel. While performing on the stage, I marveled to see the evil curse reversed and death turn into life as the nightingale rose from the ashes as a fiery phoenix, representing Jesus’s resurrection from the grave three days after his death. 

Because I am an artist, this ballet spoke to me in a way that sermons and books could not. For the first time that night, while I was dancing under the bright lights of the stage, I felt deeply convicted. I felt the weight of every sin I had ever committed yet saw the majesty of God more clearly than ever before. I realized just how costly it was for Jesus to die for us. God used this ballet to reveal himself to me, and that is why I am still dancing today! 

Before I became a Christian, I danced only for myself. I wanted to be the best dancer that I could be in order to be successful and famous. I wanted to bring honor to myself. However, since I became a Christian, I realized that success in this world is not important to me at all. I do not deserve anything. My ability to dance, despite injuries, finances, and struggles, is simply a gift from the Lord. God has blessed me with the ability to dance so that I can bless others and bring glory to God’s name, not my own. When I finally realized this, I felt a huge weight fall from my shoulders. I was free! I now strive to be the best dancer that I can be - not to become famous, but to share my story with others out of gratitude for the Lord saving me.