(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings Master, greetings everyone,

My name is Kelly, and I am in grade 10, from Toronto. I attained the Fa (1) six years ago, and ever since, I have enjoyed a healthy mind and body. Today I'd like to share with everyone my cultivation experiences through dancing as a part of the Lotus Dance Troupe.

I started dancing two years ago with several other girls around my age in our area. Most of us had never learned to dance before, and were skeptical as to how this would clarify the truth. We started from the basics in ballet and traditional Chinese dancing. It only took us a couple of dance lessons to realize just how hard dance really is. From head to toe, my whole body was aching. My muscles were stiff and sore from the difficult movements that we did. I realized that dance absorbs a lot of time and energy, and it is not always a pretty sight. However, compared to the physical suffering, it is more painful when experiencing the xinxing (2) tests which present themselves along the way.

In the beginning, the dance teacher would always yell at me, because I would always be talking to others. I'd also get yelled at when I could not do a movement correctly. I was always used to people complimenting me, and could not handle the harsh criticism. Sometimes I would hold in my tears during class, because I felt very embarrassed getting yelled at in front of my peers. I saw that my own selfish interests were compromised, and a feeling of inferiority washed over me. At this point, I did not look inside myself to see what was wrong. Instead, I had shifted the blame onto the teacher, who was just doing her job to train us. I was angered by many factors, which motivated me to do even worse in my dancing. I could no longer see the bright side of it, and I even wanted to quit.

Fortunately, my fellow practitioners and my parents helped me realize this mistake. I read the Fa and put a lot of thought into this. I realized the effort it must have taken for our dance teacher to educate a group of dancers who has never seen a pair of ballet slippers before. To develop any dancer, it takes a lot of discipline and pain. Of course she would expect a lot from us, especially since we are practitioners. I have grown a deep sense of respect for her. Since then, I have learned to take criticism from others, because there are a lot of things for me to improve on in my dancing and in my cultivation. Now when I am criticized, I no longer feel angered or upset, and I really want to improve. I learned to listen to my fellow practitioners, because they are here to help me along the way.

As I became more involved in dance, I realized the importance of putting the Fa first. Every week our dance teacher would remind us that we only have one practice per week, and that we cannot afford to miss it. Yet I would still find excuses not to attend dance practices, because I would feel as if dance is not my top priority. I felt it was too much trouble arranging time for dance, given all the other Dafa activities I was involved in. There were also societal duties -- school, extra-curricular activities, part-time job - it was so hard to balance everything and make time for practices and performances. It seemed like an impossible task, and I simply did not have enough time to do it. But then I reminded myself the importance of Fa-rectification. As a practitioner, there are three major things to do, and dance plays an important role in clarifying the truth to sentient beings. When we perform for them, it is as if their souls light up in joy. I searched within myself; I really did want more people to reach Dafa through our dancing. So if I cannot make time to clarify the truth to people, how can I call myself a practitioner? It is my duty as a Dafa disciple to rectify the Fa, and it is the most important thing to do. So I started re-scheduling my weekends for dance, and actually found time to complete my other tasks. By putting Dafa first, it does not hinder me from doing other things; it actually improves my efficiency and maximizes my results.

Through performing, I have learned to always hold a heart of compassion. Sometimes when we perform in small community centers, I often expect the hosts to treat us extremely nicely, because we came all the way to perform on such a small stage. I would get disappointed when there are not a lot of people in the audience. I would also expect the audience to receive us warmly and compliment us, even before we start dancing. But in this respect, I have already become attached to fame. Master says in Zhuan Falun, "When everyday people say that it is good, it may not be good." I realized this mentality is very deviated, and that I should not even be having these thoughts. If I want to bring Dafa to sentient beings who have awaited thousands of years, no matter how long the distance, it is worth it. And no matter how many people I perform for, if they are destined to meet Dafa, then it is worth it. Now when I perform, I feel happy for every person in the audience, because they have the opportunity to encounter Dafa in this lifetime.

As with xinxing cultivation, dance requires constant improvement. Master said in "Teaching the Fa at the Discussion on Creating Fine Art": "I think that taking those basic techniques as a foundation, and adding to them the true goodness, righteousness, and pure beauty that Dafa disciples have come to comprehend in their cultivation, [you] can display good things." To build that foundation, we attended many dance workshops and dance camps to improve our technical skills. Every summer now, we have a dance camp. We also attend lessons from a non-practitioner dance teacher, who works with us to develop our Chinese dance skills. She told me that in the beginning she thought we were impossible to teach, but now she is amazed at our rapid progress. It is actually the power of Dafa that has given us the determination to excel. At home, we would practice what we learned at dance lessons to get better.

In addition, Master also said, "So in the field of the arts you should be a good person as well, and in your artwork you should display what's beautiful, what's upright, what's pure, what's good, and what's bright and positive." ("Teaching the Fa at the Discussion on Creating Fine Art"). In order to do so, we have incorporated aspects of Dafa in our dances to reflect Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. We took suggestions from other practitioners to alter our dance to better represent Dafa. We learned to be righteous at all times so the evil forces cannot take advantage.

There is a lot of teamwork required in a group dance, and because everyone needs to work together, it is important to get rid of selfishness. During the beginning, I would always try to take care of myself -- have others do my makeup first, make sure I get a good costume, etc. I would also criticize others when they were wrong, and laugh and joke about it. Gradually I realized how immature I was being, and started to sincerely care about my fellow practitioners. Master says in Zhuan Falun, "You should always be benevolent and kind to others, and consider others when doing anything." Now I try to help others whenever I can, and bear in mind to think of others first.

As a member of a dance team I have come to realize the importance of Dafa particles working together as one-body. There are many practitioners who work hours on end on backstage work such as costumes, preparing events, and providing transportation. Parents have also provided us with a lot of support, and they encourage us to keep on dancing. We got to where we are today because of those practitioners who have worked so hard behind the scenes. I am very thankful towards every practitioner for their contribution to our team. By working cooperatively as a team, we are able to bring Dafa to more sentient beings.

In addition, more and more kids have been joining dance. Some of them are drawing closer to Dafa through dance. I feel that the harmonious cultivation environment of our dance team is very valuable.

In these past two years, we have reached out to many communities through dancing. We have performed at countless community events, Dafa celebrations and parades. From city to city, we have spread the seeds of Zhen-Shan-Ren. Often the audience would gasp at our beautiful costumes, and are so happy that we came to perform. We know that these sentient beings are actually yearning to come and see Dafa. Before performances, we walk around and pass out fliers. People are extremely interested to hear from us. We would also Fazhenian (send righteous thoughts) to eliminate any interferences. At the end of the performance, we would perform the five-exercise demonstration to show the audience the true beauty of Chinese culture. The audience is very surprised to find out that young girls our age practice Falun Dafa. Some people immediately want to learn the exercises. When we tell the audience about the persecution of Falun Dafa, they are all shocked that such a peaceful group could be persecuted.

The beauty of dancing comes from within -- it is not simply about smiling and technical skills. Dance is such a great vessel to reach out to sentient beings. Although most of us are not professional dancers, I can feel that our audience is genuinely touched by the harmony and peacefulness expressed through our dances. One practitioner said that when we were performing a lotus gesture in a dance, she saw us forming a lotus flower in another dimension. Another practitioner said when we were dancing, the heavenly fairies up above were rejoicing with us. When I get on stage, whether it is a high-class theater or just on grass, I want to reach out to the audience, and tell them from the bottom of my heart that Falun Dafa is good. I feel that when I dance, I am also representing all those practitioners in China, because one day, they will be able to celebrate along with us in joy and happiness. Through dance, I am able to fulfill my role as a Dafa disciple to clarify the truth and eliminate the evil.

As I reflect on my cultivation now, I feel so fortunate that I have the opportunity to cultivate through dance and to be looked after by Master. I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Master for arranging such a perfect cultivation environment. Through it all, I have actually come to enjoy dance. I am happily surrounded by my Dafa family, who journeyed this long way with me and endured my indifferences.

To conclude, I would like to end with the poem "Lotus," written by a fellow practitioner.

The lotus rises from the mud

pure and clean.

It cleans up even the darkest of hearts,

pure and forever bright.

Like lotus flowers rising out of the mud, our Lotus Dance Troupe will continue to grow, blossom and be purified by the Fa on the road of cultivation.

Please feel free to correct any misunderstandings. Thank you.

(1) Fa: Law and principles; the teachings of Falun Dafa. To attain the Fa means to begin the practice of Falun Dafa.

(2) xinxing: mind-heart nature; moral character.