Through Professor Wang, I had the privilege of meeting Madame Dai Ailian and the great fortune of becoming her friend. When Madame Dai came to attend a conference on Labanotation at Ohio State University in 2001 she stayed with me, and that weeklong visit was a wonderful adventure of learning and artistry. But even more than that remarkable gift, I treasure the personal connection we were able to make, the friendship that grew during her visit and on my trips to her home in China. On one such visit to her home, she showed me a picture of herself with the Chinese prime minister at the time, Wen Jiapao 前总理温家宝who had come to her house to deliver in person his greetings to Madame Dai Ailian, national treasure of China. The picture was taken in the same living room where we sat and talked for hours each time I visited. I had seen Madame Dai giving a lecture/demonstration in Taiwan many years before. At the time I felt very privileged to be able to see her presentation. Never did I even dream I would someday meet this remarkable woman and become her friend.
Madame Dai was somewhat lonely in China, because her native language was actually English, as she had grown up in Trinidad and spent years in London studying ballet. Therefore when I went to visit her in China, she told me many stories of her life that she was unable to easily share with her Chinese-speaking friends and acquaintances. It was a great joy and privilege to hear from her own lips the complex and romantic tales of her life. I feel so very fortunate to videotape Madame Dai—not long before her death in 2006 at age 90—as she danced and spoke to me about her remarkable journeys. The image I have of Madame Dai braiding my daughter’s hair, and the time we spent whirling together in her living room as she taught me the Flower Drum dance are bright, warm memories in my heart.
