By Jennifer Tseng
Photography by Larry Dye
It was the end of another busy day of rehearsals, and dancers poured out of the practice rooms. Only Jason Pan remained behind. Taking a deep breath to center his mind, Pan began to move. Strength flowed through his limbs and to the tip of his sword as he brought to life the story of Li Bai, known in China as the “wine immortal.” The charismatic Tang Dynasty poet was famed for his beautiful and majestic poems often written while inebriated.
A lead dancer in New York’s Shen Yun Performing Arts, the world’s premier classical Chinese dance company, Pan has long learned that when your heart is calm, solitude can bring artistic transcendence.
“I took nine months to prepare this sword dance. I studied Li Bai’s writings and spent countless hours pondering the drunken poet’s thoughts and emotions before condensing it into one dance,” Jason said of the performance that earned him a silver title at NTD’s International Classical Chinese Dance Competition.
Paving the Way
For Pan, a good dancer isn’t just someone who can execute the best jumps or master the hardest moves. The heart of the discipline lies in thoroughly understanding the art form—its history, the culture it represents, and the people it portrays.
Pan grew up in Taiwan, and his mother was very strict with his upbringing. “My mom was a Chinese teacher. When I was just 3 years old—even before I could speak in full sentences—she started teaching me to read,” Pan recounted. “She fostered my deep love for traditional Chinese culture.”
An active child, Pan took up martial arts at the age of 11. Within two years, he won the silver award at Taiwan’s national championship. Dance was the furthest thing from his mind.
“I didn’t think dance was very masculine,” Jason said. “It was only after trying it that I discovered its depth. To perform classical Chinese dance well, you have to first understand yin and yang—the idea that everything in the universe is balanced and that we should align ourselves with nature and the heavens.”
“These were concepts that I had been familiar with since childhood. I fell in love with the art form and the values it embodied.”
Harmony in Opposites
Movements in classical Chinese dance follow a general rule—to stretch in one direction, you must first lean toward the other; to go forward, you need first take a step back.
According to Laozi, the founder of Daoism, everything in our universe is in a reciprocal relationship: “Without ever having been fulfilled, one cannot understand emptiness. Thus, if there are no difficulties, how can there be ease?”
“This concept can be extended to the anatomy of our muscles. To stand, we must first sit; to jump, we must first squat,” Pan explained.
“Classical Chinese dancers believe the sphere to be the most beautiful and perfect shape. This again is echoed by the Daoist belief that life is an infinite cycle.”
An Indomitable Will
Pan is a practitioner of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong)—an ancient meditation practice whose followers uphold the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.
Adhering to Falun Dafa’s teachings, Pan strives on a daily basis to better his character and become a more considerate person. This laid a strong foundation for his life and career, and inspired many of his deeper insights.
In 2019, Pan injured his foot mid-performance while landing from a flip. It was right in the middle of the world tour, so he simply ignored the pain and carried on. Within a year, the injury worsened until he could no longer stand or walk without pain.
“It was a huge setback for me. There were moments I wasn’t sure if I could continue or if I should just give up,” Pan said. “It was in those seemingly hopeless days when I was reminded of a historical character I once portrayed.”
In that story, the protagonist was a valiant general who, after witnessing the bloodshed of war, decided to give up his career to become a monk. His friends and family rushed to dissuade him with talk of love, fame, and money. Though the temptations were strong, the general was steadfast in his decision. His faith was ultimately rewarded by the divine.
This story echoes closely with teachings of Falun Dafa, where practitioners are encouraged to cultivate themselves and let go of their worldly values to become morally upright people.
“That was very relatable for me because, in my career, I also faced a lot of temptations and emotional struggles. Rivalry, vanity, frustrations, and many times just plain anger raged in my heart,” Pan said.
“Thinking about that general and how his experience related to my own cultivation, I wondered if I, too, can let go of negativity and strengthen my determination. After I changed my attitude, everything—including my injury—took a turn for the better. That was when I truly understood how much your thoughts can impact your physical condition.”
A Worthy Cause
The mission of Shen Yun is to revive China’s 5,000 years of divinely inspired culture. Following the violent communist takeover in 1949, traditional culture in China was forced to the brink of extinction.
Since the company’s establishment in 2006, its artists have made it their goal to bring back the beauty of precommunist China through dance and music.
Referring to this mission, Pan says it’s a monumental task greater than an individual, and he feels honored to be a part of it: “It’s wonderful to be able to rehearse together and work toward a shared goal. Dancing is a very sweaty and tiring job, but it is also very fulfilling. All our hard work culminates in that moment when the curtain opens onstage.”
An All-Round Artist
During a performance, rather than thinking about how best to showcase his own abilities, Pan has always been much more interested in improving cooperation with his fellow dancers.
“The way I see it, being a lead dancer doesn’t mean I am entitled to arrogance or complacence. Rather, it’s an opportunity for greater improvement,” Pan said.
“In Shen Yun, we place more emphasis on the team than each person individually. I was given the responsibility of the lead role because I happened to be suitable at that moment. If at some point another dancer becomes more suitable and can bring the team greater success, I’m happy with that as well.”
A dancer’s career may be fleeting, but Pan is by no means troubled by that.
“There is no limit to self-improvement and internal growth. For me, a true artist is one who exudes wisdom even in his daily life and actions,” he said. “I will treasure every day that I have to dance. However, if one day I cannot, I know I’ll still be an all-round artist inside and out. Nothing can change that.”
