The outstanding American dancer artist Mayo Alanen had his very first visit to China this year October to attend a competition with his Zhixin alumni dancing partner Jenly Chen. During his visit, he kindly agreed to perform in Panyu Zhixin School and Nanhai Zhixin School for the students who have the dream of becoming a dancing star. The first impression in Mayo’s mind before his arrival was from his friend, then he surprisingly found the opposite of that while he was here. We can discover what he found from his heartfelt speech to the students.

Dai Ga Hou! (Cantonese of Hello everyone)

It is my honor to meet all of you today. This is my very first trip to China, and So far I have had a wonderful time.

Before coming, My friends in New York City warned me that the food is bad, and that the people would be un friendly and that everything would be dirty. My friends in New York City are idiots. The food I’ve had here has been the best food I’ve ever tasted, the people have been full of kindness and warm energy, and the cities that I have seen are much more clean and beautiful than cities in the USA.

The schools are better, the buildings are more beautiful. As I was touring your campus today I found myself wishing that my own children could come to these schools instead of the schools in America. I apologize for my friends, and I promise when I get home I will tell them all the truth about China. All of your smiling faces and bright eyes make me very happy, Thank you for being one of the main reasons that I have fallen in love with China.

I’m here to tell you that we are not different, we are the same. Except you are probably smarter than me, because you could give this speech in English or Chinese and I can only give it English. Luckily for me, I am a better dancer than you, and probably taller.

Instead of speaking about our differences, I want to talk about our similarities. Every man and woman on the planet, no matter what nation they live in all live on the planet earth. We are all spinning around the sun and have the same 24 hours in a day. I promise you will come to understand that this is not a lot of hours. The most important lesson I can share with you today is this: If you want to live an extraordinary life, It’s very important to spend your hours wisely. Choose your friends carefully, do not waste your time, and always apply yourself with maximum effort with anything you spend time doing.

When I was your age, I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. I changed my mind many many times before I discovered dancing. I think it’s extremely important to take the time to try different things, be open, and find something you love. If you love something it’s easy to do it for many hours. Very few of you will grow up to become famous dancers, but I promise no matter what field you chose, if you work hard enough, if you spend enough hours doing it, and if you put more effort and thoughtfulness  into each hour, you will move ahead of the people doing the same skill. And make no mistake about it, whatever you chose to do with your life, there will be others that chose the same thing. The humans that are willing to make the largest sacrifices and the ones that apply themselves with incredible effort will become the most successful.

My big sister cannot walk or talk. She is severely disabled since birth. Never forget How incredibly lucky you are. You have healthy bodies and brains and bright eyes to see the world with. This beautiful school is a incredible blessing and you are very fortunate to be here, and you should never take that for granted.

Respect your teachers, listen to your parents, and continue your hard work. I wish for all of you more luck in your future. But more importantly I wish that you obsessively prepare yourselves for these moments of luck. I hope you tackle each one of them with grace, excellence, and kindness. If you find any extra time in your schedule, you should allocate some of it towards learning how to dance, because dancing is cool.

If any of you ever visit New York City, I hope my people will be as kind and welcoming and warm as you have been towards me, but I doubt it. The hospitality and respect I have felt while visiting your country are special and unprecedented. It is my great honor to perform for you today.

I wish for all of you more luck in your future. But more importantly I wish that you prepare yourselves for these moments of luck so that they can become new opportunities for you.

I cannot wait to visit you again and see what new and wonderful things you have done and achieved.

Thank you all!