Junior Mengdi Xiong leaps off the mat, extending into a perfect mid-air split. Illuminated under bright stage lights, Xiong turns her head to survey the crowd — her parents, teacher and hundreds of audience members hold their breath in this intense moment. Xiong turns back and lands gracefully back on stage.
This isn’t the only sport she competes in, however. Outside of practicing dance at her studio, HaoExpression, Xiong can be found diving with her teammates in the school team. Xiong finds the two commitments incredibly fulfilling and is drawn to them because of her determined and hardworking nature.
After Xiong quit rhythmic gymnastics in eighth grade, her coach, Sarah Stevens, introduced her to ballet. Although she was hesitant to start the unfamiliar sport, she decided to pursue ballet because Stevens believed in her potential.
“Her teaching style and encouragement made me fall in love with ballet,” Xiong said. “It was incredibly welcoming.”
Now, Stevens’ guidance has allowed Xiong to grow into a powerful performer who can express herself through her emotional presence.
“When I first started teaching, she barely spoke; we had to help her find her voice and comfort in the art form,” Stevens said. “She’s really evolved in how she presents herself in the studio.”
Xiong started her ballet journey practicing with basic movements like pliés and tendus, before moving on to complicated movements like fouettés and jumps in order to perfect her routine. When Xiong first started performing, she had to adapt to the need for acting and being more expressive.
For her first solo performance as Kitri from Don Quixote, she had to act as a sassy and flirtatious character while still conveying grace with each simultaneous dance move. A challenging aspect of the dance was the 19 consecutive turns in a row, which she had to do with a recovering stress fracture in her ankle. Despite these struggles, she played the character elegantly.
“When you deal with the physical incapability, it sparks more passion when you finally come back,” Xiong said. “You almost have a newfound appreciation for it afterwards.”
“Her Kitri variation was so fiery and explosive — it was expressive in a way I hadn’t seen before,” Stevens said. “Each time I see her dance, I’m impressed by her growth and her confidence.”
One of Xiong’s greatest strengths is her emotional awareness. This is prevalent in how she prioritizes enjoyment instead of overworking herself. Not only does she try to connect with others when she interacts with adults from her studio, but she also builds an irreplaceable community with her teammates on the diving team.
“She is a key member of our team,” senior and girls varsity diving captain Ishika Shah said. “When we’re doing dives, she always ensures that all the teammates feel comfortable while also being very motivated herself.”
The diving team is a place for Xiong to form strong bonds with her teammates while simultaneously pursuing her passion.
“To be able to hang out and train with your friends who support you really helps when you’re afraid,” Xiong said.
However, due to the constant stress that jumping and balancing places on her joints, Xiong has suffered many injuries. She only recently recovered from a stress fracture caused by too much pressure building up on her joints. After months of physical therapy, she was finally able to continue dancing and diving.
Xiong continues to push past her limits because her love for her sport grows with each setback. Although she doesn’t plan on continuing diving, she still wishes to continue performing ballet in college for as long as possible.
