Spurgeon's Cigar

She would be the first star to shine from China’s athletic galaxy, more graceful than the nimble gymnast Nastia Liukin , more beautiful than the elegant swimmer Luo Xuejuan . Yet we never heard her name. She would be the only solo dancer featured in the opening ceremony of the 2008 Olympics. Already worshiped by her native country China, now the world would see her, admire her, adore her, praise her. This would be her moment. Almost from the time she was born her parents detected her natural grace–her delicate ivory hands and fingers floated like feathers in Beijing’s blue sky; her exquisite feet learned their first steps with effortless poise. She never walked or ran–she danced, like a leaping gazelle, a darting swallow, an elegant swan–she danced. Her rigorous training began in early childhood. Day after day, she spent infinite hours in the grueling discipline of ballet. Swiftly beyond her peers, she excelled in every precise pirouette , simple to complex adagios , bright and brisk...