Taiwan’s “queen of dancing,” Serena Liu, unexpectedly passed away on Sunday after a surgical procedure to treat a heart condition encountered complications. Liu was put on life support for 18 days, and was then fitted with a ventricular assist device to keep her alive until a new heart could be found. Liu valiantly struggled on for another 45 days before finally succumbing on Sunday, aged 44.
Taiwan’s “queen of ballroom dancing“ left home to forge a path in the entertainment industry and went on to enjoy a glittering career. Liu began studying ballet at elementary school and studied Russian at National Chengchi University, joining the school’s ballroom dancing club. Liu’s delicate appearance and doll-like features, combined with her technical mastery of dancing, meant that she became one of the “top four beauties” within the club and was a prominent personality on campus.
After graduating from university, Liu worked in a bank for two years before quitting to become a full-time dance teacher. By this time she had begun to make a name for herself and appeared as a dance coach on TV variety shows, giving her her first break into the world of showbiz. In 2004, Liu performed an intimate dance together with Hong Kong actor-singer Andy Lau and became famous virtually overnight.
Photo: Sung Chih-hsiung, Liberty Times
照片：自由時報記者宋志雄
Liu developed a life-long passion for dance from an early age, and would often say “I dance, therefore I am.” At university, Liu watched Strictly Ballroom and Dirty Dancing, two movies that opened her eyes to the beauty of dancing with a partner. She immediately became hooked on the world of ballroom dancing and, together with her dance partner, began competing in competitions up and down the country.
Liu’s mother objected to her daughter becoming a professional dancer. After graduation, Liu was forced to enter into the career her parents wanted her to follow, and began working in an American bank. The two years working at the bank were the hardest period of her life. Liu once said that during this time she was happiest when she went to dance class after work and stayed there late into the evening, only returning home after her parents had already gone to bed. Although always obedient as a child, Liu entered into a three-year war of attrition with her parents. Her health began to suffer as she burned the candle at both ends, working during the day and dancing at night. Once, Liu had a fever and took a sick day from work, but still insisted on going to her dance class in the evening. Powerless to stop her leaving the house, Liu’s mother got down on her knees and begged her daughter to stay at home.
Eventually, Liu insisted on quitting her job at the bank and her parents finally relented to allow Liu to pursue her dream. They gave their daughter two years to prove herself. At first, Liu relied on teaching dance to support herself. A virtual unkown in the world of dance, and with only a small number of students, Liu was unable to maintain a steady income, so much so that she could not bring herself to attend a university class reunion. All this changed when Liu started to attend dance competitions and appeared on television. After breaking into the entertainment industry, her career went from strength to strength, and she also found love and a lifelong companion. Liu leaves behind a husband and four-year-old daughter.
(Translated by Edward Jones, Taipei Times)
「國標女王」劉真二月七日因心臟主動脈瓣膜問題，前往台北榮總進行相關手術，不料卻在過程中心臟停止跳動，靠葉克膜搶救十八天後移除，改裝心室輔助器維繫生命等待換心，最後仍不敵死神召喚，與病魔奮鬥四十五天後，於週日病逝，享年四十四歲。
劉真以「國標舞女王」封號闖蕩演藝圈，她人生一路順遂，從小學芭蕾，大學考上政大俄語系並加入國標社，精緻有如洋娃娃的外型加上精湛舞技，早在政大時期就是國標社四大美女之一，也是學校的風雲人物。畢業後她先進銀行工作兩年，然後辭去工作專心教舞，因小有名氣，被節目相中教藝人跳舞，踏入演藝圈，二○○四年她在《綜藝大哥大》與劉德華親密共舞，一舉打響知名度。
外表柔弱的她，從小就對舞蹈展現無比的執著與熱情，她的名言就是「我跳舞，故我在」。她大學時看了兩部電影《舞國英雄》跟《熱舞十七》，讚嘆雙人舞原來也能跳得這麼美，一口氣沉醉在國標舞的世界裡，並隨著舞伴四處比賽征戰。
熱愛跳舞的她，大學畢業後因媽媽不贊成她當職業舞者，不得已在父母安排下進入美國銀行工作，但銀行工作這兩年，卻是她最痛苦的時期，她曾說每天最快樂的時候，就是下班後去舞蹈教室待到半夜，等家人睡了才回家。從小就是乖寶寶的她，為了跳舞更不惜跟家人冷戰長達三年，身體也因上班、練舞蠟燭兩頭燒，而越變越差。有次她發燒跟公司請假在家，卻堅持要外出練舞，媽媽看不下去又無法阻止，不惜下跪要女兒別出門。
她最後仍堅持辭去銀行工作，父母經過一番掙扎後，決心放手讓劉真追夢，並給劉真兩年時間證明自己。起初劉真靠教舞維生，沒知名度、學生不多，收入也不穩，甚至連大學同學會都不敢參加，直到後來她四處比賽，並上節目教舞打響知名度，一舉踏進演藝圈，一路發光發亮，並找到愛妻如命的辛龍為人生伴侶，生下現已四歲的女兒霓霓。
(自由時報記者粘湘婉)
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