The first thing that captivated Elsie Shi about classical Chinese dance was the flips—the way dancers looked as if they were flying, the way she felt tumbling through the air. She would try to prolong the feat as long as possible, staying in the air as long as possible, before touching the ground again.  “Back then, I wanted to learn gymnastics, but I was too old for that,” Shi said in an interview. At around age 10, Shi might have been too old to start gymnastics, but her school had an extracurricular classical Chinese dance program she could join. And that led to the discovery of what she now views as a mission. Since 2013, Shi has been dancing in practicum with Shen Yun Performing Arts, the classical Chinese dance company that has become a worldwide phenomenon. Shen Yun has revitalized the once little-known art of classical Chinese dance, a form …