Kapitanchuk said Nhan had been one of his students since he began teaching classes after he immigrated from Ukraine in 2009. Kapitanchuk said Nhan brought friends and new dancers to his group classes – sometimes upwards 20 new people – which helped him get his career started in the U.S. and create a “family” of students at Lai Lai.
“It’s unfair, dance was her life – as soon as she finished work, she would drive to Lai Lai to take group classes or to take private classes,” Kapitanchuk told USA TODAY on the phone Monday. “She would help out at so many different parties, and she would buy many, many tickets, and she would just give them out to her friends just so they can go enjoy it.”