Thu Aug 01 10:44:52 CST 2024
The melodious "Serenade" speaks of romance and tenderness, and the wild "Rite of Spring" brings strength and beauty. Tonight, Suzhou Ballet's new work "Serenade - Rite of Spring" was unveiled at the Shanghai Grand Theater. Different styles of music and ballet are intertwined to form an audio-visual feast that is both tender and masculine. Another protagonist of the night was Tan Yuanyuan, a famous ballet artist who was busy behind the scenes. "As an actor, I have performed'Serenade 'many times and have a soft spot for it. Now, as Suba's artistic director, I and the young actors work together to restore the classic, and there is a feeling of'rebirth'," Tan Yuanyuan said.
In recent years, the focus of Tan Yuanyuan's work and life has gradually returned to China. Not only did he produce the dance drama "White Snake" with the Shanghai Grand Theater, but he also served as the director of the Dance Collaboration Innovation Center of the Shanghai Theater Academy and the artistic director of Suba. "When my physical condition allows, if I have the opportunity, I am eager to dance on stage again and play a different new role for the audience." Tan Yuanyuan is showing another side of his artistic life: "I look forward to empowering and nourishing each other to create new artistic masterpieces and bring Chinese stories to the world stage."
Self-discipline and perseverance are the steps to embark on the road of ballet
Along with the solemn and powerful melody of Tchaikovsky's Serenade for Strings, the dancers move and change with lightness, like fairies bathed in moonlight, showing pure beauty. First performed in 1934, "Serenade" is an important work of George Balanchine, the "father of American ballet", and opened up new development ideas for ballet with avant-garde creative concepts. In 2024, coinciding with the 90th anniversary of the work's birth, Suba introduced the original New York City Ballet version of "Serenade".
For Tan Yuanyuan, Balanchine's work is of special significance. At the age of 18, she joined the San Francisco Ballet for the first time and held a contract as a soloist, which displeased some of her fellow foreigners. Although she felt lonely and stressed, Tan Yuanyuan gritted her teeth and put in more sweat in the rehearsal hall and on the stage. Opportunities are always reserved for those who are prepared. Soon after, the original star was accidentally injured the day before the performance, and the head of the group urgently found Tan Yuanyuan to replace him. The dance was the "Stravinsky Violin Concerto" choreographed by Balanchine, with a complex rhythm and difficult and fast movements. "I watched the video repeatedly, tried to figure out the details of the action, and it took only one night to'gnaw '." Since then, Tan Yuanyuan has established a firm foothold on the overseas ballet stage. On April 9, 2018, she was awarded the title of "San Francisco's highest artistic honor", "San Francisco Mayor's Art Award", which was also named "Tan Yuanyuan Day" in San Francisco.
"The art of ballet is cruel and beautiful, and actors need self-discipline, hard work and tenacity to succeed," Mr. Tan believes. On February 14 this year, Tan Yuanyuan said goodbye to the San Francisco Ballet by dancing "Margaret and Armand" at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House. After the news broke, the ticket system of the ballet group collapsed due to the influx of enthusiastic audiences. That night, amid 10 minutes of cheers and applause from the audience, Tan Yuanyuan walked slowly to the center of the stage, bowed on one knee, and ended a nearly 30-year dance career. After returning to China, Tan Yuanyuan has been busy in Shanghai and Suzhou. At the same time, he is the director of the Dance Collaboration Innovation Center of the Shanghai Theater Academy and the artistic director of Suba. " Returning to my alma mater, I hope to exert my international influence and contribute to the construction of Shanghai's dance discipline. "Tan Yuanyuan said.
A dancer's life is about dealing with music through body
"Dancers spend their entire lives dealing with their bodies and music." Tan Yuanyuan said that "Serenade" is a classic that is recognized in the dance world as a high degree of integration of music and dance. As the artistic director of Suzhou Ballet, she started to introduce Balanchine's "Serenade". "The rhythm of" Serenade "changes quickly, the dance movements must be flexible and clean, and the actors must also be sensitive to the music." Tan Yuanyuan believes that Balanchine's works not only bring high-quality artistic enjoyment to the audience, but also improve the dance skills and stage performance of young actors. Therefore, she wrote to the Balanchine Foundation, and after repeated communication and coordination, Suzhou Ballet was finally authorized.
"A 90-year-old work can be passed down to this day, and there is a lot for us to learn," Tan Yuanyuan said. Every performance of a Balanchine work must be produced according to the standards set by the foundation. To this end, Rebecca Mezel, the creative director of the New York City Ballet, was invited to China to guide the rehearsal, and the copyright owner also sent a heavy "costume guide". "The book indicates the size, color and other data of the clothing, and even attaches a fabric sample. There is no deviation in the slightest." Tan Yuanyuan told reporters that the thin clothes of "Serenade" as thin as cicada yarn set off the light body of female dancers, and the group asked the actors to reduce fat and ban high-sugar foods such as milk tea and drinks, in an effort to perfect the stage effect of the original work.
In sharp contrast to'Serenade ',' Rite of Spring 'carries the powerful impact of raw power, a distinct style exclusive to American choreographer Len Tetley. "' Rite of Spring 'breaks the original ballet rules, the rhythm of the music changes, emphasizing the explosive power of the body, and it is a'touchstone' for dancers." Tan Yuanyuan believes that the "integration of the two works into one" has made Suba's young actors face great challenges. "Through the rehearsal of'Serenade - Rite of Spring ', the physical ability of many young people in the troupe has been significantly improved, and their spirit has also been enhanced."