75-year-old Japanese ballet dancer Yoko Morishita dances "White-Haired Girl" again

People's Daily Online, Beijing, March 29 (Reporters Zhang Liya and Yuan Meng) On the evening of the 27th, at the welcome banquet hosted by the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the 75-year-old Yoko Morishita, the director of Japan's Matsuyama Ballet, surprised her with her "Xi'er" image. Appeared on stage and performed a segment of "The White-Haired Girl" together with members of the youth delegation. The familiar melody of "The North Wind Blows" sounded, and "Xi'er" played by Yoko Morishita spun and jumped lightly, soft and powerful.

On March 27, Yoko Morishita performed an excerpt from "The White-Haired Girl" with members of the youth delegation of Matsuyama Ballet. Photographed by Ren Xin

　　"The White-Haired Girl" is one of the important repertoires of Songshan Ballet Company. In 1955, Matsuyama Ballet overcame many difficulties and brought it to the Japanese ballet stage. In 1958, "The White-Haired Girl" performed in China for the first time. For more than half a century, the Matsuyama Ballet has visited China for a total of 17 performances, using pointe to compose the history of friendly cultural exchanges between China and Japan.

　　Yoko Morishita is the second generation of "Xi'er" after Matsuyama Shuko, and has visited China with delegations many times. In 1971, when Yoko Morishita came to China to perform "The White-Haired Girl", she was cordially received by Premier Zhou Enlai. In 2017, on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, Matsuyama Ballet performed a new version of "The White-Haired Girl" at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Yoko Morishita, who is nearly 70 years old, danced throughout the audience and brought a performance to the Chinese audience. A stunning performance.

On March 25, Yoko Morishita and members of the youth delegation of Matsuyama Ballet took classes together at the Beijing Dance Academy. Photo by Fu Bo

　　Today, Yoko Morishita still sticks to the stage. During the Matsuyama Ballet Youth Delegation's visit to China, Yoko Morishita occasionally needed to use a wheelchair to move, but she still insisted on practicing with the members every day. During the learning and exchange process with the Beijing Dance Academy and the National Ballet of China, Yoko Morishita also changed into her practice clothes and took classes with Chinese teachers. Looking back on the trip of several days, Yoko Morishita said that she had spent an "unimaginably happy time."

On March 26, Yoko Morishita practiced with members of the youth delegation of Matsuyama Ballet at the National Ballet of China. Photo by People.com reporter Zhang Liya

　　At the invitation of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries and the China-Japan Friendship Association, the youth delegation of Songshan Ballet arrived in Beijing on March 24 for a week-long exchange visit. This visit is part of the "Memorandum on Strengthening Youth Exchanges" between China and Japan. One of the activities. During the visit to China, the delegation visited the Beijing Dance Academy, the National Ballet of China, Shanghai Dance School, Shanghai Ballet, etc., communicated with representative universities and groups in China’s domestic dance art world, experienced Chinese traditional culture, and understood the Chinese economy. social development results.