The debut of Hunan's first ballet company is full of "international style"

Under the blue light, the ballet dancers dance, and the elegant dance is very charming. On the evening of May 7th, the classic ballet "Swan Lake" was staged at the Grand Theater of Changsha Meixi Lake International Culture and Art Center.

Many of the dancers are foreigners with blond or brown hair, deep eyes and high noses. However, this is not a ballet company from abroad, but Hunan Youth Ballet, the first ballet company in Hunan.

What's going on? Peng Liu, the head of the dance company and artistic director, is a Yazi from Hengyang, Hunan Province. He has been working and living in Ukraine for many years and has been engaged in art performances and exchanges. In early 2022, to avoid war, Peng Liu returned to his hometown and continued his beloved ballet career: becoming a ballet teacher at the Conservatory of Music of Hunan Technology and Business University and founding a professional ballet company in China.

Multinational professional dancers form the Hunan Ballet with an international temperament

"At present, our Hunan Youth Ballet Company has more than 20 ballet dancers from China, Russia, Ukraine, Italy, Hungary, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and other countries. Each of these actors is from a world-class professional theater company or a famous school." Peng Liu is usually not good at words, but when it comes to his favorite ballet, he talks more.

Peng Liu graduated from the Kyiv Academy of Dance in Ukraine and has been studying and working in Ukraine since 2008. After graduating from the Kyiv Academy of Dance in Ukraine, he became a performer of the Kyiv State Opera Ballet, served as the artistic director of the Royal Ukrainian Theatre, and was awarded the title of "Ukrainian Merited Artist". He is also the chairperson of the Ukrainian Chinese Culture and Art Center, which is dedicated to promoting Chinese culture to Ukraine.

In order to ensure the professionalism of Hunan Youth Ballet, Peng Liu spent more than two months in 2023 visiting more than a dozen countries to find ballet dancers. At present, more than 20 ballet dancers in the company come from many countries, all of whom are professional. For example, Marta graduated from the Royal Ballet School in the United Kingdom and worked as an actor in the Mikhailovs ** Dance Company in Russia. Many male actors have skipped the role of princes, and many actors have played the lead roles in the troupe.

Debut classic ballet "Swan Lake", choreographed by "Dancer of the Century"

What repertoire was chosen for the debut of Hunan Youth Ballet?

Peng Liu's thinking is clear and clear: "The dance company has just been established, and it must win recognition with excellent performance, so we chose the ballet classic'Swan Lake '. There are many versions of'Swan Lake', and I asked Vladimir Malakhov to choreograph for us."

Vladimir Malakhov is one of the most iconic dancers in the contemporary international dance world, known as the "Dancer of the Century" and the "Prince of Ballet". He was the honorary president of the European Dance Association and is currently employed as the head of the ballet department of the Beijing Dance Academy.

"Malakhov's" Swan Lake "is one of the most difficult versions." Peng Liu said that this version of "Swan Lake" is based on showing the noble swan as the main tone, which can be described as "Swan Lake" in the court style.

The ballet dancers' movements are designed with a noble temperament. Peng Liu explained in detail: "You see the swans raising their heads, they are very temperamental. The clown is a palace-style clown, and he is very polite."

The performance of the actors also showed a high degree of professionalism. Peng Liu introduced that, for example, the white swan and the black swan are played by the same actor, and the actors in the play can freely control ballet movements such as continuous circles. For another example, all the actresses wear ballet shoes throughout the whole process, which requires the actors to have solid basic skills. Many versions of cygnet actors may wear folk dance shoes.

Starting from Changsha, I want to use ballet to tell Chinese stories

Although he cannot continue to work and live in Ukraine for the time being, it is not difficult for Peng Liu to travel to other countries in Europe or to develop in big cities in China. However, he chose to return to his hometown Hunan to fulfill his wish to found a ballet company. On the one hand, he is full of affection for his hometown; on the other hand, he has long been committed to promoting cultural exchanges between China and Ukraine and promoting Chinese culture. He took a fancy to Changsha's open and inclusive urban characteristics.

"Changsha is the media art capital of the world. It is open and inclusive. I believe that there is soil and nutrients for the growth of Hunan Youth Ballet. Ballet, a classic art, will further enrich the cultural connotation of Changsha," Peng Liu said.

In fact, Peng Liu has quietly done a lot to promote Chinese culture and Hunan culture to the outside world. In 2018, at the invitation of Peng Liu, the Provincial Acrobatic Art Theater under the Hunan Performing Arts Group participated in the third "Golden Chestnut" International Youth Circus Art Festival in Ukraine and won the championship. With the assistance of Peng Liu, the Changsha Symphony Orchestra successfully held the "Belt and Road Initiative" international tour. He will also invite foreign artists and artists to perform in China and participate in Chinese art competitions to increase their understanding of China.

The ballet "Swan Lake" was staged in Changsha, and the Hunan Youth Ballet collaborated with the Hunan Xiangjiang Symphony Orchestra. The audience fully felt the charm of music and dance.

Next, "Swan Lake" will launch a world tour plan. Peng Liu said that dozens of performances at home and abroad have been signed for. More importantly, he wants to create more works to integrate into Chinese culture. For example, in the classic "The Nutcracker", Chinese acrobatics, lion dancing, martial arts and so on are integrated. "This kind of art work may make it easier for people overseas to understand Chinese culture," he said.