When the ballet "fairy" entered "Peony Pavilion", she was also fascinated by the gentle romance of "Liu Mengmei"

Learn from the little monk who cocked his leg "golden rooster independence" to play Buddha beads, and follow "Du Liniang" to light up the dream of "Peony Pavilion" with a folding fan. On the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France, yesterday morning, dancers of the Bordeaux National Opera Ballet Company, led by its director Emmanuel Ondrey, walked into the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Company to experience the ancient and youthful beauty of traditional Chinese opera. This weekend, the dance company will present the Bunonville version of "Fairy" at the Oriental Art Center.

This is a special "Kunqu Opera class". The actors from Shangkun gave a detailed introduction to the historical origin, contemporary development and unique artistic characteristics of Kunqu Opera for friends who have come from afar. The young actors presented the highlights of the excerpts "Hujiazhuang", "Sanchakou" and "Going Down the Mountain". They vividly interpreted the unique charm of Kunqu Opera with their spirited and sharp sparring martial arts, which won applause. The display of traditional instruments commonly used in opera such as flutes and drums is also fascinating.

National first-class actors Yu Bin and Hu Weilu brought clips from the classic excerpt "Peony Pavilion: Dreams", and the superb performance amazed the ballet dancers. Hu Weilu showed the charm of "little girl" to the fullest, and "circle fans" are not young dancers. A blonde girl who took the stage to learn to hold a fan confessed that she had long heard of women dressed as men in Chinese operas. Today, seeing the gentle and handsome "Liu Mengmei", she felt very gentle.

Ashley Wheelt, who plays James in the ballet "The Fairy," is eager to learn "Chinese opera dance," learning to play Buddha beads with actor Tan Xiaoxiao, a test of leg skills and balance. Wheelt's ballet skills are firmly planted on the ground. The most rare thing is that he uses his eyes and gestures well to show the playfulness and agility of the characters. In exchange, his friend Mark Emmanuel Zanoli pulled the Kunqu opera actor Jiang Shijia to do a ballet lift.

At the scene, there were also "fairies" who tried to use small steps to round the field, and they were used to pointe dancing. They felt that this way of walking "unlocked" another kind of beauty. As they learned to lift their feet and move, they sighed with emotion. Ballet requires actors to stretch their bodies as much as possible, which is a kind of flamboyant beauty; but wearing these ancient Chinese costumes with exquisite embroidery requires actors to walk quickly without letting others see their feet sticking out of their skirts, which is another kind of subtle and restrained beauty.

Although this unique interaction lasted only two hours, it still left people unsatisfied. Gu Hao, full-time vice chairperson of the Shanghai Federation of Literary and Art Circles and head of the Shanghai Kunqu Opera Troupe, said that the delicate performance of Kunqu Opera and the light toe dance steps emphasized by ballet are the pursuit of artistic perfection and perfection. When Kunqu Opera and ballet meet, the intersection of toe and fingertip is not only a collision of two art forms, but also a fusion and resonance of the profound cultural heritage of China and France.

Emmanuel Ondrey, the president of the dance company, lamented that the exchange was far more than a performance, but also a meeting of hearts and ideas. He said: "I hope that through such mutual learning and enlightenment, a solid bridge can be built for the cultures of the two countries, narrowing the distance between people and deepening friendship."