What will happen when Western classical ballet encounters Chinese square dance? During the NCPA Dance Festival 2018, the NCPA planned a dance event of Eastern and Western styles: On the afternoon of October 12th, two artists from the Australian Ballet paid a visit to No.1 Cultural Centre of Dongcheng District in Beijing, where they danced along with enthusiastic dancers at the Centre. A collision between East and the West showed more unique charms of dancing.
The Dance Troupe of No.1 Cultural Centre of Dongcheng District was founded in 1990, and despite an age span ranging from 30 to 65, all members share their passions for dancing.
Chinese enthusiastic dancers performed a graceful Drunken in Dreams in the Lotus Pond.
This award-winning troupe first performed a graceful Chinese dance Drunken in Dreams in the Lotus Pond for two ballet artists. Then the two dancers from The Australian Ballet performed a classic ballet excerpt for Chinese enthusiasts.
The basic ballet movements showed by dancers from the Australian Ballet gave Chinese aunties a novel experience.
In terms of body language, there is an internationally common ballet “vocabulary.” The dancers from the Australian Ballet demonstrated and taught the Chinese aunties standard body movements of ballet and instructed them in professional techniques. Seeing dance amateurs gradually become more capable to dance with standard movements in professional postures, the two artists’ faces were suffused with so much joy.
“I think they are quick learners and very professional,” said Isobelle Dashwood from the Australian Ballet. The other artist Matthew Bradwell said, “We feel they have a high passion for ballet. Moreover, we performed Chinese square dance with them, and it is amusing.”
Chinese and Western dancers started to dance Chinese square dance together.
Last but not least, the two artists and Chinese aunties gathered to perform a joyous Chinese square dance, feeling the charms and excitement of dancing.
In order that professional ballet could walk off the stage and enter common people’s lives, the NCPA Classical Channel has planned various interactive exchange activities to bring dance into people’s everyday lives, and to break down professional barriers.
Chinese square dance is known to every household in the country, but it's not easy to promote professional standards to make it more popular and elegant. To this end, the NCPA has invited the performers of The Australian Ballet to go to the Beijing community, so that professional dance could become more reachable to common people.
A spokesman of NCPA said, “During the NCPA Dance Festival 2018, we have held exhibition and exchange activities to popularize professional dance. We have invited professional dance troupes from home and abroad to Beijing citizens’ cultural life and made refined art more approachable. Meanwhile, we have taken this opportunity to show Chinese folk dance art to professional dancers from all over the world.”
More activities will be carried out during the NCPA Dance Festival 2018, with more ordinary people and dance lovers to be invited to visit the NCPA and watch dance performances.
Photos by GAO Shang
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