"It was an unforgettable experience"

The 36 students of Liaoba Dance School performed on stage with dancers from all over the world. Photo courtesy of Liaoba Dance School Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, the theatrical performance "The Great Journey" was broadcast on CCTV on the evening of July 1. In the "People First" program, people relived the thrilling prevention and control of the new crown pneumonia epidemic. On the stage, "angel white" and "olive green" are intertwined into a copper wall and iron wall of common will, and the phoenix performed by ballet actors is reborn; On the big screen, the "heroic city" wuhan is re-lit, and the splendid cherry blossoms usher in a new spring... Among the ballet group dances, there is a group of girls from Shenyang, 36 students from the Liaoning Ballet Affiliated Ballet School (hereinafter referred to as "Liaoning Ballet School"). In this performance, in addition to participating in "People First", they also appeared in the grand ceremony, chorus and dance "Marching Torch", and the song "Pilot", showing the style of Shenyang and Liaoning. "On April 26, our school arranged for teachers and students to depart from Shenyang one after another and arrive at the Beijing rehearsal base before May 1, and the whole team quickly entered the working state and began to prepare for the two-month rehearsal exercise." Zhao Yifei, deputy director of the Liaoning Ballet and executive principal of the Liaoning Ballet Affiliated Dance School, introduced that the youngest students participating in the theatrical performance were 14 years old and the oldest was 18 years old. "When I learned that I could participate in the literary performance 'The Great Journey', my heart was extremely excited and glorious," said Wen Zhonghao, a student at Liaoba Dance School. The first time they walked into the rehearsal site of the National Stadium (Bird's Nest), the students were excited, and the atmosphere in the venue also made them deeply aware of the importance of this mission, and they felt that the mission was noble and sacred. Unforgettable is a challenge for the actors Time is tight, the task is heavy, high-intensity training, day and night rehearsals are a challenge for the actors. In order to pursue better performance results, the dancers' formations and movements need to be repeatedly modified and adjusted, but they do not complain a word, and always maintain a good mental outlook and positive attitude. During rehearsals, students fully demonstrate their professional skills, and do not forget to review dance moves, familiarize themselves with the lyrics, and check the performance content during breaks. In order not to affect the progress of the performance, student Chen Wanqing continued to insist on rehearsal after taking medicine after a cold, and student Li Xin accidentally broke his foot during the exercise, and opened a painkiller and bandaged it at the medical point to continue to rehearse. During the review rehearsal, there was a sudden heavy rain, and they insisted on playing, staging a ballet in the rain, which won warm applause. "The performance of the students makes us very touched and pleased, and we are proud of them!" Zheng Xiuli and Chen Qi, the leading teachers, said, "This is an unforgettable experience, so that they really understand what is the eternal faith that weaves brilliance in suffering and resolutely holds high after setbacks; They have learned how to indulge in expressing the people's firm belief and ideal feelings of loving the party, believing in the party, and unswervingly following the party. The great honor of integrating the "small self" into the "big me" Because there are many actors involved, many times the camera is a long-range or passing by. After the show airs, the actors need to freeze frame by frame and find their own figure. Although there is a little regret in their hearts, it is a great honor to be able to participate in it, they have integrated the "small me" into the "big me", "everyone works together, just to present this grand performance!" It doesn't matter if you have your own shots anymore!" Student Zhang Yan said. For the students of Liaoba Dance School who participated in the exercise, the happiest moment was the moment when they stood on the stage. After successfully completing the task, they shed tears of excitement. At the end of the performance, the applause and enthusiastic shouts of nearly 20,000 spectators resounded through the bird's nest... All this is deeply engraved in their minds. From participating in the 2019 National Day float parade to participating in the performance of "The Great Journey", Liaoba Dance School has appeared in major performances again and again. Zhao Yifei said: "We will also continue to work hard to cultivate and send more outstanding ballet talents for the motherland."