The Paper's reporter Liao Yang intern Gong Shiya
George Balanchin and Rudolf Nureyev are also legends in the ballet world, and their works strongly reflect the imprint of their respective life experiences and the exploration of ballet art styles.
This autumn, the National Ballet of China will present the shanghai audience with the two masters' ballet masterpieces "Jewels" and "Don Quixote", which will be performed as a congratulatory performance of the 80th anniversary of the Majestic Theatre, which will be staged on October 5-6 and October 9-10 respectively.
On September 12, Feng Ying, director of the National Ballet of China, led lead actor Ma Xiaodong and main actor Qiu Yunting to face with the Shanghai audience and share the highlights of the two masterpieces.
Jewelry - Emerald
Jewelry - Ruby
Jewelry - Diamond
"Jewelry" is composed of a trilogy of "emeralds", "rubies" and "diamonds", accompanied by the classic movements of Forre, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky, which connects the aesthetic and romantic of French ballet, the freedom and exuberance of American ballet, and the passion and splendor of Russian ballet into a triptych.
In this symphonic ballet, he advocates letting the audience "see" the music, where the jumping notes are playing with the ballet. "It's about brilliant ballet actors, and every actor is a sparkling diamond." Feng Ying said that "Jewelry" does not tell stories, pure dance, and what it looks at is a pleasant mood, which is the expression of the actor's body shape in the music.
In contrast, the story of Don Quixote is self-explanatory. In 1966, Nuriyev innovated on the basis of Petipa and played the male protagonist Basilio, which was more technically difficult.
In 1985, Nureyev, then the director of the Paris Opera Ballet, went to Beijing at the invitation of Dai Ailian to teach and rehearse "Don Quixote" for China Ballet, which made a reserved play of China Ballet.
"A lot of works have copyrights, and it costs a lot of money to buy them, and Nureyev gave it to us." Feng Ying also remembers that everyone is very afraid of him, because he is particularly harsh on himself - Nuriyev has been learning ballet since childhood, forced to give up because of social unrest, and really entered this profession at the age of 17.
"He travels the world with this trace, and he also has a bit of an artist's temper and personality. If we don't do a good job, he will let us stand to the side, and if we can't pass the pass, don't go out of this door. But he was really nice to us, just after beating us, just after scolding us, still invited us to the newly opened restaurant for dinner. "Nuriève's reverence for art, rigorous to the point of harshness, has influenced Feng Ying to this day.
The textbook-level "showmanship" scene in Nuriev's version of Don Quixote is a great challenge for both actors and actresses.
"Every time Xiaodong and I finish a scene, we need to lie down for ten minutes. Only when we completely release ourselves will we have passion in it, and it will be very uncomfortable to receive. Qiu Yunting said. Ma Xiaodong added that this version not only requires the physical strength and technology of the actors, but also understands music and can act, "from the inside to the outside, including the thought has requirements." ”
"She's like a bison rushing out, you can't stop, you can immediately feel the enthusiasm of the Spanish girl." Six years ago, Qiu Yunting acted in "Don Quixote", and Feng Ying commented, "When I was young, I was good at technology, but I haven't acted it to the fullest, and now I have matured a lot in interpretation." On Douyin, she posted a small video of the two rehearsing, a little flirtatious scene, and the comments said that they were very relaxed and comfortable.
In addition to a large number of double dances, there are many group dances in the play, fishermen's dance, bullfighting dance, jeep village dance, Bolero dance, flamenco dance, which makes people dizzying, street girls, street girls, street girls, matadors and other supporting roles, full of drama. For this performance, Zhongba specially selected 9 male actors with a height of 187 or more and formed a "men's group".
In addition to the showmanship, this version is also extremely comedic and humorous. At the Beijing performance, Feng Ying found that the audience would laugh out loud from the heart, truly understanding don Quixote's chivalry and fighting image in the fantasy.
In addition to sharing the dance drama, the three people also talked about ballet education with the audience of the scene, and the children also asked questions enthusiastically, and the venue was very lively.
Don Quixote
Q: Do you remember your first ballet dance?
Feng Ying: I really envy the children now, I see that several people already have the appearance of ballet stars, and when I studied ballet, I didn't know what ballet was.
Today's parents may want to make their children more comprehensive, not necessarily professional, but a kind of cultivation, a kind of aesthetic education. I am a beneficiary of ballet, and I think ballet is the best at changing the beauty and temperament of people from the inside out.
In addition, learning ballet can train children's endurance and concentration, because ballet is an activity that needs to be adhered to, and if children develop habits, they will be able to suffer no matter what they do in the future.
Learn ballet for as long as you want, no matter how old you are. I was shocked to see a 70-year-old man dancing in the United States, the elegant lady in the classroom very engaged and serious. Some people will always ask, is it too late to learn now? I think we should look at the starting point, as long as I want to please myself, let myself change my mood, make myself more elegant, when it will not be too late to practice.
Q: How do you get your child interested in ballet, or how do you get started?
Feng Ying: At the beginning, the children did not understand, in fact, parents made choices for their children first. I didn't have a ballet training class at that time, and the teacher set up a literary and art propaganda team to see that you have a spirit and will help you push some.
Parents take their children to training institutions, will cultivate children's interest in ballet, parents can cooperate with these trainings, even if it is a 4-year-old child, you can also take him slowly into. For example, when he sits there, we will use small butterflies, watering, and small interests in music to introduce, in this guiding and inspiring way, starting from the child's interest point.
Q: How to judge whether a child can take the professional path?
Feng Ying: You should first take your child to see a professional teacher, and now parents have a broad vision and have this ability to identify a high level. Unlike when I was, my parents didn't know anything, and I didn't know until I went to Beijing to get the acceptance letter. Parents can see the talent and like it. If the child is very fond of ballet at the age of 5-10, I recommend that parents consult with a professional teacher, who will give some judgment. If some children like it, but the conditions are not too good, such as very hard or the feet are not good, they will suffer in the future.
Q: How should the degree of ballet training be determined?
Feng Ying: I strongly recommend not to overdo it. In China Barba, children who are too young, we will not press hard, we do not like this. We are awakened from consciousness and the understanding of ballet. First of all, let the child know what is dance, how to recognize ah, and even tell a small story, we will also ask some arrangers to make some small repertoire specifically for the interests and characteristics of children. The method should be scientific, and the training should also be differentiated by age. Like when I was a kid, I pressed my legs into shock because it was too strong.
Q: Is ballet dancing important for physical talent or is hard work important?
Feng Ying: It's all important, and the answer seems to be a bit routine, but it is true.
For example, this child's posture is more in line with professional requirements, and when we look at it, we will also break it. Another talent is whether the brain is good enough, the reaction is not fast, the understanding is not high, like we will have improvisational performances, imitation performances, and even the reactions of people in the game.
But if you are talented, lazy, ballet can't come out. The most important thing in ballet is to have a hard spirit and the strength to compete with yourself every day.
Some people are not born with particularly good conditions, for example, I am not very suitable for classical ballet, because my feet are not good. Ballet is the art of the toes, stretched up to have a sense of extension, the instep must have a curve, but my instep is not high enough, plus a little flat foot, now pick the actor, I will definitely not be able to go in.
Therefore, the conditions depend on whether the brain is good or not, there is love or not, if you really like, you will consciously practice, if it is passive pressure, it is easy to have problems, first of all, from the emotional point of view, you are resistant.
Q: Did you ever experience a particularly tiring time when you were training as a child?
Qiu Yunting: I don't seem to have it, because I like it, so I will take the initiative to practice, and at home, I will also press my legs and waist on the bed and on the ground. Once it was pouring rain outside, and I was the only one in a class, and the teacher thought I was very autonomous, and I really liked it.
Ma Xiaodong: Xiao Qiu and I belong to the same category of people. I understand things earlier, plus like it, I will feel that today suffer less, tomorrow I will be inferior to others, eat more pain will get more, indeed bitter to eat more value, do not pay is not OK.
Q: Will you be nervous or comfortable before you take the stage?
Qiu Yunting: I was not nervous when I was on stage since I was a child, and my mother said that I was particularly strange, except for dancing, I would be shy to do anything else.
Ma Xiaodong: Every time there is a little nervousness, because it is once on the stage, and it is impossible to jump a second time. So ballet is a very realistic art, just once, good is good, bad is not good. Every day is for the stage service, and each practice is not perfect, there are small flaws. So we've been striving for impossible perfection.
Q: Have you ever been seriously injured in dancing?
Feng Ying: Everyone has it, I had a waist injury when I was 14 years old, so I have to master the way when practicing.
Ma Xiaodong: There are certain injuries that are not terrible, the key is whether you have learned the scientific method. After all, ballet is a scientific training, we practice a certain brace, or other relaxation training, which is a certain recovery for the body.
Q: Will there be a time when memorizing movements will be forgotten before and after?
Feng Ying: I won't forget, because every day is rehearsed, ballet needs to be practiced repeatedly, practice hundreds of times a day, plus music, conditioned reflexes, and make movements.
Ma Xiaodong: We form muscle memories, but modern ballet is sometimes difficult to remember, because each choreographer has his own style, so we need to practice more and keep thinking.
Feng Ying, Ma Xiaodong, Qiu Yunting and the Shanghai audience came face to face
Editor-in-Charge: Chen Shihuai
Proofreader: Luan Meng