Someone once commented on Tan Yuanyuan on the stage.
"As soon as she comes on stage, she attracts all the attention."
It is also true that she is the best person to dance ballet, both in appearance and posture, not to mention that her ballet skills can shock the world.
So, is Tan Yuanyuan's connection with the stage an arrangement of fate, or a dance of sweat? How did she successfully transform from an ugly duckling into a white swan?
First, the fate of the arrangement
Tan Yuanyuan was born in 1976 to a working family in Shanghai.
Her father was an engineer in the factory, and her mother had been teaching her daughter at home wholeheartedly since Tan Yuanyuan was born.
Based on such a family environment, Tan Yuanyuan has lived a worry-free life since he was a child, and his mother has naturally become the person who accompanies him the most.
In her impression, her mother is like a little girl who loves beauty, and the wardrobe in the home is full of beautiful clothes and high heels.
In addition, my mother also enjoyed watching dance performances on TV all day.
One summer in 1981, Tan Yuanyuan was taking a lunch break in his room when he suddenly heard a pleasant music coming from the living room.
Driven by curiosity, she crept out the door.
I saw that my mother was watching the TV program with full concentration, and even I didn't notice it when I stood behind me.
Seeing the situation, Tan Yuanyuan shifted his gaze to the TV.
At this time, a visual feast was being staged on the TELEVISION, and the performers were a group of little girls in white dresses dancing like swans.
The soothing music and beautiful dancing made her hold her breath, and at this time, she silently prayed in her heart: I really hope that the person standing on the stage is herself.
Perhaps sensing the presence of her daughter, Tan Yuanyuan's mother turned around and gently held her in her arms, who knew that her daughter quickly said a sentence that shocked her.
"Mom, I want to learn to dance too, like the one on TV."
Tan Yuanyuan's words surprised and delighted her mother, learning to dance was originally her dream when she was a child, and helpless family reasons could only make this matter temporarily shelved.
I didn't think that my daughter would intentionally fulfill her unfulfilled wish, which was simply an arrangement of fate.
However, learning to dance is not a trivial matter, both in terms of the degree of hardship and the cost of training.
Finally surviving until her husband came home from work, Tan Yuanyuan's mother could not wait to tell this bold idea.
Who knew that as soon as the voice fell, the husband immediately showed an attitude of rejection.
"It's best for a girl to learn a doctor, what can be the use of dancing, and dancing can't be eaten as a meal."
The husband's words are like a basin of cold water poured on Tan Yuanyuan's mother's head, is it really so difficult to take the road of art?
After much hesitation, she quietly enrolled her daughter in a ballet class, which began as a few years.
At the insistence of her mother, 5-year-old Tan Yuanyuan finally began formal training in ballet, and her childhood life has since been spent in "pain".
No matter how cold or hot it is, she will always be seen in the studio, and her feet and dancing shoes that have been worn by training undoubtedly confirm the hardships involved.
Kung Fu pays off.
In early 1987, 11-year-old Tan Yuanyuan was fortunate to receive an acceptance letter from the Shanghai Ballet School.
Unfortunately, in the face of this hard-won opportunity, the family is happy and worried.
Perhaps touched by his daughter's efforts, the father, who has always been known for his harshness, finally agreed softly.
The training intensity of the ballet school naturally increased a lot compared with the previous dance class, and Tan Yuanyuan suffered many injuries not long after he went.
Seeing this, the father who loved his daughter finally couldn't help but put forward the idea of giving up dance again, and this time he was very determined.
Despite this, Tan Yuanyuan's mother did not give up, and the intelligent woman quickly came up with a countermeasure.
Leave the choice to fate.
Without hesitation, Tan Yuanyuan's mother immediately took out a 5-cent coin from her pocket and placed it on the table, and then preached seriously.
"If you continue to learn dance face up, you will drop out of school."
Perhaps even she herself did not expect that this seemingly hasty and absurd method would soon be approved by her husband.
Immediately after, Tan Yuanyuan took the coin on the table in his hand and threw it upwards with force, and at the moment of landing, the whole family stared intently at the coin that carried everyone's hopes.
A miracle happened, and the coin stopped on the table face up steadily.
Second, the rise of fame
Without his father's worries and obstruction, Tan Yuanyuan devoted all his energy to practicing ballet.
Unfortunately, success does not only require effort, external factors and psychological states also account for a large proportion.
In early 1990, Tan Yuanyuan's class was fortunate enough to be selected to participate in a ballet competition held in Shanghai, which was the first time she had performed in such a formal public venue.
Although every dance gesture had long been deeply imprinted in her mind, she could never overcome the level in her heart.
Until the first few minutes of the stage, Tan Yuanyuan was still walking around nervously in the background, and the huge anxiety and pressure made her brain go blank.
Sure enough, as soon as she went up, she messed up her steps, and even the final closing action only hurriedly gave the audience a back shadow.
It is no exaggeration to say that this performance was very unsuccessful due to Tan Yuanyuan's performance, and her stage debut came to an abrupt end.
After the performance, she carefully analyzed the ins and outs of the matter, and finally came to the conclusion that it was still a matter of strength.
If those dance steps are really engraved in the mind, even if there is no music, they can dance in the wind and water, not to mention that if their strength is really unbeatable, I am afraid that there will be no nervous troubles before going on stage.
Since then, Tan Yuanyuan has worked harder in the process of practicing dance, and even the shoes in the cupboard have been worn by her one pair after another.
Fortunately, Heaven has never failed this hard girl.
In the following practice, she successively represented the country in many international ballet competitions, and no longer nervous, she won honors for the country again and again.
The most noteworthy of these is Tan Yuanyuan's participation in the second Helsinki International Ballet Competition in Finland, where the 14-year-old won the second place among the 160 junior contestants.
When she heard the host announce to everyone that it was China Tan Yuanyuan who won the award, a sense of pride arose in her heart.
Not because of the three words Tan Yuanyuan, but because of the prefix of the Chinese word.
It seems that only then can she truly realize the significance of showing herself on the international stage.
That is to let everyone know that Chinese girls are just as good.
In 1992, Tan Yuanyuan had another opportunity to prove himself - the fifth international ballet competition was recruiting contestants.
With the mentality of trying it out, she enthusiastically signed up her name and rushed to Paris, France, where the competition was held in the same year.
The excellent Tan Yuanyuan finally reached the final stage of the competition after five levels and six levels, but she was surprised by the stage of the final.
The stage tilts 5-7 degrees from the backstage to the judges' bench, which also means that she is about to perform ballet on the slope.
Before that, Tan Yuanyuan had never seen such a stage design, and dancing on uneven ground was something she had never tried.
However, when she learned that the design was so that the judges could intuitively appreciate the contact between the soles of the contestants' feet and the ground, the tension in her heart was quickly swept away.
This is an opportunity to prove your strength, and you must play well.
Most importantly, on the jury seat sat Tan Yuanyuan's favorite ballet master, Teacher Ulanova from Russia.
Thinking of this, she took a deep breath and walked onto the stage while waiting.
The moment the music started, the tension and blankness in my mind were all forgotten.
As a result, Tan Yuanyuan's excellent performance won the unanimous praise of the judges present, especially the teacher Ulanova gave her a full score.
She was overjoyed to learn the results.
Mutual affirmation and two-way rushing with idols is probably the dream of every "star-chasing" girl, and this hard-won dream has really made 16-year-old Tan Yuanyuan realize.
Since she came to prominence at the Paris International Ballet Competition, more and more people in The country have learned the girl's name.
At the beginning of 1995, Tan Yuanyuan was fortunate to be invited by the Shanghai Ballet to perform abroad together, and he did not think that this trip had changed the fate of this life.
After arriving in the United States, her first stop was to study live with the San Francisco Ballet, which has been repeatedly known as one of the world's top dance companies.
It is precisely because of this that Tan Yuanyuan especially cherished this hard-won opportunity, who knew that not long after she appreciated it, one of the lead dancers in the troupe was injured on the stage.
The sudden accident made the San Francisco Ballet anxious, the performance will be presented to the audience tomorrow, and the heroine is injured at this time.
Just when everyone was at a loss, Tan Yuanyuan, who was not far away, suddenly came into view, and the head of the San Francisco Ballet recognized her as the "girl with full score" who had been praised by Master Ulanova.
Without hesitation, he hurriedly stepped forward and asked impatiently.
"Boy, would you like to help with tomorrow's show?"
The other person's words simply made Tan Yuanyuan unbelievable, and the dancer just performed the work of George Balanchine, the "father of American ballet", and the whole dance lasted 28 minutes.
Leaving aside the fact that I had never been exposed to it before, it was a fantasy to learn it overnight.
Despite this, Tan Yuanyuan agreed to the leader's request, and then she began to dance with the videotape, and this learning was one night.
The time soon came to the second day, and the first performance of this day was successfully opened with her help.
Perhaps to thank Tan Yuanyuan for his "friendship performance", the director of the San Francisco Ballet signed a contract with her without saying a word.
In a ballet full of competitors, the hard-working girl was able to play the main role every time she performed, and in just one and a half years, at the age of 21, she ascended to the top of the throne and became the youngest solo dancer in the troupe.
Third, there is no end
Since Tan Yuanyuan became the only Chinese actor starring in the San Francisco Ballet, people from all walks of life in the United States have thrown olive branches to him, and even former US President Clinton has invited her to perform at the palace.
Over time, Tan's performance experience has also increased, and since 2001, she has toured various European countries with the San Francisco Ballet.
In the course of the tour, she served as the heroine of almost all the company's repertoire, and won wide international acclaim.
London-based dance critic Covent Garden called it "the biggest jewel in the crown of the old bar", while New York Times dance critic Anna Kisslgoff called it "a combination of sophistication and boldness".
In addition, even the 101 dance stars of the 20th century selected by the authoritative Japanese magazine "Dance", this young girl is also listed among them, and she is the only Chinese.
Among the many reputations, the most noteworthy is Tan Yuanyuan's 2004 name as "Asian Hero" and on the cover of Time.
What the 28-year-old did not expect was that another Chinese who was named "Asian Hero" with her was Liu Xiang, the champion who had just broken the world record at the Athens Olympic Games.
It was also from this moment that Tan Yuanyuan suddenly realized that dancing ballet represents not only an individual, but the honor of the whole of China.
Perhaps the motherland heard the wanderer's longing for the heart, on the eve of the 2006 Spring Festival Gala, this lucky girl actually received an invitation to perform.
Under the attention of the people of the whole country, Tan Yuanyuan, Liu Yan and Yang Liping jointly danced "Three Friends of the Cold Years - Pine, Bamboo, Plum", and she interpreted the charm of "pine" with a ballet background.
Since then, her performances in China have also begun to be out of control.
On April 30, 2010, Tan Yuanyuan took the lead dancer at the opening ceremony of the Shanghai World Expo, and his outstanding performance won unanimous praise from international friends.
On February 11, 2021, with the motherland in mind, she once again appeared on the 2021 Spring Festival Gala of China Central Radio and Television Corporation, performing the dance "I Love You China".
When the melody of this song sounded, Tan Yuanyuan's heartbeat on the stage could not help but accelerate to more than a hundred, she did not know why, maybe this is the strength of the motherland.
After participating in the Spring Festival Gala, the ballet queen spent her 45th birthday in the mix of feelings.
As a dancer, she knows very well that dancing is the prime time for dancing between the ages of 28 and 35, and the 45-year-old may face all about going downhill.
Despite this, Tan Yuanyuan is still unwilling to give up his love of art, and since he has broken the curse of the 35-year-old, the crisis of the 45-year-old can certainly be solved.
At this time, there was only one thought in her mind: ballet is my faith, and I will walk with her for the rest of my life.
Resources
Tan Yuanyuan - Sogou Encyclopedia
"American Chinese "Little Mermaid" Tan Yuanyuan: Dancing out of the Ballet Soul" China News Network