On April 3, Vladimir Malakhov, an Austrian professor known as the "Dancer of the Century", accepted the appointment of Beijing Dance Academy and became the head of the ballet department of the school.
This is the first time in the 70-year history of Beiwu that top international artists have been hired in key positions in key areas of the school.
Turn a new page in your life in China
For the students of Beiwu, Mr. Ma sees him almost every day. He is not tall but tall, he loves caviar bread, Peking duck, bacon cauliflower, and crispy shrimp with honey, and he loves cool black coats, but he often has dragons and tigers on his clothes and office supplies.
Malakhov was once a star of international ballet in Europe and the United States, and single-handedly founded the Berlin Ballet and made it one of the most influential companies in the world. Since September 2022, he has been a full-time professor of the Department of Ballet of Beijing Dance, actively promoting international cooperation in academic innovation and artistic practice, and forming a "top-notch talent class", which has improved the quality of the school's ballet international talent training and the international influence of Chinese dance. In February this year, he also won the 16th Beijing "Great Wall Friendship Award".
He said that when he came to China, he turned a new page in his life. "Everything here is new to me – new imagination, new ways of thinking. In addition, Beijing Dance is the largest dance university in the world, and the school has the ability to explore more new creations, and I am willing to bring my past professional experience to students to guide them. ”
It's hard to dance your soul when you stare at your phone
As a dancer with strict requirements for classical ballet, what he has seen in more than a year of front-line teaching has made him feel the good basic training and obvious talent of Beijing Dance students, but he has also discovered the common problem of students - lack of expression from the soul. "Teaching should first emphasize texture, and then emphasize the number of circles, etc. Dance your soul and feel it with your heart. Malakhov said that if only technical emphasis is emphasized, Chinese acrobatics is good enough. However, ballet is an art, and more emphasis is placed on conveying thoughts and emotions to the audience through dance, and dancers should express them through their hearts and bodies, along with music. Therefore, in Mr. Ma's class, the children will think about their understanding of music, history, culture, emotions and stories in his constant questions. "To breathe", "To enjoy the dance", "Don't move mechanically like a robot", these are the things he repeatedly emphasizes in class.
To enrich the soul, of course, you can't just rely on the dormitory, classroom, and practice room, but "it definitely can't be done by looking at your phone." Malakhov said that today's students have a mobile phone after class, and there is no one who even presses the floor button when they enter the elevator, and even reading books has to be done through their mobile phones. "When I was younger, I used to go to museums, theaters, cinemas, and read books. Will children still experience the wonderful feeling of turning the pages and smelling the book today?" said Malakhov, adding that the excessive use of mobile phones in their spare time has led children to like to copy what they see on their phones, but dancers should explore and discover on their own, so that they can create works of art.
"But I'm not going to blame, after all, times are different. The reason why education is education is to guide students to be interested in everything in life. Even if you smell the flowers, feel the sunshine, and feel the breath of spring in the park, it can bring you energy. These are the educations that an artist should have. ”
Obsessed with Dunhuang, I hope to tell Chinese stories through ballet
Outside of teaching, Malakhov has always had a desire to create ballets with Chinese themes. To this end, he bought a lot of books in English that told Chinese history, culture, myths and legends to study. And it wasn't until he saw the Dunhuang dance that he was finally deeply moved.
The Beijing Dance Academy has the unique advantage of fully understanding the various dance genres in China. The first time he saw the Dunhuang dance, he was obsessed. "Whenever I see the Dunhuang dance, I stay there and I can't think of anything else in my head. I think Dunhuang dance can be combined with ballet. When he talked to some Chinese choreographers about Dunhuang dance, the feedback he received was that "because the material of Dunhuang dance comes from murals, the current analytic movements are still too simple", which stimulated his desire to create. He believes that the simpler things are, the more healing they can be. "We live in a very hurried era, full of colors and bustle, so those things that can sink down can heal people. To this end, he longed for an in-depth trip to Dunhuang. "I am a relatively open-minded person, and I believe that when I walk into Dunhuang, I will have more inspiration. ”
He also firmly believes that fine products need enough time to create and polish. "It can't be done overnight. A good ballet with a Chinese theme needs a good playwright, music and many other aspects to work together. I hope to present the best work for the best dance schools. ”