Yang Xueqing, trainee reporter of Henan Business Daily
"I hope that the wishes I have made will blossom all the way and escort the dreams of that time against the wind and sand." Recently, the music "All the Way to Raw Flowers" was screened on the short video platform, and the topic #All the Way to Raw Flowers was played 1.31 billion times.
In Zhengzhou, there is such a ballet company composed of ladies aged about 60 years old, who followed the TV comparison when they were young, and made a dream of ballet, but then went to school, worked, got married, had a baby... Finally, when they were nearing the age of flowers, they finally stood up on their tiptoes and realized their dreams.
They proved with practical actions that ballet "grandmothers" can also dance, and the wishes they have made can be born all the way and resist the wind and sand.
Stand up on your toes and dance with dreams
Founded in January 2017, Zhengzhou Jinshui District Cultural Center Ballet is currently the only middle-aged and elderly amateur ballet company in Zhengzhou. According to reports, when the ballet was first established, there were only 16 members, and everyone had never been exposed to the ballet before, and the slightly better members may have originally learned some other dances, with a little foundation, but most of the members have never danced.
"Ballet itself is a 'dance on the tiptoe', how to do it without standing up on the tiptoe." Du Youling, who is 64 years old this year and the head of the ballet company, was 60 years old when she began to learn ballet in 2017. "There may be many middle-aged and elderly people learning ballet now, but they are not on the tip, just training some basic ballet moves, especially in 2017."
Du Youling wants to take her ballet company to stand on the tiptoe and show the best ballet in front of everyone. But in general, learning to dance ballet is to have a certain foundation to stand on the tip, "At that time, all the professional teachers felt that we could not stand on the tip of the foot for a short time, but if we wanted to participate in the competition, we wanted to stand up and try, and we could stand one." ”
In April of that year, Du Youling and her ballet troupe began to try to stand on the tip under the guidance of professional teachers, from the first 5 minutes, 10 minutes, the pole walk, the wall walk, to the slow dance, "The final result is very good, all stand up." Looking back on that time, Du Youling said that at that time, she spent 3 and a half days a week training and attending classes, sometimes working overtime, and was busy all week.
With the joint efforts of the entire ballet members, in 2017, the ballet won the first prize in the final of the third middle-aged and elderly dance exhibition in Henan Province. This distinctive and charismatic ballet company, from the formation of the group to the tiptoe dancing on the stage within a year, was praised by industry insiders for "creating a miracle" and was affectionately called "Grandma Group" by fans.
If it weren't for liking it, it would be really hard to stick to it
Tiptoe up, stretch your arms... On stage, they danced lightly and their skirts flew, and if it were not for the introduction of the host, it was difficult to imagine that the ladies dancing were in their 60s. For them now, "it doesn't matter anymore", the cocoon is worn on the feet, and sometimes the tiptoe shoes are worn for an hour or two, and it doesn't matter much.
But when the ballet was first established in 2017, due to lack of experience, everyone suffered a lot in the process of standing on the tip. "The foot tip is mainly a foot pain." Du Youling recalled that the situation of everyone's feet is different, for people with wide feet, the two sides of the foot are particularly painful, because the shoes are worn on both sides; for people with thin feet, the first few toes hurt particularly badly, "Anyway, in the first year, everyone's feet have been worn." ”
Since learning ballet is so hard, why should you suffer so much and spend so long to learn?
"In fact, as long as they are in our ballet company, first of all, they all like ballet very much." Du Youling said that when they were young, unlike some special ballet dance classes now, "we didn't have this condition." ”
"People are like this, their preferences are different, I just like ballet." When I was a child, I liked it very much, but I just said that I never had the opportunity to learn it. When she first retired, Du Youling also spent some time in the Xinjiang Dance Troupe, but as soon as she heard that a ballet company was to be set up, she immediately came over.
Among all the dances, Du Youling likes ballet the most. In Du Youling's eyes, ballet is beautiful, elegant and noble. "In fact, at our age, there are both old and young, if it is not because of like, it is really difficult to stick to it."
In the second half of life, A retirement life that I never imagined
How long do you have to retire? When you're 60, how do you organize your life? Growing vegetables and flowers for exclusive retirement? Or do you help your children and children enjoy the joy of their children and grandchildren? In the second half of her life, Du Youling and her sisters in the dance troupe began a retirement life that she had never imagined.
In September this year, Du Youling took her ballet company to the "Walk of Fame" to enjoy flowers and applause. Liu Min, 62, was one of the original 16 members of the ballet. From the beginning of the zero foundation, to the "Walk of Fame", Liu Min felt that the most important thing is to repeat the scientific practice.
"Mainly because I am older, my body is already formed, and the softness of my legs, strength, ligament stretching, etc. are not as easy as children." Although facing various difficulties, Liu Min told the Henan Business Daily reporter that she now feels that life is very happy, with professional teachers to guide the practice, which is something that she never dared to think about when she was a child, "If you like this thing, you don't feel bitter, grow a little bit every day, step by step." ”
"I've loved ballet since I was a kid, and sometimes I've been following the analogy on TV, but I've never had the opportunity to learn it." Xu Yuanyuan is also 62 years old this year, because the middle finger of the foot is relatively long, so every time she stands on the tip, gravity will focus on the middle finger, "It is really not less bitter, but because I like it, everyone supports each other and insists on each other." ”
"No matter how old you are, it's not too late to love." Xu Yuanyuan said that because she likes it, the class taught by the teacher will take the initiative to digest and review every time she goes back, "Everything needs a certain amount of accumulation, forming muscle memory, and slowly the posture of the hands and feet is in place." ”
As long as the physical condition allows, it will keep jumping
The white-haired flower Jun Mo smiled, and the years never defeated the beauty. Although time is like time, the gentle and flexible or elegant and calm temperament of the ballet grandmothers has not been indelible, they are engraved in the bones, hidden in the heart, and then spread out through the ballet.
"Every day I follow music to learn ballet, I feel happy and my life is colorful." Liu Min said that as long as the physical condition allows, he will continue to jump.
"When I first started retiring, I didn't know what to do at home all day, but now I'm together every day, and I'm very happy." If you don't train for a few days, Xu Yuanyuan will miss everyone especially. She said that even if she has grandchildren in the future, she believes that she can take care of both.
"Being able to dance on the stage on tiptoe is really a realization of my childhood dream, and to be honest, I feel a special sense of accomplishment." From the establishment of the ballet to the present, as the leader of the troupe, Du Youling has a lot of hearts, Everyone is like a family, they are together for several days a week, they are really crying together and having fun, they are questioned and ridiculed together, and they also enjoy flowers and applause together. ”
In the eyes of the members of the ballet, after retirement, they found something they liked, although they were busy and tired, but they were really fond of it and wanted to do it all the time. No matter what other people's eyes are, they feel that they can fulfill their childhood dreams, which is very good and beautiful.
Editor: Zhang Heng Shi Shangjing