An Essay on the Fourth Beijing InternationaI BaIIet and Choreography Competition

[US] JIANG Qi

This is the fourth time that dancers from all over the world came together to participate in this particular event — Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition (hereafter referred to as “the Competition”).I had the privilege of attending the last three years’competitions as a special guest and witnessing the scope of the productions grow and improve every year.

In my opinion, the Competition is f irst-rate in terms of facilities and management. The success of this very professional production can be attributed to the support of the Chinese government, personal involvement of Ms.ZHAO Ru-heng, Artistic Director of the National Centre for the Performing Arts, and the concerted effort of the Organizing Committee. Their efforts have resulted in a competition with the perfect length of ten days, during which ballet stars and young dancers from all over the globe gathered at the magnif icent National Centre for the Performing Arts, presenting their sincere passion for the art of dance. As Ms. ZHAO Ru-heng said in her speech at the closing ceremony, “In the past 10 days, the competitions,workshops, master classes, as well as the discussion forum have composed a fascinating and highly informative event. It is not only a physical competition; for the young dancers, it is also a rare opportunity to perform in front of the international dance masters. Through the event, the dancers have discovered the ways to express what is in their heart and to seek how dance can touch others.”

I. The Competition and the Competitors

Apparently, this year’s participants from China were much more numerous than those in the previous Competitions. Taking part in the Competition, these young competitors had the opportunity to not only dance at the National Center for the Performing Arts at the very beginning of their careers but also exhibit their skills in front of so many international dance masters. Overall, this year’s young Chinese dancers did very well. From the junior group to the youth group, the physicality and skill of the dancers were much stronger than those in the former Competitions.

In comparison, the international competitors were not of desired quality or quantity in the ballet semi-f inals①. The lineup of international judges was so impressive that more international competitors dancing at a higher level were expected to parallel. One reason why there were fewer foreign competitors might be the result of time conf lict. In August, foreign ballet companies start their new season. And the ballet programs of schools are starting their academic fall semester. Another reason is that the age requirement of the competitors had been changed from 15 to 26 years old to13 to 22 years old. This change had resulted in many mature dancers being not eligible. In contrast, the age requirement of the choreographers was raised from 35 to 40 years old. This adjustment had resulted in additional mature choreographers having the opportunity to compete, which made the category more competitive.

In the Competition, there were a number of impressive competitors. For instance, the winner of the men’s junior group A, XU Mo-han, had an outstanding stage presence. There were competitors who had better bodies or technique than XU did. Yet, they lacked the emotion that XU brought to the stage. He also showed his love of dance in the master classes. His intellectual curiosity and learning attitude were quite strong. These are the main reasons why XU won f irst prize as well as most of the scholarships.

Moreover, there were excellent competitors in the women’s junior group B. Especially in the f inal run,the young dancers performed excellently in terms of both technical and artistry execution. The competitive gap between each of the dancers was so small that the judges had to take extra consideration in scoring before making a decision. In the end, the winner of the gold medal was ZHAO Xin-yue, a student of the secondary school aff iliated to Beijing Dance Academy. Other dancers of note included LUO Jing-fei, the gold medalist of women’s junior group A, as well as LI Hang, XU Jin-yao, and XU Jing-kun, the silver medalists of junior group A and B.

In the f inals of the men’s senior group, the competition was f iercer than it had ever been before. SHI Yue,HUANG Bai-mao, Daniel Rittoles, and SUN Fu-ze took turns performing. Each of them displayed their excellent technique and performance, winning the gold, silver, and bronze medals respectively. In the women’s senior group f inals, MA Ming-hao and Feng Zi-chun’s performances were very prominent. They received the silver and bronze medals respectively. The gold was not awarded, which ref lected the high standards that the judges adhered to.

In addition, there were some young dancers presenting outstanding performances, including LI Shuai from Bayerisches Staatsballett in Munich, Germany, and Wang Zhan-feng from Liaoning Ballet of China. Although they were not awarded, their mature artistry and musicality provided diverse special moments for the audience.

The biggest change of the Competition this year was in the Contemporary Ballet Solo Repertoire. The Competition in Beijing used a similar format to that used in the Prix de Lausanne. These regulations greatly eased the psychological and economic burden on the young competitors. In the past, competitors had to hire choreographers to create a contemporary work in order to qualify for the competition. This year, the new regulations allowed the competition committee to designate three choreographers’works as the competition repertoire, including the wellknown Chinese choreographer Zhang Di-sha’s “Rippling Ripples” and “Trapped,” Spanish choreographer Goyo Montero’s “Bow” and “Grinding the teeth,” and Dutch choreographer Didy Veldman’s male and female versions of “Tender Hooks.” They enabled the young dancer’s body to adapt for high standard contemporary works.

Having fewer works allowed the judges to have a clear comparison. For the audience, however, there was the sameness about the different performances. Though performed by different dancers, the three dance pieces were interpreted similarly and the competitors were wearing the same black leotard. A possible way to address this challenge is to use the three choreographers’ works as a framework but let the dancers create a one or two minute’s extension of their own. Dance costumes can also be based on similar design but vary according to different skin tones and tastes. Also, a choice of different colors could be added. These suggestions not only give the dancers greater individual freedom but also bring more variety to the whole event.

II. The Judges

The Judges of the Competition are highly recognized artists within the dance f ield. For the ballet category,there were many notable f igures. Julio Bocca, the Artistic Director of Ballet Nacional of SODRE/Uruguay and former principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre,served as the jury chairman. Other judges included Tamas Detrich (Associate Artistic Director and former principal dancer of Stuttgart Ballet), Viviana Durante (former principal dancer of The Royal Ballet), Sue Jin Kang(Artistic Director of Korean National Ballet), Uliana Lopatkina (prima ballerina of Mariinsky Theatre in Russia), Alexandre Riabko (principal dancer of Hamburg Ballet), Christopher Stowell (Assistant Artistic Director of National Ballet of Canada and former principal dancer of San Francisco Ballet in USA), Shinobu Takita (ballet master of Tokyo Ballet and former soloist of Taras Shevchenko National Opera of Ukraine), and ZHANG Dan-dan (Artistic Director of Guangzhou Ballet in China and former principal dancer of National Ballet of China).

There was an impressive list of judges for the choreography competition category as well. Sergei Yurevitch Filin, Ballet Director and former principal dancer of Bolshoi Theatre, Russia, served as the jury chairman.Other judges were David Bintley (Artistic Director of Birmingham Royal Ballet, UK), GAO Du (professor and Director of Academic Committee of Beijing Dance Academy), Marcelo Gomes (principal dancer of American Ballet Theatre), and XU Fang-yi (former principal dancer of Martha Graham Dance Company).

I was very impressed by the judges who took their responsibilities seriously and displayed a professional standard. Their opinions were carefully considered, and their attitudes were sincere. I noticed this with the judges of the classical ballet category in particular. I also benef ited a great deal from talking to the judges: they had paid more attention to the details on artistry rather than on technique.For example, although some dancers on the stage worked very hard, they showed no emotion or expression on their face, merely completing steps. Some young dancers may error in their steps, while this can be balanced by showing grace in their bows: attention to these details may get extra points. Some dancers could not run or walk properly.Overlooking the elements may result in point deduction of their scores. For the competitors, all the details could not escape the judges’ keen and meticulous observations.

III. The Master CIasses and Summit Forum

In addition, the master classes and Summit Forum were the highlights of the event. For master classes,outstanding teachers were invited, including Olga Evreinoff (international ballet master) and Roland Vogel(former principal dancer of Stuttgart Ballet).

After watching a few master classes, I noticed that young Chinese ballet dancers had done better than the foreign competitors in the solo variations on stage;however, it revealed some challenges confronted by the Chinese dancers in the classroom that need to be addressed. Olga Evreinoff believed that the female Chinese dancers were in very good condition: Their technical execution is not a problem. But in terms of the small details, such as plié, as well as the movements of hands and feet, they could be more articulate. Their expressions could show more depth to enrich the dramatic sense. Roland Vogel believed that in the master classes, some male Chinese dancers did very well and showed interest in the steps that they were familiar with.For the unfamiliar steps, they became a bit confused.In my opinion, the reason was that students normally study with the same teacher for a long time in China. In foreign countries, the students take classes with different teachers and are exposed to different styles. Therefore,the advantage of the Chinese model is that the teachers will have a sense of responsibility for their students. The advantage of the foreign model is that the students will be quick learners since they have been with different instructors and it will be easier for them to adapt to the requirements of different directors/choreographers when they enter a company’s dance rehearsals.

At the Summit Forum, judges and guests offered valuable advices to the young people based on their own experience. Uliana Lopatkina said in her speech, “For ballet dancers, it is important to convey feelings to the audience. Ballet is a form of self-discovery that conveys the complex emotions of the human body. Good dancers should be able to present an understanding to the audience that the choreographer may have not thought of.”

Julio Bocca also shared his own experience with the young dancers. He said that he was not able to make to the f inals in his f irst ballet competition. At the time,he was so disappointed that he thought his dream of becoming a professional ballet dancer was over. But his teacher told him not to give up. He continued working to perfect his technique and artistry. Seven months later, he competed in the Moscow International Ballet Competition with the world’s best dancers, and he won the gold medal. His story inspired those who did not get medals that it was never the end and that there were always new opportunities for success.

XU Fang-yi shared her perspectives with the young choreographers, “I have seen many beautiful bodies in this competition but some were without heart and spirit.It is important to know how to use the music, timing, and space to show your personal imagination. If there is only technique, it cannot be satisfying to watch. Competition results may not be completely objective though the judges have done their best. But for a competitor, standing on this stage is already a great accomplishment!” At this highly attended forum, young people were benef ited greatly from the speeches and obtained valuable advice for their future.

IV. The Choreography Category

The competitions in choreography category are very worthy of praise. There are very few international choreography competitions around world, probably because it is diff icult to score the experimental choreography works. The Competition in Beijing provides a good platform for young choreographers and dancers. And the small theater of the National Center for the Performing Arts is a very suitable space for demonstrating new experimental works.

Although the choreography category did not present a really outstanding dance masterpiece, it was much more advantageous than the previous seasons. In the semi-f inals, there were several works that stood out.In his solo, Eduardo Zuniga, from Chile, had bright dance rhythm with bold action from the beginning to the end. Also, the works of several young Chinese choreographers, such as WANG Zhen-bing, FEI Guanhan, YAN Bei-ni, MIN Xue-qing, and ZHU Zhuo-ran,displayed certain imaginations. However, some of the other Chinese works began with very clever ideas that somehow lost their way or went in confused directions as the work progressed. The work of Jeong Cheol-in from The Republic of Korea proceeded in an ordinary direction but surprised the audience at the end, representing the prominent feature of the Korean choreographers’ works,an interesting technique of expression that always gives the audience something to remember. American choreographer Jason Franklin’s work was moderately pedestrian and could have benef ited from more developed movements. Nonetheless, he started from a different angle, indicating the concerns about the environmental issues that human beings are facing. This piece posed some questions for the audience to deliberate. Zhang Yixiang, from mainland, China, illustrated the dream-reality struggles of two young men of different races. For one moment, I thought I was in a Taiwanese theater: His idea was so honest, and the presentation was so bold.

Comparing with those works in the previous choreography competitions in Beijing, many of which seemed identical and the ideas were self-centered and limited, many choreographers have brought contemporary ideas and approaches to their works that really touched the audience this year — this is not a usual scene seen on current domestic stages.

The f inals of the ballet and choreography categories were performed in the magnif icent opera house of the National Center for the Performing Arts Center. However,some of the choreography works did not utilize the space properly — the stage seemed empty. This is mainly due to the fact that there were not enough internal and external tensions created within the works. Through the stage experience, young choreographers will grow and gain more knowledge in the proper use of the stage space. As David Bintley advised, “there is no secret to choreography, only to keep digging and digging deep!” If we do not give young choreographers the opportunity to run, how can they ever be f ly?

V. The InternationaI Stars at the Awards Ceremony GaIa

The awards ceremony gala has always been the high climax for Beijing’s ballet lovers, and this year was no exception. The international stars included Adiarys Almeida, Taras Domitro, Maria Eichwald,Oleksandr Ryabko, Nina Kaptsova, Artem Ovcharenko,Dayesi Torriente, Arian Molina Soca, Natascha Mair,Jakob Feyferlik, Olga Smirnova, Semyon Chudin,Marcelo Gomes, and ZHANG Zhi-yao. To see so many international stars on one stage was an exciting experience for everyone in the audience.

The f irst program was Uwe Scholz’s “Sonata”pas de deux performed by German dancers Maria Eichwald and Oleksandr Ryabko. Eichwald was trained at the National Ballet School in Alma-Ata and joined the National Ballet of Kazakhstan after her graduation. Later,she moved to Germany and ultimately became the leading dancer of both the Bavarian State Ballet in Munich and Stuttgart Ballet. Ryabko received his early training at the Kiev Ballet School and The School of the Hamburg Ballet.He then joined the Hamburg Ballet and became a principal dancer f ive years later. These two exquisite ballet artists,with their precision and grace, presented a performance that was very beautiful and touching as expected.

The performers for the second program were Adiarys Almeida and Taras Domitro. The two Cuban dancers were both trained at the Cuban National Ballet School in Havana. They are no strangers to the Beijing audiences, especially Adiarys Almeida, who has been to Beijing every year for several years. When she was a young dancer at the Cuba National Ballet, she was discovered by the Cincinnati Ballet’s artistic director and brought to the Cincinnati Ballet Company. With her outstanding ability to do both classic and contemporary works, she quickly rose to the rank of the company’s principal dancer. She then went on to perform as a special guest artist around the world. One of her special strengths is the ability to execute virtually any type of pirouette that can be accomplished and at a level far beyond most of the world’s leading female dancer’s ability. At the same time, her execution of many diff icult techniques and steps of classic ballet all seem effortless. Her signature works areLes Corsaire,Don Quixote, andBlack Swan. For this performance, she partnered with the San Francisco Ballet’s Taras Domitro for the f irst time. They performed Vasily Vainonen’sFlames of Parispas de deux. Although,Adiarys Almeida had not touched the ballet for almost 10 years, the performance was full of sound and taste.

The third couple on stage was the American Ballet Theatre(ABT)’s Marcelo Gomes and ZHANG Zhi-yao.They performed “Tristesse,” which was choreographed by Gomes himself. It is a cheerful male duet f illed with tenderness and humor. Gomes is ABT’s hero. He is a native of Brazil and trained in both the United States and Cuba. Not only is he handsome and strong as a dancer, he is also full of articulated musicality and demonstrates a passionate acting skill. Every role that he has performed is so touching and evocative. The young ZHANG at his side also delivered wonderfully. ZHANG was trained at Beijing Dance Academy and received many awards in the international ballet competitions. He joined the ABT Studio Company in 2011, and a year later, he was the only Chinese male dancer in ABT. Gomes and ZHANG were a powerful combination on the stage. Together, they demonstrated what today’s male dancers shall have —— excellent f lexibility,f irmness, extraordinary speed, and stage presence. Their performance was really enjoyable to watch.

Petipa’s “Coppélia” was the fourth dance piece,performed by Dayesi Torriente and Arian Molina Soca.They are former leading dancers of the Cuban National Ballet and now the principal dancers of Pennsylvania Ballet in the USA. Together, they embody the characteristics of the Cuban National Ballet School: The ballerinas are not delicate women; instead, they have the Latin women’s f iery, resolute, and superb technique. In comparison, the male dancers have led a new trend in the international arena in recent years, with giant cabriole and multitudinous spin. The Cuban ballet originated in Russia, but in recent years, it has evolved in its own direction, especially in partnering. The Russian school of pirouette partnering requires the female dancer to have good awareness of center of balance. The male dancer’s hands should stay behind the female dancers and touch gently without leaving traces. And the height difference between the male and female dancers is preferably big —taller male dancers versus smaller ballerinas. The Cuban male dancers, however, are usually not tall. So when the female dancer is doing pirouette, the male dancer keeps his hands with her and paddles her in every turn. Practice has proven that even if the male and female dancers are very similar in size, or if the female dancer is not at the center of gravity, the multiple pirouettes will not stop its momentum. These Cuban features were shown in Dayesi Torriente and Arian Molina Soca’s performance. Their work was very f lamboyant and exciting.

The next one was Yury Grigorovich’sThe Golden Agepas de deux performed by the new generation representatives of the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow, Nina Kaptsova and Artem Ovcharenko. This work was initially performed by the Kirov Ballet in the 1930s. However,the idea of a ballet depicting the ordinary working class people was not appreciated at that time. Thus, the Kirov Theater then cancelled the ballet. Later, the artistic director of the Bolshoi Theater, Yury Grigorovich,rearranged the ballet two times in 1982 and 2006, both of which achieved international success. There was an appeal to the people’s sentiment of reliving history and a desire to relive the golden age of Russian music of which Shostakovich was a major composer. It was a ballet that was so unique in its Soviet Union theme, and Nina Kaptsova and Artem Ovcharenko presented the ballet with grand Bolshoi Ballet style.

The sixth pair of performers were Natascha Mair and Jakob Feyferlik who performed Petipa’sLa Esmeraldapas de deux, a work which the Beijing audiences are quite familiar with. I met these two Austrian soloists at the Beijing International Ballet Invitational for Dance Schools a few years ago. They were young and pure competitors at the time. Now they are the new generation backbone of the Wiener Staatsballett. On stage, they were so perfect in both technique and appearance that one could hardly take eyes off them.

Last but not least was the appearance of the Bolshoi Theatre’s Olga Smirnova and Semyon Chudin. They performed the V. Gzovsky’s “Grand Pas Classique” pas de deux. The Prima ballerina of Bolshoi Theater Olga Smirnova graduated from the Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet and is a guest dancer in ballet companies around the world. Her partner Semyon Chudin shares equal status at the Bolshoi Theater. What makes the Russian style of ballet superior is the extraordinary use of port de bras. With their f ine example of Russian ballet and ideal appearance and artistry of classic ballerina and danseur noble, one would expect to have the opportunity to see them performSwan LakeorGiselle. The Russian stars performed French style “Grand Pas Classique” with profound technique and artistry, leaving the audience with beautiful and unforgettable memories.

The Fourth Beijing International Ballet and Choreography Competition is a grand and successful undertaking. A great number of people, from organizers, judges, to dancers,have devoted much effort and several months’ hard work to present such a wonderful event. Dance lovers around world went home with wonderful memories of the event.I sincerely wish that the far-reaching signif icance of this international ballet event in Beijing would continue to grow and prosper!