Double celebration for 70th anniversary of People’s Republic of China and Mid-Autumn Festival
On September 9, the Center welcomed the Shanghai Ballet for a special performance of “The Glamor of Dance” to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
September is a very lively month for the Center. Old and new students are picking up classes from the diverse course options the Center has to offer, visitors take the opportunity to admire the Shanghai Woolen Needlepoint Tapestry exhibition in its final days and the Center’s four-year anniversary is drawing nearer.
Of course, the Center is also preparing festivities in honor of the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. For this occasion, the Shanghai Ballet was invited to present “The Glamor of Dance” at the China Cultural Center in Brussels on September 9. At the same time, the ballet performance was a celebration of the Mid-Autumn Festival, which is on September 13 this year.
The event welcomed members from the overseas Chinese community as well as Belgian and European guests, gathering approximately 130 attendees, including H.E. Ambassador ZHANG Ming, Head of the Chinese Mission to the EU, and his wife, Ms. CAI Xiaoli; Mr. WANG Hongjian, Chargé d’Affaires of the Chinese Mission to the EU; Mr. CHE Weimin, Minister-Counselor of the Chinese Mission to the EU; Mr. XIANG Shihai, Counselor of Culture of the Chinese Embassy in Belgium.
The Shanghai Ballet treated the audience to an evening distinguished by the company’s original artistic style. The performance was directed by Ms. XIN Lili, the director of the Shanghai Ballet and a national first-class dancer herself. The program revealed the creative power of the innovative Shanghai Ballet, with its forty years of history and renown for perfectionism. The performance also allowed for an interactive element to be added. After a dance, audience members could ask questions about what they had seen. This way, Ms. Xin motivated certain artistic choices and gave a look into the process of creating a ballet.
The ballet dancers’ talent and skills were fully highlighted in both choreographies. The first was “Lost Star”, choreographed by Mr. WU Husheng, one of the Shanghai Ballet’s national first-class dancers. His work revolved around the theme of “growth” and was inspired by his own observations in life. Mr. Wu has aimed to infuse the most profound experience into the melodies of the classical music. His interpretations came to life in this neoclassical ballet through the dynamic body language of the dancers.
The second choreography of the program was the contemporary work “A Tale to Tell” by Mr. CHEN Qi. He has chosen to abandon the essential expression of movement, instead opting to set up some contradictions, so that distinct characters were dancing in specific feelings. Because of aphonia in his family history, Mr. Chen also incorporated sign language, which he learned as a child, in this work and used rhythm to convey emotions.
With this introduction of Shanghai-style ballet, “The Glamor of Dance” performance succeeded in charming the guests, especially thanks to the stage being so close to the audience, resulting in a notably intense experience. This experience has built another bridge for cultural exchange between China and Belgium. Strengthening the friendship between these two countries was the ideal way to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China and the Mid-Autumn Festival.
