Enjoy ballet with an open heart
BALLET. Is it just about men prancing around in tights while women follow along in tutus? Or does the high class art form offer us something more to think about?
Last weekend, the New York City Ballet (NYCB), one of the leading ballet companies in the US, arrived in China. It hoped to appeal to a Chinese audience with a contemporary American style.
"Our performance is based on classical ballet but it's still very accessible," says Nilas Martins, the ballet company's lead dancer. "It's a fun performance. It's like watching fireworks," he continues.
The NYCB performed at Beijing's Exhibition Theatre last Saturday before going on to Shanghai for the 7th International Dance Festival.
But Martins is a little confused by the Chinese response to his performances. "Their faces are blank. I can't tell if they enjoy it or not. Perhaps they think it's respectful not to disturb the dance."
This is Martins' fifth visit to China. In 2004 he performed at the GREat Hall of the People in Beijing.
He laughs when he describes the atmosphere: "I couldn't believe it. People were getting up from their seats and moving to sit by their friends. They were chattering and enjoying themselves. They didn't take out food or anything, but the atmosphere was nothing like the formal ballet in the US."
So how are you meant to behave? Western audiences sit quietly, listening intently to the music and immersing themselves in the dance, then everyone claps loudly at the end. But Martins is convinced you should enjoy ballet in your own way. It's not necessary to follow convention.
"My advice to a young person seeing ballet for the first time is not to be judgmental. If you have an open mind you will capture the beauty," he says.
芭蕾，仅仅是男子穿者紧身衣的雀跃舞蹈，同时女人穿着短裙追随在其后？还是一种引起我们更多思考的高水准的艺术表现形式？
上周，美国顶尖芭蕾舞团之一的纽约城市芭蕾舞团来到中国，他们希望以当代的美国风格吸引更多的中国观众。
芭蕾舞团的领舞Nilas Martins说：“我们的表演基于古典芭蕾，但是却又非常被人接受。这是一个很愉快的演出，就像是看了一场焰火。”
上周六，在去上海参加第七届国际舞蹈节之前，纽约城市芭蕾舞团在北京展览剧院举行了一次演出。
但是对于中国观众对演出的反应，Martins感到有些困惑，她说：“他们的脸上没有表情，使我不知道他们是否喜欢。也许他们认为中途扰乱表演是不礼貌的。”
这是Martins第五次来中国。2004年时，她在北京的人们大会堂演出过。
当他描述气氛时大笑：“我不能相信。人们从座位上站起，去挨着他们的朋友坐。他们聊天聊得非常愉快。他们没有带走食物和其他任何东西，和在美国看正是芭蕾舞表演的气氛完全不同。
那么你认为行为举止应该是怎么样的呢？西方观众会很安静的坐在那里，专心的听着音乐，是自己沉浸在舞蹈中。在演出结束时，每个人都会热烈的鼓掌。但是Martins相信，每个人有自己欣赏芭蕾的方式，每有必要墨守陈规。
他说：“我给第一次看芭蕾舞的年轻人的建议是，如果你有开阔的心怀，你将捕捉到它的美丽”。
