From February 2 to 4, 2024, Ben Stevenson's ballet Cinderella will be staged at the National Centre for the Performing Arts, a classic that premiered overseas in 1970 and premiered in Beijing in 2018 to critical acclaim. The performance was held at the National Centre for the Performing Arts Opera House, and the lighting and choreography and even the interpretation of the actors have been upgraded. The Beijing News interviewed the leading actors Zhao Xinyue and Guan Chongzheng, revealing the highlights and highlights of this familiar story after being interpreted by ballet.
*The ballet Cinderella will be staged at the National Centre for the Performing Arts from February 2 to 4.
Build dreams. He loves Chinese ballet masters and creates classics.
Born in 1936, Ben Stevenson, an internationally renowned master ballet choreographer, was a ballet dancer with the Royal Ballet and the English National Ballet before moving to the United States, where his award-winning choreography work. Cinderella was premiered in 1970 by the Washington National Ballet, and has since been performed by many ballet companies around the world.
Eight years later, in 1978, Ben Stevenson came to China and became the first international ballet choreographer to come to China after the founding of the People's Republic of China. In 1985, he became one of the founders of the Choreography Department of the Beijing Dance Academy. Over the decades, he has come to China many times and made great contributions to the development of ballet in China, and his affection for China has become stronger, "falling in love with Chinese dancers and teachers". In 2018, at the invitation of Feng Ying, director and artistic director of the ** Ballet Company, 82-year-old Ben Stevenson came to Beijing again to produce a new version of "Cinderella" with the ** Ballet Company. At the premiere of "Cinderella" in 2018, an excited Ben Stevenson said at the performance: "Thank you so much. When I first came to China 40 years ago, it was like Cinderella walking into the ball hall for the first time and seeing the prince for the first time. It was love at first sight! ”
*Feng Ying, Director and Artistic Director of the Ballet, said that Ben Stevenson opened his eyes to a closer understanding of the situation and development of world ballet in the closed Chinese Ballet, and with his active promotion and help, the exchange and learning between young Chinese Ballet and the world has gradually begun since then. There are many different versions of the fairy tale ballet "Cinderella" in the world, but "Cinderella" created by Ben Stevenson, which is known for its strong British drama and witty and humorous performance style, has its unique status and influence in the classical ballet repertoire.
This version of "Cinderella" is known for its strong British drama and witty and humorous performance style.
Dream hunting. The chivalrous prince pays attention to the details of the performance.
Guan Chong, who played the role of Prince in "Cinderella" this time, accepted Ben Stevenson's guidance in 2018, and he shared the scene in an interview with the Beijing News. In 2018, Guan Chongzheng played the role of the clown in the play, although he was not the protagonist, Ben Stevenson also gave him enough detailed guidance: "He told me how the clown mobilized the atmosphere throughout the dance drama, not to make the palace so dull, and the drama with the eldest sister and the second sister (of Cinderella), and the cooperation with the prince, which was very interesting, and he told us a lot about theatrical performance." "At the beginning of the second act of "Cinderella" under Ben Stevenson's direction, the Joker sets the mood on the whole stage, he greets each guest differently, and the interaction between the actors adds a lot of jokes to the story.
For about two months, Ben Stevenson accompanied the actors in rehearsals almost every day, from morning to night. Although he is over 80 years old, Ben Stevenson still demonstrates his facial expressions and body movements to the actors. Guan Chongzheng told reporters: "He has been sitting in the rehearsal hall, helping us guide the movements, describing for us how to express the action in a certain mood, including his rehearsal assistant, helping him to complete the action together, and we rehearsed very smoothly." ”
From playing the clown to playing the prince, Ben Stevenson's influence on Guan Chongzheng continues to this day. "He was very strict with every detail, and after so many years of acting in this scene again, I feel that I am more at ease. For the prince in "Cinderella", he compared it with the prince in "Swan Lake", in which he also played the role of a prince, "I think the prince in "Cinderella" has a sense of chivalry, he can make me integrate more into fairy tales, he is a more humorous prince." ”
Ben Stevenson is very strict with every detail.
Dream. Ballet is based on polishing the dramatic performance.
Zhao Xinyue, who plays Cinderella, is a newcomer to the ** Ballet Company in 2019, but she has been working with her partner Guan Chongzheng for four years, which can be described as a tacit understanding. She describes "a lot of things that can take shape because they run in every day". Guan Chongzheng commented on the cooperation between the two: "If she is uncomfortable, I can adjust it immediately, and then I can immediately remedy it in any situation, and the tacit understanding is very high." "This kind of tacit understanding is very important for character building, which can lead the audience into the story, and then be infected and mobilized. During the interview, the reporter asked the two actors if there were any challenges in their dance skills, and their answers were surprisingly consistent - as a member of the ** ballet company formed by first-class artistic talents, the dancers' professional ability is very strong, so in "Cinderella", the dance moves are difficult for the actors. However, in the reporter's visit to the class and the dancers' narration, it reflects the ** Ballet's excellence in details and higher requirements for the dancers' performance ability.
Ben Stevenson's ballet "Cinderella" is very dramatic, unlike many works that use dance to express the plot. Although it is a fairy tale, the creators strive to be real and "not act", adding various theatrical performance details on the basis of dance movements, and completing the shaping of the characters from the expressions, movements, and interactions between actors. When observing the rehearsal, the reporter heard the instructor say from time to time, "It's not funny for the sake of being funny" and "Don't pretend too much". As small as whether the movement of one leg is deliberately shaken, or whether it is driven by the other leg to shake, the instructor hopes that the actors will give the appropriate action under the right emotion.
When I first joined the troupe, I lacked experience in character play, including the understanding of characters, and drama performance was still challenging for me. After several years of tempering, Zhao Xinyue said that she has become more mature: "For example, when you first meet the prince in the second act, there is a big pas de deux, maybe at the beginning when you see the prince for the first time, when he pulls you away, you will have a shy look and dare not look at him; Later, I gradually became familiar with him, liked him, including wanting to see him and love him, and I thought these eyes were different. "Visitors to Cinderella will not only appreciate the superb dancing skills of the actors, but also enjoy the superb theatrical performances.
This version of "Cinderella" focuses on the integration of ballet and theatrical performance.
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