(Ecns.cn)--In late June and early July, Tan Yuanyuan, the only Chinese ballerina to reach the rank of principal dancer at the San Francisco Ballet, usually takes a short holiday. This year, however, she used the time to take a long anticipated cross-cultural foray into the mysterious world of Japanese "Noh" musical drama.
Something new
It was not the first time for Tan to cooperate with a Japanese choreographer, but being invited to perform in a Noh play was certainly a departure.
Listed as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since 2001, Noh is a major form of classical Japanese musical drama that has been performed since the 14th century.
Tan was already somewhat familiar with the tradition. She knew, for example, that many of its characters are masked and that men can play either male or female roles. Aside from that, her knowledge was very limited.
"The first time I held a Noh mask, I made a very big mistake," recalled Tan. "You cannot grasp the mask directly; instead you must hold the string tied to it."
Like other classical performing arts, the Noh tradition is adapting itself to the changing times, resulting in Tan's invitation to perform in a modern interpretation of an ancient Noh drama.
In the performance, Tan played a beautiful witch whose dance movements were choreographed by Tan herself. "The director invited me to choreograph the movements and staging about two years ago, but since my schedule was full, I only began to seriously work on it last December," said Tan.
During the choreography Tan encountered many difficulties, but after communicating with the director, who also played a role in the drama, she was able to arrive at solutions. On June 27 and 28, the play was staged in Japan three times, receiving praise from the industry.
The flip of a coin
"I think if I was 15 years younger I may not have tried this, but probably would have stayed focused more on pure ballet performance," said Tan, who has been attracted to ballet since the age of five and became a professional ballet dancer in the San Francisco Ballet by age 18.
Born into a traditional family in Shanghai, the difficulties that Tan went through to become one of today's most critically acclaimed ballerinas began in her home.
Tan's mother, who had also wanted to be a ballerina herself, saw that her daughter's physique, appearance and determination were perfect for a ballerina's profile, so she encouraged Tan to become one. But Tan's father, an engineer, had a different plan for his daughter.
He expected her to be a doctor or an engineer, and viewed ballet as a Western art form that was inappropriate for a traditional Chinese girl. It would also provide an unstable and short career, he told her.
Since her parents could not agree, they decided to settle their differences with the flip of a coin. The result fell in favor of her mother's wishes, which her father accepted as a matter of fate.
At the age of 11, Tan began training at the Shanghai Dance School, where she graduated four years later. As one of the most hard-working students and an ambitious dancer, she was chosen to perform in the San Francisco Ballet by its artistic director Helgi Tomasson in 1995.
Only two years later, Tan was promoted to principal dancer, the highest position for a ballet dancer. At that time she was the youngest principal dancer in the history of the San Francisco Ballet company.
Beyond Swan Lake
For many people, performing the lead role in a traditional ballet like Swan Lake would be a dream come true. But for Tan, it is no longer enough.
"You cannot always perform the same things, because it gets boring," said Tan. "I love works that allow dancers to express more emotion and show their skills."
"The Noh play is a way for me to learn from other forms of art combined with ballet, and I am happy with that," said Tan. "In recent years, I have become conscious of works that help me to learn new forms and allow me to express more emotions."
"Now many arts are combined, and it is the same with ballet," added Tan, who has also performed in electronic dance musicals.
