Bolshoi and Mariinsky present ballet festival

It’s been a luxurious October for Shanghai ballet lovers, as the two top Russian ballet companies, the Bolshoi Ballet and the Mariinsky Ballet, are in the city at the same time, presenting iconic performances together with their orchestras during the 23rd Festival China Shanghai Arts International.

The Bolshoi Ballet opened the visual feast with the men’s work “Spartacus” and a ballet gala at the Shanghai Grand Theater last week, which was followed by Marrinsky’s gala and the three-act performance “La Bayadère” at the New Bund 31 in Pudong this weekend.

“It is very rare for these two ballets to be performed in one city at the same time,” Mariinsky Ballet principal dancer Kim Kimin told Shanghai Daily in an exclusive interview.

“It makes me jealous,” he said. “When I was young, I definitely dreamed of seeing them both at home.”

Born in Seoul, Kim graduated from the Korea National University of Arts. After half a year as a trainee with the Mariinsky, Kim made his debut and became a soloist in 2012. He has been a principal dancer since 2015.

As the St. Petersburg-based ballet’s only Asian principal dancer, Kim stood out in the company and was warmly received by Shanghai audiences.

Together with principal dancer Viktoria Tereshkina, they co-starred in the first performance of “La Bayadère” in Shanghai on Friday night.

Kim’s extraordinary jumping ability and constant stage presence impressed the audience, while Tereshkina’s precision and elegance in difficult movements fully reflected the temperament of the Mariinsky Ballet.

During the interview, Kim recalled that when he participated in the Mariinsky entrance selection, among the 300 candidates there were only two foreigners: him and a British man.

“The Russian language is difficult to learn, including pronunciation and grammar,” Kim said. “But learning the language was essential if I wanted to learn ballet in Russia.”

When asked if he felt pressure as a foreign principal dancer in a major Russian ballet company, Kim said he was more proud of himself than stressed.

“It is important for a dancer to gather diverse life experiences and be open to the world,” he said. “My colleagues have been very kind and helpful. I was very proud when I performed again in South Korea with Mariinsky.”

Kim believes that the reason Russian ballet has been recognized and flourished around the world is due to its unique training methods and traditions, as well as the country and its people’s enduring admiration for the fine arts, including ballet. .

“Symphony, literature, poetry… all of these can nourish ballet,” Kim said. “But overall, I think the cultural atmosphere around the world is declining. I hope to see and even perform more works by contemporary choreographers in my lifetime.”

Due to the earlier appearance of the Bolshoi Ballet, comparison between the two ballet companies became inevitable.

“The two ballet companies have very different styles, which has a lot to do with the different temperaments of the two cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg,” Kim said.

“Mariinsky is like the city of St. Petersburg, which tends to put more emphasis on humanity and culture,” he said. “The Bolshoi is more expressive and extroverted. Some emotions and passionate feelings are expressed directly on stage.”

Last year, the artistic and general director of the Mariinsky Theater, Valery Gergiev, was appointed general director of the Bolshoi Theater. The star director also appeared at the Shanghai Grand Theater earlier this week to see the Bolshoi Ballet’s gala performance.

According to Tereshkina, there is a certain degree of competition between the two theaters, but they also learn from each other and respect each other.

“We go to each other’s theaters more frequently and have friendly exchanges,” he said.

“The advantage of Russian ballet is due to the fact that we have many teachers in our academies,” he added. “They have a wealth of experience performing around the world and would share it with the next generation.”

The two-week ballet festival not only attracted a large audience from outside Shanghai, but also sparked heated debates on social media: ballet fans talked about their favorite dancers and compared the repertoire and performance of the two companies.

Ballet fan Ding Huiyin watched all four performances by the two companies in Shanghai.

“The Bolshoi Gala was the first sold-out performance, and fortunately, I bought tickets in advance,” Ding told Shanghai Daily.

“Both ballets are performed together with a live orchestra, I consider it a once in a lifetime experience.” she said.

Ding’s impression of the two ballets matched Kim’s description.

“The unbridled spirit of the Bolshoi was fully reflected in the gala. You could feel that the bodies of some young dancers could no longer contain their passion, and it seemed that it was about to overflow from the stage.

“As for Mariinsky’s ‘La Bayadère,’ the principal dancers are simply so stable that at the end of the three-hour performance, their technical movements were not compromised at all. The stage is full of confidence and composure of the dancers, which is an enjoyment for the public.”

Many Russian-speaking volunteers served both groups during their stay in Shanghai and therefore had close contact with the main artistic groups.

Ren Hongyi is a senior student at East China Normal University. As a Bolshoi Ballet volunteer, Ren assisted the sound engineer and did translation work during equipment debugging at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. She also served as translator for the dancers’ interviews.

Ren saw Mariinsky’s “Swan Lake” in St. Petersburg during his student exchange program last year. The volunteer experience allowed him to approach the performing arts from a perspective that the public cannot see.

“It was the first time I noticed that the staff on both sides of the stage helped the performance. Dark clothing makes them less visible to the audience,” he said.

“I used to think that people who engage in elegant art are very serious. But in practice, dancers are very friendly. One lead dancer even added me on WeChat and gave me the bouquet she received after the performance.”

Another volunteer, Li Yiqiu, is a graduate student in Russian Language and Literature at Shanghai University of International Studies.

As the personal translator of the director of the Mariinsky Theater, Li had to deal with various matters, including logistics services and communication with the Chinese dance troupe.

“Russian dancers love Chinese culture and often ask me to recommend attractions and where to buy Chinese souvenirs,” Li told Shanghai Daily.

Li is a fan of theater art and shared her thoughts on why Russia always remains a giant in the art of ballet.

“The costumes, props and body condition of the performers give us maximum enjoyment,” he said. “His skills are truly world-leading.

“Ballet has an unparalleled mass base in Russia. Russians are very proud of their arts and are very active in going to the theater to see performances. Although there are ballet lovers in China, the proportion of the population is much smaller than that. of Russia.”