On October 29, the Beijing Dance Academy theatre hosted the educational portion of the Global Dance Overture project in the BRICS countries. The project is supported by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Russian Ministry of Culture, the Presidential Foundation for Cultural Initiatives, and the Russian Embassy in Beijing. Its goal is to unite the hearts of people around the world through folk dance culture and to promote the creation of a global choreographic community, a tool for which is the BRICS Folk Dance Culture Alliance.
It is worth saying that the Beijing Dance Academy was the first to join the Alliance, inviting the Governorate Ballet School choreography college of Kostroma Russian National Ballet to join the World Dance Education Alliance it founded. T
he Beijing Dance Academy is the largest and only institution of higher education in China for professional choreographic education with a 70-year history.
The meeting began with welcoming remarks and an exchange of gifts from Mr Hui Tong, Vice President of the Beijing Dance Academy, and Elena Tsarenko, President of Kostroma Russian National Ballet.
The educational program featured graduates of the Governorate Ballet School choreography college at Kostroma Russian National Ballet and dancers from the Ballet. Students and faculty of the Academy were treated to a class concert showcasing Russian professional dance. Students of the Beijing Dance Academy were particularly impressed by the Battement fondue in Chinese character, personifying the image of a peacock. The equally impressive piece was the Soldiers’ Polka (a fragment of a lesson prepared for the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War), demonstrating the military dance – one of the main genres of Russian folk dance. As a stage dance, it is a mandatory part of the professional choreographic education program.
Following the class concert, a workshop in Russian folk dance was held for students of the Chinese and Ethnic Dance Department of the Beijing Dance Academy (taught by Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation Irina Rubtsova). During the choreographic intensive session, the Chinese dancers learned the Russian bow, the Russian-style plié in the middle, an etude based on walk-throughs, and the basic elements of female and male Russian dance (the "rope," "kerchief," rolls, taps, clappers, squats, etc.).
In turn, students from the Beijing Dance Academy held a cross-training workshop for Russian dancers in Chinese ethnic dance, where they presented the dance cultures of six regions of China, defining the six main trends of Chinese folk choreography. The demo performance included a demonstration of traditional Chinese techniques, Uyghur dance, Mongolian bowl dance, and others, as well as a chance to explore combinations of Chinese folk dance.
The creative meeting culminated in the Round Dance of Friendship international flash mob, which, for the first time, spontaneously transitioned into a dance battle between two dance cultures.
"We witnessed a truly incredible event – a true unity of peoples, a vibrant response of human nature, a natural desire to communicate, to share emotions and experiences. We saw the cultural code in action, its spontaneity, sincerity, vitality, and strength! This meeting vividly demonstrated how the language of dance, love, kindness, and youthful energy unite people's hearts!" said Elena Tsarenko, president of the Kostroma Ballet.
It is worth saying that the Beijing Dance Academy was the first to join the Alliance, inviting the Governorate Ballet School choreography college of Kostroma Russian National Ballet to join the World Dance Education Alliance it founded. T
he Beijing Dance Academy is the largest and only institution of higher education in China for professional choreographic education with a 70-year history.
The meeting began with welcoming remarks and an exchange of gifts from Mr Hui Tong, Vice President of the Beijing Dance Academy, and Elena Tsarenko, President of Kostroma Russian National Ballet.
The educational program featured graduates of the Governorate Ballet School choreography college at Kostroma Russian National Ballet and dancers from the Ballet. Students and faculty of the Academy were treated to a class concert showcasing Russian professional dance. Students of the Beijing Dance Academy were particularly impressed by the Battement fondue in Chinese character, personifying the image of a peacock. The equally impressive piece was the Soldiers’ Polka (a fragment of a lesson prepared for the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War), demonstrating the military dance – one of the main genres of Russian folk dance. As a stage dance, it is a mandatory part of the professional choreographic education program.
Following the class concert, a workshop in Russian folk dance was held for students of the Chinese and Ethnic Dance Department of the Beijing Dance Academy (taught by Honoured Artist of the Russian Federation Irina Rubtsova). During the choreographic intensive session, the Chinese dancers learned the Russian bow, the Russian-style plié in the middle, an etude based on walk-throughs, and the basic elements of female and male Russian dance (the "rope," "kerchief," rolls, taps, clappers, squats, etc.).
In turn, students from the Beijing Dance Academy held a cross-training workshop for Russian dancers in Chinese ethnic dance, where they presented the dance cultures of six regions of China, defining the six main trends of Chinese folk choreography. The demo performance included a demonstration of traditional Chinese techniques, Uyghur dance, Mongolian bowl dance, and others, as well as a chance to explore combinations of Chinese folk dance.
The creative meeting culminated in the Round Dance of Friendship international flash mob, which, for the first time, spontaneously transitioned into a dance battle between two dance cultures.
"We witnessed a truly incredible event – a true unity of peoples, a vibrant response of human nature, a natural desire to communicate, to share emotions and experiences. We saw the cultural code in action, its spontaneity, sincerity, vitality, and strength! This meeting vividly demonstrated how the language of dance, love, kindness, and youthful energy unite people's hearts!" said Elena Tsarenko, president of the Kostroma Ballet.
