INTERVIEW: Guangzhou Ballet to stage ‘Carmina Burana’ in NYC
Photo: Guangzhou Ballet will present the company’s production of Carmina Burana in New York City. Photo courtesy of Guangzhou Ballet / Provided by Michelle Tabnick PR with permission.
Classic ballets Carmina Burana and Goddess of the Luo River will be given new life Aug. 17-18 at David H. Koch Theater in New York City, courtesy of Guangzhou Ballet, the internally recognized dance company.
Guangzhou Ballet has been going strong since 1993, when it was founded by Zhang Dandan, a former dancer with the National Ballet of China. The company is based in Guangzhou, located in the southern part of China, near Hong Kong and Macau.
The company’s Carmina Burana is a unique combination of dance and Medieval poetry, and there is some western music thrown in for good measure. The combining of these elements is meant to bridge the distance between cultures and speak to the universality of the text.
Goddess of the Luo River, on the other hand, has been recomposed by Peter Quanz based on the violin concerto by composer Du Mingxin.
Recently Hollywood Soapbox exchanged emails with Jian Qi, choreographer of the company’s Carmina Burana. Questions and answers have been slightly edited for style.
How is Guangzhou Ballet’s production of Carmina Burana different from other productions?
With the same music, each choreographer would hear something different as another. Guangzhou Balletʼs production of Carmina Burana is … my understanding, interpretation and imagination of the poetry and music. I do want and believe it is different [than] the other productions.
What inspired you to choreograph this particular ballet?
I really love the powerful music and the imaginative [quality] of the poetry. The music, for Chinese people, itʼs not that new. Some songs had been in the movies and concerts, but as a ballet it is the first time for the Chinese audience to see. Sometimes we like to be the first.
How much research did you conduct into the piece?
I have done as much research as I could. At the same time, I want the movement of the bodies [to] express even more than the words of poetry and the notes of the music. That is the beauty of ballet.
How challenging is the ballet from the dancers’ perspective?
The [challenge] during the creative process of this ballet is that for these classically trained dancers, I want them to move the way that is different than what they are used to. Because the music is so broad and powerful, the classic ballet vocabulary seems not enough, so I had the dancers explore more dimensions of the body movement. It was challenging, but once they let their bodies go, it is beautiful!
What do you like most about working for Guangzhou Ballet?
It is a great company with many young and vibrant dancers. They are eager to explore new ways of movements and willing to take challenging [assignments].
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Guangzhou Ballet’s productions of Carmina Burana and Goddess of the Luo River will run Aug. 17-18 at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City. Click here for more information and tickets.
