作者：刘丁睿 贺煜
来源：《重庆与世界》2022年第06期
plum blossom
Ballet Girl Sakura from Thailand， Dancing to Her Dreams in Chongqing
“Open， extend， and jump ......” A girl speaking “not-so-good” Mandarin is particularly noticeable in the practice room of Chongqing Ballet Theater （Chongqing Ballet）. She is Sakura （Chinese name： Xiao Ying， 小櫻）， 23 years old from Bangkok， Thailand and a foreign performer joining the Chongqing Ballet in June 2021.
Meeting Chongqing Ballet in Singapore
Sakura started to study ballet from a young age and was admitted by the Kirov Academy of Washington D.C.， USA after extensive trainings day in and day out. Her love for ballet has driven her to turn this hobby into her career after graduation.
In 2019， Sakura learned from her teacher that Chongqing Ballet would stage a performance in Singapore， which was a wonderful opportunity for her to observe and learn. In Singapore， after watching Chongqing Ballet’s performance Shangri-La， she had a totally different understanding of ballet as it was performed with strong expressiveness， unconventional dancing philosophies， and the avant-garde aesthetics.
“I really enjoyed Chongqing Ballet’s performance and dreamt of becoming one of them and performing on more stages.” Sakura recalled that after the performance， she met Liu Jun， Director of Chongqing Ballet. She was touched by his unique insights on ballet. After two years of hard work， Sakura has realized her dream and become a member of Chongqing Ballet.
On Bigger Stages from Chongqing
“When I first arrived in Chongqing， I missed my family very much. I talked with my parents every day via video call. The warmth that I’ve felt in Chongqing has made me adapted quickly to this place.” Sakura said that friendly and welcoming Chongqing colleagues cared her a lot and， gradually， she didn’t feel homesick anymore.
“My time at Chongqing Ballet is very fulfilling. I perform a lot and spend most of the other time in rehearsals. I practice six or seven hours a day and thanks to that， I have improved tremendously.” Before joining Chongqing Ballet， Sakura didn’t have many opportunities to perform， but Chongqing Ballet has given her a wider stage to improve her
skills and enrich her experience on stage.
When performing with Chongqing Ballet， Sakura also met a great challenge - Chinese classical dancing. She had never been trained for Chinese classical dancing before. It was a slow process to start but she enjoyed it. After practices， she has learned how to blend Chinese classical dancing with ballet， enriching ballet with more Chinese features and artistic elements. Thus， ballet is able to embrace characteristics of the East and the West.
Nearly a year in Chongqing， Sakura has performed over 50 times in many ballets such as The Nutcracker Magic， Ballet in Illusion， Carnival of the Animals， Ripples Across Stagnant Water， Shangri-La and Ode to the Red Plum. She has danced in almost all the theaters in Chongqing and knew more about Chongqing’s local conditions and people. On April 21st this year， Chongqing Ballet’s Ode to the Red Plum Blossom was presented during the International Dance Festival at the Julio Mario Santodomingo Theater in Colombia， offering a feast of oriental dance to an audience of more than 2 million worldwide. Sakura was a dancer in that ballet.
In her leisure time， Sakura learns Chinese and enjoys exploring Chongqing with her friends. Nanshan Mountain， Nanbin Road， and Shibati （Eighteen Steps） are some of the places that she has visited. Sakura is so excited， “Chongqing is SO beautiful！” Not only the wonderful sceneries， but also the spicy food is a big hit with her， including Chongqing hot pot， Xiao Mian （Chongqing noodles）， Ma La Tang （mini hot pot）， Mao Xue Wang （Spicy Blood Curd）， Chao Shou （Chongqing-style wontons） and so on.
Hoping for More Cultural Exchanges Between Chongqing and Bangkok
In September 2011， Chongqing and Bangkok tied up as sister cities. Bangkok was the first capital city to establish a sister-city relationship with Chongqing. Coming from Bangkok， Sakura has a special feeling for Chongqing.
Chongqing in the eyes of Sakura is a modernized international metropolis. Skyscrapers and cross-river bridges harmoniously co-exist with old streets and ancient towns. This is Chongqing where history meets modernity. When night falls， the lights will
make this city even more glamorous.
“Moreover， Chongqing is an open and inclusive city.” Sakura says that foreigners living here give thumbs-up to Chongqing. There are many restaurants of different styles around the world， offering tasty food of hometowns to foreigners. More foreign businesses and foreigners will be attracted to make investments and pursue their careers here in the future.
Talking about Chongqing and her hometown Bangkok， ballet dancer Sakura hopes that Chongqing and Bangkok can carry out more cultural exchange activities. She looks forward to improving mutual understanding and friendship between the two places with mutual visits and performances， learning opportunities， as well as interactive events. Once the pandemic is over， ballet dancers from both places could engage more with each other in exchange events and mutual learning， presenting more wonderful ballets to the audience.
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