"I'm surprised, I didn't expect my dream to come true so soon!" Chen Zhenwei, who was in New York, couldn't hide his excitement when he was interviewed by The Paper reporter from overseas.
On May 20, the "post-90s" Chinese boy was declared the Principal by the officials of the New York City Ballet, becoming the first Chinese Principal in the company's 74-year history and the fourth Asian to hold this position.
"Chinese Light!" The news spread to China, and dance fans were also excited.
In August 2021, Chen Zhenwei joined the New York City Ballet and was promoted to Principal in less than a year. How did such a Chinese face stand on the top of the pyramid of Western dance troupes?
Flying to New York, the melting pot of cultures, he broke into 5%
The New York City Ballet was founded by the "Father of American Ballet" George Balanchine. He developed neoclassical ballet on the basis of the legacy of Russian ballet, and since then created his own style of "American ballet".
In 2018, this legendary dance troupe visited mainland China for the first time and staged the Shanghai Grand Theater, which is a major event in the city. During a conversation with then-acting artistic director Jonathan Stafford before the show, dancer Doudou posed one of the most concerned questions: How do I get into the New York City Ballet?
Jonathan Stafford replied that 95% of the dancers are from the American Ballet School, which is closely related to the dance company, and the remaining 5% are from outside the dance school. The strict entry threshold is shocking, and Chen Zhenwei is one of the 5%.
His relationship with the New York City Ballet dates back to 2019.
That year, Justin Parker, the resident choreographer of the New York City Ballet, was invited to choreograph for the Houston Ballet. Chen Zhenwei made his eyes shine. Whether it was a trio, pas de deux or solo, he was free and relaxed.
"I kept showing up in his work. After a day of rehearsal, I was exhausted, and he posted a photo of me lying on the ground with my legs lit up."
The two became good friends. At the dinner table for Peking duck, Justin Parker asked Chen Zhenwei if he wanted to go to another troupe. If he wants to go to the New York City Ballet, he can be contacted at any time.
"I said no." Chen Zhenwei candidly, as Houston's chief, he is reused by the head of the regiment, and going out means a new starting point.
Before long, my parents came to Houston to watch their son's "The Nutcracker," "It wasn't that busy that season, and my parents thought I was in a sort of retirement state. They said, you should go, even if you're down one level, not the chief, and you've got to go too. ."
Across 2,600 kilometers, in January 2020, Chen Zhenwei flew from Houston to New York and decided to give it a shot.
Whether it is the Houston Ballet or the San Francisco Ballet, there are Chinese people. At the New York City Ballet, Chen Zhenwei was surprised to find that Asian faces were rare, there was only one Japanese, and he could not speak Chinese at all.
"I was worried that I would not adapt, but I still wanted to be bold and brave, to break into the dance troupe, and let everyone see that the Chinese people are different."
In early February, after passing the dance troupe interview, Chen Zhenwei got the contract of solo dancer. The New York City Ballet had planned to announce his hiring through The New York Times, but it was canceled because of the outbreak in March. The dance troupe's performance was also canceled on a large scale due to the epidemic, and the pause button was completely pressed.
Chen Zhenwei was forced to leave his beloved stage. It didn't take long for him to receive an invitation to the second season of "Dancing Storm" on Instagram.
"I can't believe it, I thought it was a scam." Chen Zhenwei refused at first. He has been wandering overseas for more than ten years. Whenever there is a holiday, he will go back to China to accompany his parents and grandma. After several setbacks, Chen Zhenwei chose to take on the challenge and appeared on "Dancing Storm" as the principal of the Houston Ballet, overcoming obstacles and winning the top four in the country.
It was not until August 2021 that Chen Zhenwei officially joined New York. He made his solo debut with the New York City Ballet in Justin Parker's Variations on Purcinella.
From the comfortable Houston to the fast-paced cultural melting pot of New York, Chen Zhenwei starts all over again, and everything has to start from scratch.
Prices in New York were too high, so he moved into a modest apartment with colleagues from the dance troupe. Compared with the Houston house, the conditions here are far worse, and he is calm and excited to embrace everything.
"In Houston, I'm either driving or I'm in a troupe. At home, I'm either on gigs, in hotels, or on TV. It's hard to see me on the street."
In New York, he transformed himself into a skateboarder. You could see him speeding through the streets, so free, so casual, and slipped into the regiment in 20 minutes.
Rare Chinese face, the only Chinese chief
In less than a year, Chen Zhenwei rose from solo to chief.
"This group rarely recruits Asians, and there has never been a Chinese chief." Chen Zhenwei recalled to reporters the day of the official announcement. He was invited to the conference room by the two head of the group and the choreographer Justin Parker and informed him of the good news in person.
The reason for the promotion came from the long-term observation of several leaders: Chen Zhenwei on stage performed well, even exceeding their expectations.
Not long ago, Chen Zhenwei suffered a serious illness and missed the performance for a week. The second day after returning to the group, he was informed that his colleague had a back injury and he was going to be rescued.
That role was newly created by Justin Parker, and Chen Zhenwei never learned it. He won a new role in an hour, quickly put on makeup, changed his clothes, and formed a row with his dance partner.
"At that moment, Parker definitely believed that I was ready to be the chief." Justin Parker, who dug Chen Zhenwei from Houston and witnessed his growth and transformation along the way, is self-evident in the dance company-now At the age of 35, he is the core choreography force of the New York City Ballet. As of 2018, more than 50 new works of the dance company have come from him and other choreographers.
"I just want to perform well, so I learn fast, and I don't care about my physical condition at all." Chen Zhenwei successfully completed two rescue missions. After recovering from a serious illness, his body and mind were numb and weak. After the performance, it took a few days for him to react, and his body was hollowed out a bit.
There are many more episodes like this.
To gain a firm foothold in the world's top ballet company, Chen Zhenwei believes that one of the most critical qualities is strong and quick adaptability.
The New York City Ballet has a large number of performances, but there are very few rehearsals, and there is no time to pick actors bit by bit. "Some dance companies spend three months picking a play and a role, but here, you need a Learn it every week, you can't learn it, ok, change people, let others dance. You have to learn faster than them to have a chance to perform."
A Chinese face standing on the Western stage, especially in the American-led ballet company, also means that he has to work harder and be better to win performance opportunities.
"Wherever it is, whether it's a competition or a dance company, there are relationships, political connections. They'll take care of the older actor because he's been around longer and has more experience. They'll also give priority to white people, unless You jump better, those more difficult moves that no one can do, you can, then you go.”
Not only does he learn quickly, but Chen Zhenwei also has his own thoughts on choreography - he does not completely copy the movements of the choreographer, but integrates into their style, after learning their essentials, and then transforms it into his own, so that it is comfortable to dance out, It also has its own characteristics. You don't need to look at a copy template.
In addition to a large number of new works, the New York City Ballet also has a huge repertoire, especially Balanchine's works that can be called "the treasure of the town". In 1979, Balanchine had 47 masterpieces left in the New York City Ballet, becoming an inexhaustible treasure for the company.
Chen Zhenwei grew up in elementary school with the Russian school headed by Vaganova. Before coming to the United States, he knew very little about Balanchine. After arriving in New York, he began to delve into Balanchine's neoclassical style.
Balanchine's work integrates dance and music in a perfect and advanced way. You can hear the dance in the music and see the music in the dance. "You have to use your body to 'sing' music. Music can be high or low, so your body can have various shapes, and you must have a sense of music." Chen Zhenwei summed up his experience.
He has performed 5 Balanchine works so far. The beautiful Balanchine version of "The Nutcracker" is his first dance drama in the dance company as the leading male. This week, he's playing Balanchine's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Lincoln Arts, and this summer, he's touring the Kennedy Center for this fantastic work.
After being promoted to chief, Chen Zhenwei has more opportunities to take the lead, and the burden on his shoulders is also heavier.
"The amount of performances is too large! If you all dance along, no matter how much you like ballet, you will be crushed and dance to the point of being unlovable." To what extent? Chen Zhenwei counted with his fingers, this season, the dance troupe has performances every week, seven performances a week, and three or four performances every night, because there will be performances next week, they will also perform in the morning and afternoon for next week. work—that is, in addition to making sure the night’s performance goes smoothly, they also learn new works every day.
Sometimes, Chen Zhenwei was so busy that he didn't even have time to eat lunch, and eating was like fighting a war. His face is visibly thin, and he must eat, otherwise the muscles will disappear quickly.
"We have a lot of male chiefs who can stand up to the stage, and they will share the dance." Chen Zhenwei can still find time to go to the museum, to explore interesting small restaurants, or to buy a ticket to sit on Broadway and have a look How peers sing, dance and act. The nice thing about living in New York is that he can stroll down Broadway without planning after work. Sometimes when there is no performance for a week, he can watch two or three plays in a row without getting tired of it.
The sculptural figure makes him out of the circle, and the footless bird is his silhouette
Chen Zhenwei was born in Huizhou, Guangdong in 1992, and became interested in ballet while in kindergarten. As the only boy in the class, he began to learn to dance with his sister, receiving extra attention from the teacher.
At the age of 11, he wrote a long letter to his parents, requesting to study dance at the Guangzhou Art School. The future is uncertain, the family is very hesitant, and finally reluctantly parted with him and let him fly. Chen Zhenwei lived up to his expectations and entered the Houston Ballet of the United States with a full scholarship at the age of 18.
Standing 181, Chen Zhenwei, who just went abroad, is very thin and has long hands and feet. "Like a spider, even the lightest girl can't lift it up." The strength of the abdomen is exercised. Ballet pays attention to the beauty of lines, there are many rotations and jumps, he has a habitual combination of movements, this combination will not make the muscles become too large, making people unable to jump.
Now when I search for Chen Zhenwei, the first thing that pops out is "David in the World". The sculptural figure makes him out of the circle and becomes an eye-catching weapon. One time I had dinner with Tan Yuanyuan, and everyone was surprised that he ordered two bowls of rice, and he was still in good shape. Dancing consumes too much energy, and he doesn't gain weight no matter how he eats.
In the early years, because he could not take care of his body, Chen Zhenwei also encountered one of the biggest difficulties in his life.
It was not long after he became a corps dancer with the Houston Ballet. During a tour in Canada, the ligament in his right thumb was accidentally ruptured and he underwent surgery. Shortly after returning to the stage, he injured his ankle again.
Injured twice in a year, the regiment commander had to talk to him, "he said, you are very talented, but we can't use it, you have to start from scratch. I was very puzzled at the time, I was so serious and tried my best every time. , why do you have to start from scratch when you are injured?" Chen Zhenwei was very discouraged and wanted to change the runway for a while, but Gary Keller's "The Most Important Thing, Only One Thing" pulled him back.
Later, Chen Zhenwei understood what the head of the group meant. No one could take care of his body. The lessons of that year were too great. He learned to use his body scientifically and made rapid progress. In just three or four years, he was promoted to the position of chief.
Participating in "Dancing Storm" was a highlight moment for Chen Zhenwei. It is through this show that many people got to know this boy who loves to laugh.
"My debut must not be bad." During the quarantine period in Hong Kong, the hotel was very small and there was no place to practice the exercises, so he erected the bed, sucked the bottom of the bed, practiced exercises in the morning, and put it down at night. 14 days are so persistent.
He also completed the 12 episodes of the first season in two days, and was most impressed with the champion Hu Chenyuan.
"He is the most similar to the dance concept I pursue. Many people think that ballet is difficult to express emotions or tell a story, but Hu Chenyuan can do it, and I think ballet can do it too." Chen Zhenwei did not hesitate at the first show. , challenge Hu Chenyuan's "Only the Night Heard His Whisper" with "The Bird without Foot". This courage stunned everyone present.
Accompanied by Leslie Cheung's narration in "The True Story of Ah Fei", Chen Zhenwei flew like a bird.
"Footless birds can only fly all the time. When they are tired, they sleep in the wind. They can only fall to the ground once in their life, and that is when they die." The footless birds are like the silhouettes of dancers. When chasing their dreams, they are always alone. One, always face loneliness.
Difficult dance moves and excellent body control won him applause from the audience. Although he lost by three votes, Chen Zhenwei still got the collective putt of the four storm forensics officers and successfully advanced.
From image, size to basic skills, the forensic officer Shen Wei commented that Chen Zhenwei was impeccable, "After four or five laps of an action, the inertia is very large, and his center of gravity is still so stable, which proves that his basic skills are very solid. The level of movement in place represents a quality that many ballet dancers pursue."
He also worked hard in the United States and became famous in New York. Shen Wei also knew how difficult it was for a Chinese male dancer to get the lead in the American Dance Company. It's your culture, your traditions, I dance better than you... I'm so proud, he deserves to be an example."
Hearing that Chen Zhenwei went up another floor, Shen Wei quickly sent a congratulatory text message. This summer, Shen Wei will return to New York after a long absence, and the two also made an appointment to meet.
Still feel like a footless bird? "Part of it, it has a sense of grief and anger, but I won't always be so grief and anger abroad, and there are moments of joy and enjoyment."
Entering the threshold of 30 years old, Chen Zhenwei is at his peak. Apart from focusing on dancing, he has not forgotten to pave the way for the future and recharge himself.
While still in Houston, he took college courses and now transfers to Fordham University, near the New York City Ballet. Two courses in summer, two more courses in autumn, one course after another... Chen Zhenwei is already a sophomore.
His main focus is business management. "Of course I can study art history and dance history, but it's too similar to my current profession, and it's just different." Fuller, become a more determined and interesting person.
On May 20, the "post-90s" Chinese boy was declared the Principal by the officials of the New York City Ballet, becoming the first Chinese Principal in the company's 74-year history and the fourth Asian to hold this position.
"Chinese Light!" The news spread to China, and dance fans were also excited.
In August 2021, Chen Zhenwei joined the New York City Ballet and was promoted to Principal in less than a year. How did such a Chinese face stand on the top of the pyramid of Western dance troupes?
Chen Zhenwei starring in "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the New York City Ballet, photo by Erin Baiano
Chen Zhenwei starring in "The Nutcracker" at the New York City Ballet, photo by Erin Baiano
Flying to New York, the melting pot of cultures, he broke into 5%
The New York City Ballet was founded by the "Father of American Ballet" George Balanchine. He developed neoclassical ballet on the basis of the legacy of Russian ballet, and since then created his own style of "American ballet".
In 2018, this legendary dance troupe visited mainland China for the first time and staged the Shanghai Grand Theater, which is a major event in the city. During a conversation with then-acting artistic director Jonathan Stafford before the show, dancer Doudou posed one of the most concerned questions: How do I get into the New York City Ballet?
Jonathan Stafford replied that 95% of the dancers are from the American Ballet School, which is closely related to the dance company, and the remaining 5% are from outside the dance school. The strict entry threshold is shocking, and Chen Zhenwei is one of the 5%.
His relationship with the New York City Ballet dates back to 2019.
That year, Justin Parker, the resident choreographer of the New York City Ballet, was invited to choreograph for the Houston Ballet. Chen Zhenwei made his eyes shine. Whether it was a trio, pas de deux or solo, he was free and relaxed.
"I kept showing up in his work. After a day of rehearsal, I was exhausted, and he posted a photo of me lying on the ground with my legs lit up."
The two became good friends. At the dinner table for Peking duck, Justin Parker asked Chen Zhenwei if he wanted to go to another troupe. If he wants to go to the New York City Ballet, he can be contacted at any time.
"I said no." Chen Zhenwei candidly, as Houston's chief, he is reused by the head of the regiment, and going out means a new starting point.
Before long, my parents came to Houston to watch their son's "The Nutcracker," "It wasn't that busy that season, and my parents thought I was in a sort of retirement state. They said, you should go, even if you're down one level, not the chief, and you've got to go too. ."
Across 2,600 kilometers, in January 2020, Chen Zhenwei flew from Houston to New York and decided to give it a shot.
Whether it is the Houston Ballet or the San Francisco Ballet, there are Chinese people. At the New York City Ballet, Chen Zhenwei was surprised to find that Asian faces were rare, there was only one Japanese, and he could not speak Chinese at all.
"I was worried that I would not adapt, but I still wanted to be bold and brave, to break into the dance troupe, and let everyone see that the Chinese people are different."
In early February, after passing the dance troupe interview, Chen Zhenwei got the contract of solo dancer. The New York City Ballet had planned to announce his hiring through The New York Times, but it was canceled because of the outbreak in March. The dance troupe's performance was also canceled on a large scale due to the epidemic, and the pause button was completely pressed.
Chen Zhenwei was forced to leave his beloved stage. It didn't take long for him to receive an invitation to the second season of "Dancing Storm" on Instagram.
"I can't believe it, I thought it was a scam." Chen Zhenwei refused at first. He has been wandering overseas for more than ten years. Whenever there is a holiday, he will go back to China to accompany his parents and grandma. After several setbacks, Chen Zhenwei chose to take on the challenge and appeared on "Dancing Storm" as the principal of the Houston Ballet, overcoming obstacles and winning the top four in the country.
It was not until August 2021 that Chen Zhenwei officially joined New York. He made his solo debut with the New York City Ballet in Justin Parker's Variations on Purcinella.
From the comfortable Houston to the fast-paced cultural melting pot of New York, Chen Zhenwei starts all over again, and everything has to start from scratch.
Prices in New York were too high, so he moved into a modest apartment with colleagues from the dance troupe. Compared with the Houston house, the conditions here are far worse, and he is calm and excited to embrace everything.
"In Houston, I'm either driving or I'm in a troupe. At home, I'm either on gigs, in hotels, or on TV. It's hard to see me on the street."
In New York, he transformed himself into a skateboarder. You could see him speeding through the streets, so free, so casual, and slipped into the regiment in 20 minutes.
Chen Zhenwei in the rehearsal hall
Chen Zhenwei in the rehearsal hall
Rare Chinese face, the only Chinese chief
In less than a year, Chen Zhenwei rose from solo to chief.
"This group rarely recruits Asians, and there has never been a Chinese chief." Chen Zhenwei recalled to reporters the day of the official announcement. He was invited to the conference room by the two head of the group and the choreographer Justin Parker and informed him of the good news in person.
The reason for the promotion came from the long-term observation of several leaders: Chen Zhenwei on stage performed well, even exceeding their expectations.
Not long ago, Chen Zhenwei suffered a serious illness and missed the performance for a week. The second day after returning to the group, he was informed that his colleague had a back injury and he was going to be rescued.
That role was newly created by Justin Parker, and Chen Zhenwei never learned it. He won a new role in an hour, quickly put on makeup, changed his clothes, and formed a row with his dance partner.
"At that moment, Parker definitely believed that I was ready to be the chief." Justin Parker, who dug Chen Zhenwei from Houston and witnessed his growth and transformation along the way, is self-evident in the dance company-now At the age of 35, he is the core choreography force of the New York City Ballet. As of 2018, more than 50 new works of the dance company have come from him and other choreographers.
"I just want to perform well, so I learn fast, and I don't care about my physical condition at all." Chen Zhenwei successfully completed two rescue missions. After recovering from a serious illness, his body and mind were numb and weak. After the performance, it took a few days for him to react, and his body was hollowed out a bit.
There are many more episodes like this.
To gain a firm foothold in the world's top ballet company, Chen Zhenwei believes that one of the most critical qualities is strong and quick adaptability.
The New York City Ballet has a large number of performances, but there are very few rehearsals, and there is no time to pick actors bit by bit. "Some dance companies spend three months picking a play and a role, but here, you need a Learn it every week, you can't learn it, ok, change people, let others dance. You have to learn faster than them to have a chance to perform."
A Chinese face standing on the Western stage, especially in the American-led ballet company, also means that he has to work harder and be better to win performance opportunities.
"Wherever it is, whether it's a competition or a dance company, there are relationships, political connections. They'll take care of the older actor because he's been around longer and has more experience. They'll also give priority to white people, unless You jump better, those more difficult moves that no one can do, you can, then you go.”
Not only does he learn quickly, but Chen Zhenwei also has his own thoughts on choreography - he does not completely copy the movements of the choreographer, but integrates into their style, after learning their essentials, and then transforms it into his own, so that it is comfortable to dance out, It also has its own characteristics. You don't need to look at a copy template.
In addition to a large number of new works, the New York City Ballet also has a huge repertoire, especially Balanchine's works that can be called "the treasure of the town". In 1979, Balanchine had 47 masterpieces left in the New York City Ballet, becoming an inexhaustible treasure for the company.
Chen Zhenwei grew up in elementary school with the Russian school headed by Vaganova. Before coming to the United States, he knew very little about Balanchine. After arriving in New York, he began to delve into Balanchine's neoclassical style.
Balanchine's work integrates dance and music in a perfect and advanced way. You can hear the dance in the music and see the music in the dance. "You have to use your body to 'sing' music. Music can be high or low, so your body can have various shapes, and you must have a sense of music." Chen Zhenwei summed up his experience.
He has performed 5 Balanchine works so far. The beautiful Balanchine version of "The Nutcracker" is his first dance drama in the dance company as the leading male. This week, he's playing Balanchine's "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at Lincoln Arts, and this summer, he's touring the Kennedy Center for this fantastic work.
After being promoted to chief, Chen Zhenwei has more opportunities to take the lead, and the burden on his shoulders is also heavier.
"The amount of performances is too large! If you all dance along, no matter how much you like ballet, you will be crushed and dance to the point of being unlovable." To what extent? Chen Zhenwei counted with his fingers, this season, the dance troupe has performances every week, seven performances a week, and three or four performances every night, because there will be performances next week, they will also perform in the morning and afternoon for next week. work—that is, in addition to making sure the night’s performance goes smoothly, they also learn new works every day.
Sometimes, Chen Zhenwei was so busy that he didn't even have time to eat lunch, and eating was like fighting a war. His face is visibly thin, and he must eat, otherwise the muscles will disappear quickly.
"We have a lot of male chiefs who can stand up to the stage, and they will share the dance." Chen Zhenwei can still find time to go to the museum, to explore interesting small restaurants, or to buy a ticket to sit on Broadway and have a look How peers sing, dance and act. The nice thing about living in New York is that he can stroll down Broadway without planning after work. Sometimes when there is no performance for a week, he can watch two or three plays in a row without getting tired of it.
Chen Zhenwei in "Dancing Storm"
Chen Zhenwei's debut "Footless Bird" in "Dancing Storm"
The sculptural figure makes him out of the circle, and the footless bird is his silhouette
Chen Zhenwei was born in Huizhou, Guangdong in 1992, and became interested in ballet while in kindergarten. As the only boy in the class, he began to learn to dance with his sister, receiving extra attention from the teacher.
At the age of 11, he wrote a long letter to his parents, requesting to study dance at the Guangzhou Art School. The future is uncertain, the family is very hesitant, and finally reluctantly parted with him and let him fly. Chen Zhenwei lived up to his expectations and entered the Houston Ballet of the United States with a full scholarship at the age of 18.
Standing 181, Chen Zhenwei, who just went abroad, is very thin and has long hands and feet. "Like a spider, even the lightest girl can't lift it up." The strength of the abdomen is exercised. Ballet pays attention to the beauty of lines, there are many rotations and jumps, he has a habitual combination of movements, this combination will not make the muscles become too large, making people unable to jump.
Now when I search for Chen Zhenwei, the first thing that pops out is "David in the World". The sculptural figure makes him out of the circle and becomes an eye-catching weapon. One time I had dinner with Tan Yuanyuan, and everyone was surprised that he ordered two bowls of rice, and he was still in good shape. Dancing consumes too much energy, and he doesn't gain weight no matter how he eats.
In the early years, because he could not take care of his body, Chen Zhenwei also encountered one of the biggest difficulties in his life.
It was not long after he became a corps dancer with the Houston Ballet. During a tour in Canada, the ligament in his right thumb was accidentally ruptured and he underwent surgery. Shortly after returning to the stage, he injured his ankle again.
Injured twice in a year, the regiment commander had to talk to him, "he said, you are very talented, but we can't use it, you have to start from scratch. I was very puzzled at the time, I was so serious and tried my best every time. , why do you have to start from scratch when you are injured?" Chen Zhenwei was very discouraged and wanted to change the runway for a while, but Gary Keller's "The Most Important Thing, Only One Thing" pulled him back.
Later, Chen Zhenwei understood what the head of the group meant. No one could take care of his body. The lessons of that year were too great. He learned to use his body scientifically and made rapid progress. In just three or four years, he was promoted to the position of chief.
Participating in "Dancing Storm" was a highlight moment for Chen Zhenwei. It is through this show that many people got to know this boy who loves to laugh.
"My debut must not be bad." During the quarantine period in Hong Kong, the hotel was very small and there was no place to practice the exercises, so he erected the bed, sucked the bottom of the bed, practiced exercises in the morning, and put it down at night. 14 days are so persistent.
He also completed the 12 episodes of the first season in two days, and was most impressed with the champion Hu Chenyuan.
"He is the most similar to the dance concept I pursue. Many people think that ballet is difficult to express emotions or tell a story, but Hu Chenyuan can do it, and I think ballet can do it too." Chen Zhenwei did not hesitate at the first show. , challenge Hu Chenyuan's "Only the Night Heard His Whisper" with "The Bird without Foot". This courage stunned everyone present.
Accompanied by Leslie Cheung's narration in "The True Story of Ah Fei", Chen Zhenwei flew like a bird.
"Footless birds can only fly all the time. When they are tired, they sleep in the wind. They can only fall to the ground once in their life, and that is when they die." The footless birds are like the silhouettes of dancers. When chasing their dreams, they are always alone. One, always face loneliness.
Difficult dance moves and excellent body control won him applause from the audience. Although he lost by three votes, Chen Zhenwei still got the collective putt of the four storm forensics officers and successfully advanced.
From image, size to basic skills, the forensic officer Shen Wei commented that Chen Zhenwei was impeccable, "After four or five laps of an action, the inertia is very large, and his center of gravity is still so stable, which proves that his basic skills are very solid. The level of movement in place represents a quality that many ballet dancers pursue."
He also worked hard in the United States and became famous in New York. Shen Wei also knew how difficult it was for a Chinese male dancer to get the lead in the American Dance Company. It's your culture, your traditions, I dance better than you... I'm so proud, he deserves to be an example."
Hearing that Chen Zhenwei went up another floor, Shen Wei quickly sent a congratulatory text message. This summer, Shen Wei will return to New York after a long absence, and the two also made an appointment to meet.
Still feel like a footless bird? "Part of it, it has a sense of grief and anger, but I won't always be so grief and anger abroad, and there are moments of joy and enjoyment."
Entering the threshold of 30 years old, Chen Zhenwei is at his peak. Apart from focusing on dancing, he has not forgotten to pave the way for the future and recharge himself.
While still in Houston, he took college courses and now transfers to Fordham University, near the New York City Ballet. Two courses in summer, two more courses in autumn, one course after another... Chen Zhenwei is already a sophomore.
His main focus is business management. "Of course I can study art history and dance history, but it's too similar to my current profession, and it's just different." Fuller, become a more determined and interesting person.
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