Upclose with Yuanyuan Tan
The principal dancer of the prestigious San Francisco Ballet Company, Yuanyuan Tan’s career was serendipitously decided by a coin toss: her mother wanted her to dance, while her father wanted her to become a doctor. She departed from her hometown of Shanghai and is now one of the most acclaimed Chinese ballerinas today. She tells Leanne Mirandilla about the role of Giselle and about some of the ups and downs of being a dancer.
HK Magazine: What is playing the role of Giselle like?
Yuanyuan Tan: Actually, this is one of my favorite roles in ballet. The first time I did Giselle, I was 15. I was assigned to do Giselle’s [dance] in the second act, a pas de deux, in a student showcase in the Shanghai Dance School. [The dance] requires very fine, very stylistic movements; you’re supposed to be a ghost and move very lightly, like a feather. At the age of 15 I didn’t know how to master that, so I spent a lot of time on it with my partner, trying to get the steps right. We practiced for two months every day. The teacher was trying to make us understand every single detail of what we should be feeling at each moment—I was a wilis [an evil female spirit in Slavic folklore], but I had a very kind heart and forgave Albrecht [the prince Giselle fell in love with, who betrayed her]. So I was trying to understand what was going on with the whole story, because otherwise I’d just be dancing the steps without knowing who I was and what the role meant.
HK: How do you feel about the role now?
YT: For me, it’s very comfortable to play Giselle. The story leads me through every single movement. I can feel that Giselle was an innocent girl who fell in love, was cheated and heartbroken, and then went mad. The mad thing is very important. After that, she becomes a wilis, dances with Albrecht and saves him from the other wilis. It’s a transition. It’s just very compelling to dance Giselle, always.
HK: What are your parents thoughts on your dancing career now?
YT: As soon as I became a professional ballet dancer at the age of 11, after all these struggles, my father was 100 percent supportive. I think, at the end of the day, they see me really trying hard to achieve my dream. I think all the parents would do [this]—if their child has a dream, they will support it.
HK: What is your favorite thing about being a dancer?
YT: The thing about dance is that it’s an international language and art form. Before [verbal] language existed, I believe that dance is the way people communicated. I’ve traveled a lot and made a lot of great friends through dance. Dance, for me, is something that I can [use to] express that, when in daily or normal life, I can’t.
HK: What about the biggest difficulties?
YT: Every day, I repeat daily classes for one and a half hours—every day you’re doing the same thing over and over again, no matter if you feel sick [or] you’re in pain. On top of that, you’re doing a lot of rehearsals—six hours of rehearsals through the day—and it’s really hard to keep your energy levels high and keep your focus all the time. And then, you not only have classical ballet, but you have contemporary pieces. You have to shift your body weight and position in order to create the contemporary look. Usually the choreographer tends to really challenge your ability. That’s the time you usually get very tired and brain-dead.
HK: What does it take to be a good ballerina?
YT: Discipline. Never give up. And have a high tolerance for pain.