Shanghai event showcases China's progress in ballet

Frank Anderson, chairman of the jury of the 6th Shanghai International Ballet Competition. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"Now Chinese dancers are being invited ... to go abroad. They learn a lot of things, get knowledge, experience and know-how.

"Then they return to China, and they pass on their experience to the next generation."

He also says he found that Chinese dancers at the competition were bringing to the stage a lot of the things that they had learned from the West.

"It is wonderful to see that they are taking the tradition of Western classical ballet, and using it as a language for Chinese ballet.

"They have integrated the Western ballet tradition into the ballets they produce today, even those with revolutionary themes."

Anderson and his colleagues judged the dancers on talent, potential, musicality, artistry, and most importantly, whether they were dancing with heart.

One of the jury members, Andris Liepa, a former principal dancer with the Bolshoi Ballet in Russia, says that the jury was looking at more than just the 50-second performance of the contestants.

"We wanted to see a role and use the dancer later on in a company, or in a production. Such is the difference between art and sport," he says.

Liepa, who has judged the SIBC in two consecutive events, says he found that the level of the dancers had improved this time, especially the Chinese dancers.

"They were jumping higher, and doing the pirouettes better. However, we haven't had a personality," he says, explaining why the top prize was not awarded this year.

"When you have a strong personality, it just knocks you down," Liepa explains.

"The audience, the jury and the competitors, they all realize that he or she beats everyone. There will be no discussion."

But finding such a personality is often a matter of luck, he says.

"Maybe one will show up at an event in Beijing, or maybe next year."