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Renowned Chinese ballet dancer Cao Chi attends Shen Yun Performing Arts. (Getty Images)
LONDON—The world premiere presentation of ancient China's divinely-inspired cultural heritage by Shen Yun Performing Arts, has attracted celebrities of world renown, including the internationally-acclaimed Chinese ballet dancer, Cao Chi.
Mr. Cao starred as the lead character in the feature film, Mao's Last Dancer and departing from a busy schedule, he took the time to speak by telephone to The Epoch Times about the New York-based Shen Yun Performing Arts performances.
Mr. Cao recalled that last year, he was fortunate enough to be invited by an official from the British cultural department, to watch a Shen Yun show in London.
"It was an enjoyable and meaningful experience," he said. "The show was excellent, the content rich, the stage effects were amazing, unique and it was a large scale one-of-its-own-kind arts event."
He also said the performances had artistic and spiritual charm that struck a chord with audiences, demonstrating the highest accord given to the arts. He recommended that more come to watch the show for themselves and experience the energy emitted from the stage.
Mr. Cao is currently the lead dance artist in the U.K.'s Birmingham Royal Ballet. He was awarded the Gold Medal at the Varna International Ballet Competition (touted as the Olympics of ballet) and is known as 'China's ballet prince.' He was also the lead actor in the movie Mao's Last Dancer playing the role of Chinese ballet dancer, Li Cunxin.
No Other Show Can Compare
Mr. Cao said the content of Shen Yun was very rich. "It is very encompassing, large scale and in a class of its own. It is an art's feast, not seen in other shows, unlike the content of ordinary shows that are all the same.”
He said Shen Yun reflected the charm and spirit of traditional Chinese culture. "It has profound connotations."
"It is a production of such a large scale attracting so many audiences and has won the hearts of so many people. It goes to show how successful the performances are,” Mr. Cao said.
“What is most unusual is that every year the shows have a new program. It shows (the company) has strong creativity and [is] very effective. It is a great achievement, a great thing that Shen Yun was formed and developed overseas and able to promote traditional Chinese culture on the global stage."
Excellent Technical Skills, Beautiful and Harmonious
Integral to Shen Yun are exquisitely costumed dancers, choreographed to portray ancient legends, folk traditions and modern day stories of astounding courage.
Mr. Cao said the skills of the performers in Shen Yun shows were extremely advanced, displaying many highly difficult technical moves. "The dances are beautiful, the whole stage effect is excellent, unique. Audiences kept applauding during the show.”
“The coordination amongst dancers is excellent, hence, the dances presented are very harmonious and graceful. This aspect is especially rare and precious," he added.
Mr. Cao has a busy performing schedule, yet every year he will return to mainland China either to perform or visit relatives. He said, “I know that many companies, both within China and outside China, feature large scale dances, but they could be discordant because everyone wants to show off oneself, therefore on the whole, the dances don't seem to be that harmonious.”
Demonstrating the Highest Realm in Arts
Mr. Cao said that Shen Yun show is extremely moving and the techniques displayed—a necessary foundation. "But what's most important is the inner charisma of arts. The inner empathy and joy shown by audiences is the best illustration of this intrinsic quality.
“Classical arts have profound connotations hence the more we know about it, the more we feel that what we know is not enough.
"There is a saying in the world of dance: 'You see a performer on stage, although he does not display any technique, however the audience cannot take their eyes off him. From the time the performer comes onstage, he has deeply captivated the audience, every movement, every dance, even if it is just a simple movement, captivates the audience.'
"This kind of inner charisma, the power of the arts is the highest realm a performer can ever hope to achieve. This is not only determined by dance technique, more importantly, it is driven by the performer's inner cultivation, level of knowledge, character, virtue, personal experience and so on. To a performer, these are the sources and motivation for creation and expression.”
Mr. Cao said that for any performer, it is a great challenge to improve one's dance technique and quality. "However, it is an even greater challenge to be able to create joy and empathy with the audience, to touch people.”
'Shen Yun inspires the performing arts circle'
Mr. Cao said that Shen Yun has given the performing arts circle inspiration.
"Watching Shen Yun is just like embarking on a time travel, reflecting on one's life and artistic experience," he said.
“We regard dance as a means of livelihood, hence, we don't have the same passion as Shen Yun performers. Their passion for the arts and for bringing the beauty of arts to audiences are really touching. We lack this because we treat dance as a job.”
Mr. Cao recommends that people come watch Shen Yun for themselves and personally experience the energy emitted. He said, “If you watch the video recording, [promotional material] you can only see the technique and physical movements of the body. However seeing it live, you are able to experience the strong artistic impact, the infectiousness displayed by the shows. That kind of internal charm, as well as the energy transmitted by the performance, can only be experienced from watching a live show."
Synopsis of Chi Cao
Mr. Cao was born in Beijing into an artistic family. He started learning ballet at a young age. While studying dance at the Beijing Dance Academy, he won a prize in the Prix De Lausanne International Ballet Competition, thus earning the reputation as “China's ballet prince.”
In February 1994, Mr. Cao further studied at England's Royal Ballet school. In July 1995, he graduated with top honors and joined the Birmingham Royal Ballet Company becoming its artistic director, choreographer for the ballet Beauty and the Beast, and is one of David Bintley's top students.
In 1998, Mr. Cao took part in the ballet equivalent of the Olympics Varna international Ballet Competition and won Gold. In 2002, he was promoted to the principal dancer of Birmingham Royal Ballet Company.
The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Peforming Arts. For more information, please see ShenYunPerformingArts.org
Read the original Chinese article.
