泰國芭蕾女孩Sakura重慶逐夢

劉丁睿 賀煜

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.

“Chongqing has a long history and Bangkok also enjoys rich heritages. Chongqing people are welcomed to visit my hometown Bangkok and feel the charm of the city. I will also tell my friends and family more about this beautiful land of Chongqing.”

Photo/Chongqing Ballet Theater

“打開、送出去、跳……”，在重慶芭蕾舞團練功室，一位操著不太熟練的普通話的女孩，格外引人注意。她是來自泰國曼谷的Sakura（中文名：小櫻），今年23歲，是重慶芭蕾舞團引進的外籍演員，2021年6月來到重慶。

在新加坡初遇重慶芭蕾舞團

Sakura自幼學習芭蕾，日復一日的艱苦訓練，她終于被美國華盛頓基洛夫芭蕾舞學院錄取。熱愛芭蕾，她便在畢業后將這一愛好變成職業。

2019年，Sakura從老師口中得知，重慶芭蕾舞團將在新加坡有一場演出，她便欣喜地前去觀摩學習。在新加坡，她欣賞到重慶芭蕾舞團的演出《追尋香格里拉》，富有張力的舞臺表現，不落窠臼的舞蹈思路，與時俱進的藝術審美，讓她對芭蕾產生了不同以往的認識和理解。

“我非常喜歡重慶芭蕾舞團的演出，當時就特別想成為她們中的一員，去更多舞臺表演。”Sakura回憶說，通過那場演出，她結識了重慶芭蕾舞團的團長劉軍，劉團長對芭蕾的獨到見解讓她深受觸動。經過兩年的努力，Sakura如愿成為了重慶芭蕾舞團的一員。

在重慶登上廣闊舞臺

“初到重慶之時，我很思念家人，每天都會和父母視頻通話，但來自重慶的溫暖讓我很快就適應了這里。”Sakura說，重慶人熱情友好，舞團的同事對她關懷備至，離家的愁緒漸漸消散。

“在重慶芭蕾舞團的日子非常充實，會經常隨團演出，其他時間大多在排練，每天會練習六七個小時，讓我得到了極大的提升。”Sakura表示，在來重慶芭蕾舞團之前，她并沒有太多的表演機會，而重慶芭蕾舞團給了她廣闊的舞臺，讓她既提升了表演能力，也豐富了舞臺經驗。

來到重慶芭蕾舞團，Sakura還遇到了一個極大的挑戰—中國古典舞。她此前并未接觸過中國古典舞，初學時進度較慢，但她樂在其中，通過刻苦地練習，她學會了將中國古典舞與芭蕾舞巧妙地融合，賦予芭蕾藝術更多的中國神韻和藝術特質，呈現出中西合璧的芭蕾表現形式。

在重慶的近一年時間里，Sakura參演了《胡桃夾子》《幻妝芭蕾》《動物狂歡曲》《死水微瀾》《追尋香格里拉》《百年紅梅頌》等多臺芭蕾舞劇，演出共計50余場，隨團到過成都、廣州等城市演出，去過重慶潼南、永川、酉陽、黔江等區縣表演，幾乎跑遍了重慶所有的劇場，讓她更加全面地了解了重慶的風土人情。其中，今年4月21日，重慶芭蕾舞團的《百年紅梅頌》還亮相了哥倫比亞胡里奧·馬里奧·圣多明戈大劇院國際舞蹈季云展演，為全球200多萬觀眾呈現極具東方舞韻的芭蕾盛宴，Sakura就參演其中。

工作之余，Sakura會學習中文，也喜歡和朋友們一起探索重慶。南山、南濱路、十八梯……這些極具重慶特色的地方都有她的足跡。講到這些，Sakura直呼：“重慶太美啦！”不僅美景醉人，麻辣美食更是讓她大飽口福。重慶火鍋、重慶小面、麻辣燙、毛血旺、抄手等都是她的心頭好。

希望重慶與曼谷開展更多文化交流

2011年9月，重慶與曼谷結為友好城市。曼谷是第一個與重慶建立友城關系的外國首都城市。作為一個曼谷女孩，Sakura也因此對重慶增添了一份喜愛。

Sakura眼中的重慶是現代化國際大都市，現代的摩天大樓、跨江大橋與老街、古道新舊融合，在歷史傳承與時代發展的碰撞中，構筑了屬于重慶的經典。每當夜幕降臨，萬千燈火更是璀璨迷人。

“重慶還是一座開放、包容的城市。”Sakura說，在重慶生活的外國人都對這里不吝贊美。街上有很多外國餐廳，能讓生活在這座城市的外國人品嘗到家鄉風味，更好地工作和生活。相信未來將吸引更多的外國企業、外國人來此投資興業。

談及重慶與家鄉曼谷，Sakura表示，作為一名芭蕾舞演員，希望重慶和姐妹城市曼谷能開展更多的文化交流活動，通過互訪演出、學習交流，增進兩地的相互了解和友誼。待疫情過后，希望兩地的芭蕾舞演員可以多多交流學習，為觀眾呈現更多精彩的芭蕾舞劇。

“重慶歷史悠久，曼谷同樣底蘊深厚，歡迎重慶人民去我的家鄉曼谷做客，親身領略其城市魅力，我也會向親朋好友推薦重慶山水。”

》》》拓展閱讀

2011年6月，為慶祝中泰建交36周年，重慶與曼谷在曼谷暹羅劇場聯合舉辦泰國重慶文化周活動，加強中泰兩國的文化交流。重慶文化代表團多次赴曼谷訪問演出。

2011年9月，重慶與曼谷結為友好城市。曼谷是泰國的首都，是政治、經濟、文化、教育、交通中心。

2012年、2015年，重慶分別組織高校師生赴曼谷參加友好城市青年交流活動，增進友誼。曼谷也于2013年至2016年組織高校師生和華裔青少年代表團來渝訪問，參加文化交流活動。

圖片/重慶芭蕾舞團提供