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Ballet Special------Interview with Ballerina Yuan Yuan Tan
By Wena Poon
 Yuan
Yuan Tan is one of the most celebrated ballet dancers in the United States
today. Her graceful form has attracted the attention of magazines like W and
VOGUE. The 27-year old Shanghai native takes time in between rehearsals to chat
with WENA POON about the life of dance.
You
were recruited at age 11 by the famous Shanghai Dance School in China. How did
ballet become such a respected form of dance in China?
It all started in the 1940-50's in Beijing. Teachers from Russia came over to
Beijing and managed to form a small ballet school. Within a relatively short
period of time, interest in ballet grew. Since Shanghai is a big city, ballet
caught on quickly and a Shanghai school was founded. The style of ballet
instruction in China descends from that of Agrippina Vaganova. [Vaganova was a
pioneer of ballet instruction in Russia in the 1920's.] There is still a ballet
school in St Petersburg called the Vaganova Academy. So you can say that the
ballet tradition came to China through Russia. It was not until later than China
began importing teachers from the United States and France.
Do
you have a favorite ballet?
I
have many. Giselle, Swan Lake, Romeo & Juliet. All the ballets with romantic
stories.
Is
there a particular ballet or role that you have not played that you have always
wanted to star in?
Yes.
John Cranko's Onegin. Another is Kenneth Macmillan's Manon.
Do
you read critic's reviews of your performance?
No.
The way I see it, a critic is only one person among many who watched the
performance. As long as I can live up to my own expectations and the
expectations of my audience, I am happy. In the beginning of my career, of
course, I read reviews but now I don't. There's no point reading one person's
opinion and getting upset over it, so I'd rather not read it.
How
do ballet performers get their exercise? Is a gym necessary?
No,
I never go to the gym. Rehearsals are already tiring enough. If I ever have time
off, I prefer to sit down, lie down, watch a movie, or just listen to music. Or
I'd go to get physical therapy, or to a chiropractor, or get a massage. On a
typical day like today, when we are rehearsing a new piece, I begin warm-ups at
9.30 in the morning. Then we rehearse all day till 6.30 in the evening. When we
rehearse, it's not just the same thing over and over again. There are multiple
parts of the choreography to dance through and memorize. So you can say that we
are constantly working out and getting our exercise physically and mentally.
What
do ballet performers eat?
You
don't want to not be able to fit into your costume before the performance, and
you have to be lifted around by others, so I don't eat dinner before going on
stage. I usually have a late lunch, then before going on stage, I grab a Power
Bar or some chocolate. I also have plenty of water and fruit. Some of the girls
here are also vegetarian.
There
was a great New Yorker article about how ballerinas can wear out a pair of shoes
in an hour. How do you break in your shoes? How many pairs of ballet shoes do
you go through on a typical day or week?
To
break in a new shoe, I step on it, then I have to sew the ribbons on them.
That's the ballerina's life: when you're not dancing, you're sewing shoes! After
sewing the ribbons on, I further break in the shoe by working out in them for
about 20 minutes. I'm pretty good about not wearing out too many shoes. Some
people can't handle worn shoes, but I like my shoes soft and worn, so two or
three pairs can last me a whole week during rehearsal periods. When there are
performances, of course, I use up four or five pairs a week.
How
long have you lived in San Francisco? How do you like America?
I've
lived here for eight years, after spending six months in Stuttgart, Germany
training. Stuttgart wasn't very interesting and I was supposed to be there for
two years. Within six months, however, I received an offer from San Francisco
Ballet so I'm here now. I enjoy San Francisco. Another place I would probably
like is New York City. It's very similar to Shanghai in atmosphere because it's
a big city. I miss Shanghai and would like to recover some of that type of
atmosphere.
Any
plans to visit your home town?
I'll
be in Shanghai in September for a brief period because I've been invited to
dance at the Shanghai Grand Theater for its fifth anniversary. Among the other
performers are Tan Dun, the composer for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Tiger and the
pianist Lang Lang.
Besides
ballet, are there other disciplines or even professions that you have thought
about trying someday if you had the chance?
Whatever
I do will still be related to ballet in some way. For example, I would be
interested in opening a dance school. I like fashion designing and particularly
like ballet costumes that are tailored by traditional costumers in London. I may
consider designing something but I've not yet given this much serious thought.
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