Ｃａｎａｄａ Ｙｏｕｔｈ Ｂａｌｌｅｔ Ｃｏｍｐａｎｙ Ｖｉｓｉｔｓ Ｃｈｉｎａ

The Canada Youth Ballet Company of 40 members visited China from April 24 to May 8 at the invitation of the CPAFFC and gave 6 performances in Foshan， Shenzhen， Dongguan， Tianjin and Beijing.

The Canada Youth Ballet Company consists of dancers from Canada， the U.S.， Australia， Japan and China. The programme prepared for this tour combined parts of classical ballet with Chinese folk dance and modern dance， and was arranged in a unique style， fully demonstrating their high skills. As the highlight of its tour and the last performance， “The Ballet Soiree—Tour of the Canada Youth Ballet Company 2009” presented on May 4 at the Beijing Exhibition Theatre， brought the performance series in China to the climax. CPAFFC President Chen Haosu and Vice President Li Jianping， leading members of the Chinese Dancers Association and the Beijing Dance Academy， and over 2，000 teachers and students of art institutes including the Beijing Dance Academy， the College of Dance of the Central University of Nationalities and the Dance Department of the PLA Art Academy， watched the performance. The opening dance， Souvenir de Florence， moved the audience with its thrilling sound effect， gorgeous costume and smooth movement. The classical ballet， Nutcracker and Swan Lake， enabled the audience to review the charms of the classics and feel the inner grace of ballet. The Daughter River， choreographed by the well-known Chinese director Zhang Jigang， and Rise by the famous Japanese modern dance choreographer Toru Shimazaki， had a different oriental charm when performed by the Canadian dancers. Especially as they in traditional Chinese folk costume demonstrated the tender inner beauty of Chinese women， the audience gave a prolonged applause. The grand finale， Don Quixote suite， with its theme from the Spanish classic dance drama， and blending the classic with the modern， excited the audience by its splendid costume and passionate dancing， which concluded the whole performance with perfection.

On the evening of May 5 ， President Chen Haosu and Vice President Li Jianping entertained the delegation at the auditorium of the CPAFFC to celebrate the success of the performance tour in China. At the banquet， President Chen Haosu highly praised Choo Chiat Goh and Lin Yee Goh for the hard work they have done to train ballet dancers， and with dance as a means of culture， spread the art achievements of the overseas Chinese. He commended their numerous visits to China， which has played an active role in promoting the friendship and cultural exchanges between Chinese and Canadian people.

Choo Chiat Goh thanked the CPAFFC for its support and care for the ballet company over the years. He said， this tour in China is a heart-touching experience for the young dancers that helps them better understand China and know a true China. Moreover， their personal experience will be told to their friends and families， like seeds spread all over the world， and thereby a bridge of friendship will be built.

On knowing that three members of the company happened to have their birthday during their visit in China， President Chen Haosu and Vice President Li Jianping hosted a birthday party for them， who were greatly excited by the surprise. They said， what they saw and heard during the visit have left them a deep impression， and the friendly sentiments of the Chinese people are unforgettable. They thanked the Chinese people for their hospitality and friendship wherever they witnessed， and hoped they would reunite with the Chinese friends in the near future and recall the ever-lasting friendship.

The tour of the Canada Youth Ballet Company in China not only brought Chinese audience an exquisite feast for the eyes， but also enabled Chinese ballet lovers to get a close touch with the excellent ballet from other countries.

On April 28， the company had a get-together with representatives of the cultural circles of Shenzhen city and its Yantian District at the Shenzhen Citizen’s Art Gallery and the Yantian Cultural Centre respectively. They watched each other’s performance and enhanced mutual understanding. The Swan Lake pas de deux and the Don Quixote suite performed by the Canadian side were warmly received by the audience. The ballet and the traditional folk dance of Zang and Miao ethnic groups performed by Chinese dancers also broadened the view of the Canadian artists. James， the choreographer of the company， praised enthusiastically the Chinese folk dance; and he believed that ballet and Chinese folk dance， though belonging to two different kinds of dance， could learn from and enrich each other. He was particularly impressed by the harmonious coordination between the folk dancers， as well as their vivid facial expressions and strong appeal. He said he would try to put these elements of Chinese dance into his future works.

On May 3 morning， the company visited the National Ballet of China (NBC)， and had exchanges with the dancers there. Chinese ballet pays great attention to the combination of the art of ballet with Chinese traditional dance skills and introduces elements of traditional Chinese culture into ballet. As one of the most influential ballet companies in China， the NBC has a strong faculty and a team of professional dancers. Being one of the best ballet troupes in China， it has won a number of prizes in the world top ballet competitions， making the Chinese ballet known to the world. Watching the training and rehearsal of the NBC， the Canadian dancers were greatly inspired. Many said， they were deeply impressed by the professional skills and hard training of the Chinese dancers， which would inspire them to work harder and seek artistic perfection ceaselessly. Choo Chiat Goh， founder of the Canada Youth Ballet Company and art director， used to be a leading dancer of the NBC. As he revisited the place 30 years later， a youth of yore has now become a man of grey hair. Looking at the old photos displayed in the exhibition hall of the NBC， he said with emotion that the NBC witnessed the peak of his art career and the best years of his life were recorded in China. Time flies， and within 30 years his black hair has turned grey and a student has already become a teacher. The Chinese society has undergone great changes and the Chinese ballet now is vastly different from what it was in the past. Now he hopes more ardently that ballet may act as a platform to develop the cultural exchanges between China and Canada， and that he could do something more within his ability for the people of both countries.