The pre-season at the Music Center of Montenegro brought a unique cultural event that combines two different traditions - Chinese and Montenegrin.
The "Chinese-Montenegro Bridge" project, realized in cooperation with prestigious institutions from the People's Republic of China and the Institute for Artistic Play from Belgrade, brought together artists from Shanghai Normal University and Jingdezhen Vocational University of Art. As part of this project, a ballet gala evening "CIAO" was held the night before yesterday in the large hall of the Music Center of Montenegro, where selected dancers from China presented their dance performances to the audience with choreographies that brought variations of classical ballet with traditional and modern elements.
The gala concert was preceded by a dance competition where not only guests from China showed their dancing skills, but also ballerinas from the Mistic dance studio from Cetinje, and the best ones were awarded prizes at the concert.
"I like to work with dancers from all over the world, because it brings a lot of new feelings, but also a new approach to dance itself. At the same time, while working with them, I also strengthen my knowledge and understanding of body language through their bodies", one of the participants in this project, a choreographer and professor from Shanghai University, told Vijesti. Miao Xiaolong adding that he enjoyed the work and experience he gained thanks to this project.
Through their choreography, the dancers from China showed the rich tradition of the country they come from in almost every movement, and the complete impression was additionally completed by the unusual costumes. Projects like this, Xiaolong believes, contribute to getting to know each other better and bringing two different cultures together.
"I am a choreographer and a modern dancer, and in my opinion, modern dance emphasizes personality. Regardless of the fact that we also gain new experiences from such projects, learn something new and absorb it all like a sponge, choreographies are a way to express our personality, and not to express all those cultures. The way of expression is something that comes from the complete experience and knowledge that we have. So, the point is not to bring different cultures together, but to express yourself, how to present yourself," explains Xiaolong.
He explains that dancers, wherever they come from, use their bodies to express emotions through dance, and that they differ at each concert.
"Just like when a symphony orchestra plays a composition, so with dance - it can't be the same every time. Sometimes they convey different kinds of emotions, even though they play the same composition. Our body is not always the same, that's why the emotions that the dancers convey during the performance of the choreography are always different," adds Xiaolong.
One of the initiators of this project, choreographer and event producer Aleksandar Ilic he was also one of the members of the jury at the competition that preceded the gala concert. He said that the Montenegrin contestants showed an enviable level, and he proudly points out that the choreographies were great, and that dance in Montenegro has potential.
"Every competition should not be seen as some kind of threat. For me, it's primarily socializing, an important exchange of experiences where players observe other players and see where they stand in relation to their colleagues. It can sometimes be stressful, but it is fundamentally important for socializing and no one should copy anyone, because even in dance everyone has their own color and authenticity, which allows them to present themselves in the best way. Yes, it is a challenge to compete with a nation that is so numerous and whose tradition, with all due respect, is longer than ours, but even in this artistic and dance expression, they have been far longer than us and have been involved in it since early childhood. research and study of dances. Observing their and our dancers is certainly interesting because the difference in cultures is clearly visible, and they are very inspiring for what we will do in the future", concludes Ilić.
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