Translator: SJade, Editor: Dj22031
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Few ballet dancers would choose to present “Giselle” on such an important stage, because this play was a romantic ballet, and it had extremely high requirements for expressiveness and rendering ability of the dancers.
In other words, acting skills were required. Just having ballet skills was not enough.
In terms of stage rendering, it was precisely Jiang Yu’s strong point.
She didn’t hesitate any more, even though her skills hadn’t been perfected yet, as Qiu Li said… so what.
As long as the audience could see her and as long as she could present her most perfect state to the audience, that’s enough.
The spotlight slowly changed to ice blue, shining on the girl on the left side of the stage. She was wearing a calf-length white lace fluffy dress and standing on tiptoe, as slowly entered the stage.
This play was about a ghost abandoned by her cheating fiancé, who took revenge on the cheating man while he was walking in the forest and how she seduced him to dance with her, until the cheating man died from exhaustion…
However, the ghost Giselle heard the lover’s regretful words while dying. After that, she finally chose to forgive and protect him from death.
In the lover’s great remorse and sorrow, Giselle and the ghosts disappeared into the dawn bell.
For this stage performance, Jiang Yu chose Giselle’s classic solo dance to perform.
The whole dance was carried out in dark blue tones. She danced briskly and nimbly, like a jungle ghost, slowly blooming and dancing with the melody of the music.
The most beautiful part of ballet lied in the jumping and the toes, and the performance of this dance had extremely complicated toe steps, which could simultaneously highlight the skills of ballet dancers.
Jiang Yu’s gaze always fell below, and there was an indescribable pity between her brows, especially as she was supposed to be dancing next to her fallen lover, that beautiful dance vividly interpreted light and darkness, love and suspicion, death and letting go.
When the audience watched Jiang Yu’s performance, they were silent the whole time, and seemed to be substituted by her emotions into the play. In the elegant melody, they dreamed as it was them in the dim blue forest.
Offstage, Wen Lun watched Jiang Yu’s big jumps, his eyes shining with unprecedented light.
It could be seen that Jiang Yu’s performance was not particularly proficient, and one could imagine how hastily she had rehearsed.
But unfortunately, the slightly jerky interpretation gave people an indescribable sense of expectation.
As far as the stage effect was concerned, one could just look at the audience’s reaction.
There had been so many various performances just now, and high-quality ballets of various schools had been staged in turn, but there were very few stages that had been able to make the audience silent for so long, and after the end, which continued to linger on for a long time…
Jiang Yu did it.
In this regard, she had won over everyone.
However, just because Wen Lun thought this way, it didn’t mean that the teachers on the judging panel, headed by Bai Shuyi, would be satisfied with Jiang Yu’s performance.
Even Shen Aoqing, who was beside Wen Lun, commented arrogantly after watching Jiang Yu’s entire performance: “No technique.”
Wen Lun said, “She indeed has no technique, just like Bu Tanyan back then.
Shen Aoqing glanced at Wen Lun, and said with a little jealousy: “You compared her with Bu Tanyan, you are overestimating her, aren’t you?”
“She may be far behind now, but it doesn’t mean she won’t be able to do it in the future.”
Wen Lun said lightly: “Don’t forget, she only prepared for this dance for three days.”
Shen Aoqing stopped talking, and looked at Jiang Yu with her arms folded, with an imperceptible unease in her eyes.
Indeed, Shen Aoqing asked herself, if she was only given three days, would she be able to achieve Jiang Yu’s level.
Not sure.
Beside the judges’ stage, several leading teachers of the EFDC class took turns to give Jiang Yu’s dance a high evaluation, “I believe it can be seen from the audience’s reaction that Jiang Yu’s performance is perfect.”
“Yes, she is worthy of being Teacher Bai Shuyi’s beloved disciple.”
“It can be said that this performance can be regarded as the most perfect performance tonight.”
Jiang Yu politely expressed her gratitude for their evaluation, and of course she knew in her heart that these teacher praised her, some of it was out of sincerity, but they also had the intention of flattering Bai Shuyi.
Jiang Yu looked at Bai Shuyi who hadn’t spoken for a long time.
Bai Shuyi’s face…was not pretty, it was tense and serious.
“Jiang Yu, you have been guided by me during this period of time. Therefore, I have to say something frankly. I am very dissatisfied with your dance today.”
As soon as this remark came out, the audience was shocked.
Even this kind of dance was not satisfactory, Teacher Bai Shuyi was too strict!
Everyone felt unbelievable, but it was expected by Jiang Yu. She said, “Ms. Bai, there are indeed many parts that I am not proficient in. It is my fault.”
At this time, Lin Miao and Mu Zixian in the back row hurried to explain for Jiang Yu: “She only had three days to practice!”
“A certain person originally said that he would dance with her, but it turned out to be a pigeon at the end, it’s not Jiang Yu’s problem!”
Jiang Yu immediately gave them a wink and told them not to explain.
Esmera’s teachers were famously strict, this was not the place to listen to explanations.
The same was true of the ballet stage. When a dancer made a mistake on stage, he could not explain the reasons to the audience after the performance.
Not ready was not ready, and she didn’t need to make excuses for herself.
With a straight face, Bai Shuyi continued, “The biggest problem is not that the practice time was short, but that you didn’t take what I taught you to heart at all. Or, do you think what I taught you is wrong?”
The students in the back row looked at each other, some were sweating for Jiang Yu, and some of the people who were eating melon seeds showed a look of watching the excitement, waiting for Jiang Yu’s answer…
Jiang Yu paused, and said: “I really… did not follow what Teacher Bai said. As I said, I put all my heart into the details.”
Because she didn’t have so much time, like the previous performance with Wen Lun, she went to the details bit by bit and made precise calibration of the details.
She must present the completeness of the stage in the shortest possible time. Therefore, she put more thought into the design and rendering, including expressions, emotions, and her own interpretation of the story…
Jiang Yu had watched Bu Tanyan’s performance videos no less than a hundred times since she was a child, and compared other ballet dancers and watched the actor’s video.
The reason why Bu Tanyan could become a legend in the dance world was because she was different from others, she was not just dancing, her dancing was also telling a beautiful and moving legend.
Only by endowing the dance with the core of the story could it arouse the broadest resonance of human beings, and then only could it be moving and emotional.
Jiang Yu wanted to dance like Bu Tanyan, not just a dancing robot.
Bai Shuyi denied Jiang Yu’s opinion, and said, “If you continue to behave like this in the future… I have no way to teach you.”
Jiang Yu remained silent, and the atmosphere became rigid.
At this time, Xue Jiayi, who had been silent all this time, laughed: “I heard that Jiang Yu only had three days, so it’s not bad to be able to practice to this level.”
“Thank you, Teacher Xue.”
Xue Jiayi didn’t help Jiang Yu speak because she simply liked to make Bai Shuyi angry.
She knew that what Bai Shuyi said was definitely out of jealousy.
Today was just like when the two of them watched Bu Tanyan dance together back then, the atmosphere, the emotion, the contagion… No one else could compare.
She could make the audience shed tears while watching her dance; she could make the whole scene silent for a long time after her performance; her style had never been achieved by anyone else so far!
But Jiang Yu had the feeling of stepping on Bu Tanyan, if given time, her future would be limitless!
Xue Jiayi knew that this was the place that made Bai Shuyi feel stuck in her throat the most.
She folded her arms, watching the excitement as if it was no big deal, and said leisurely: “Shuyi, I think you are too strict with classmate Jiang Yu. Besides, your well-behaved style may not suit her.”
Bai Shuyi gave Xue Jiayi a cold look.
Xue Jiayi’s words hit her sore spot.
That’s right, the ballet education she had received since she was a child was a well-regulated orthodox education, requiring every detail to be perfect without any mistakes.
But it happened… When she was sixteen years old, she met Bu Tanyan. That girl’s dance completely overturned her perception of ballet.
The so-called perfection that she was required to do in the past did not exist for Bu Tanyan. Bu Tanyan could dance as she wanted, as long as it is within the normative framework, she could play freely with her emotions, and fully interpret the expressive power of dance.
The audience shed tears and went crazy for her.
As for her, Bai Shuyi, who had believed in the dogma for so many years, although she was not wrong, it was also not the most perfect.
All her hard work, countless days and nights of hard training from childhood to adulthood, were wiped out.
Why!
Fortunately, Bu Tanyan was dead, and there would never be another Bu Tanyan.
Bai Shuyi finally lived a comfortable life for more than ten years, and gradually became famous.
But today, Jiang Yu suddenly appeared, causing her to be shrouded in nightmares again… How could Bai Shuyi be reconciled.
“Jiang Yu, if you insist on going on your own way, I have no way to teach you.”
Bai Shuyi directly enlarged her moves, stood up, and said to Jiang Yu: “I think that every teacher in Esmera sitting here doesn’t want to teach a disobedient student.”
As soon as this remark came out, the students around were incredulous.
These words…are you trying to give Jiang Yu a failing grade!
If Jiang Yu couldn’t pass with this performance…then the dances they danced were so unbearable that they couldn’t be seen!
Jiang Yu also did not expect that Bai Shuyi would say such a thing.
No matter how badly she danced, it was absolutely impossible for her to fail!
“Of course, it’s not easy for every student to get into Esmera, and I won’t just give a failing grade.”
Bai Shuyi changed the subject and said, “As long as you are willing to admit your mistake and admit that the way you danced just now was wrong, And if you promise not to commit any crime in the future, you can continue to stay, and I will still accept you as a closed disciple.”
Xue Jiayi looked back at Bai Shuyi, a little surprised.
It had been many years since Bai Shuyi had been maintaining the persona of a gentle and kind teacher, but she never thought that she would make it difficult for Jiang Yu today.
She knew that it was not Bai Shuyi’s original intention to fail Jiang Yu, she just wanted her to bow her head and admit her mistake.
Admit that the path she chose was wrong, and admit that Bu Tanyan’s path was wrong!
It seemed that this breath, after so many years of fighting, even if the people were dead, she had not swallowed it yet.
There was a cold smile on the corner of Xue Jiayi’s mouth.
Jiang Yu clenched her hand tightly, she didn’t want to admit her mistake. She also didn’t think that it was wrong to imitate the idol she chose and the style of her idol.
Obviously, Teacher Bai Shuyi didn’t like Bu Tanyan very much.
But Jiang Yu had no way to deny the path she had practiced for so many years in order to please Teacher Bai Shuyi.
Dance… the performance was for people to appreciate, and only with empathy could the audience be moved.
The expressiveness of the dancers endowed the story with empathy.
She was not a dancing machine, and she never wanted to be a dancing machine. This was her original intention.
Esmera was not her end, although this was the shortest way to the end, but if she had to give up her original intention to stay in Esmera…Jiang Yu couldn’t do it!
As Qiu Li said, as long as she could dance, wasn’t that the happiest thing.
What kind of swan queen, what kind of four little swans… It didn’t matter, as long as it she could dance, even if it was on the street with people coming and going.
“I’m right.”
Jiang Yu gritted her teeth, looked at Bai Shuyi, and said loudly, “Bu Tanyan is the beginning and end of my love for ballet, and I will never lose it!”
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Bai Shuyi is really petty. She’s more like a child than an actual child.
Grow up! so embarassing, killing a child’s dream who is completely innocent. projecting insecurity to own student nontheless!
I don’t like her Dad at this point. His daughter is being bullied left and right and he’s just, it still isn’t the time to tell her she’s my freaking daughter. At least give her more protection.