Artist of the Month-December-Shen Jie

This month's Artist of the Month is Shen Jie of the Hong Kong Ballet. Recently seen as the lead in Castrati in the Ballet Soiree, you can catch him this month in The Nutcracker! Ballet is known for being one of the most demanding of the arts disciplines. You can hear all about his grueling process in Question 8. We've been wanting to feature a Hong Kong dancer for a while as AoM and Shen Jie seemed like the perfect candidate.

  1. Name, Birthplace, Age

    My name is Shen Jie. I was born in Zhejiang, China. I am 24 years old.
     
  2. How does where you were raised affect your work?

In the China of my childhood, boys seldom danced because it was traditionally a pastime for girls, and people didn’t really see dance as a lifelong career, so it was quite unusual to see boys interested in dance. I actually got admitted to dance school by chance. In all these years, despite what people think, my parents have been so supportive and my teachers have always encouraged me a lot which gave me great confidence. Their belief in me allowed me to follow my love of dance and continue my journey as a professional dancer.

  1. Where did you train?

First of all, I trained at Zhejiang Vocational Academy of Art, then I went on to study at Guangzhou Dance School. Later I studied at The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts before I joined The Hong Kong Ballet.
 

  1. What is your favorite style of dance? Why?

There are many styles of dance, originating in different countries, choreographed by different people. I think dance is somehow like human beings, in that there is a unique story and character to each piece of dance. I love to try different dance styles because I find them challenging. I love pushing myself to the limit, so basically I love all of them.
 

  1. What was the best show you EVER saw?

I have seen quite a number of shows, both live and recorded performances. I remember the first ballet performance I saw was a Russian ballet company performing at my school. Although it was not a world-renowned company and there were no big ballet stars performing, I was very impressed by the dancers and for the first time I really felt the impact of charisma on stage! It was so meaningful to me that I remember that show more than any other.

  1. What was the best show in HK you EVER saw? (You cannot say your own.)

Suzie Wong by The Hong Kong Ballet. It was the first production I saw when I came to Hong Kong. Unlike the classical ballets with which I am so familiar, the style of Suzie Wong is more contemporary; it is set against the background of Hong Kong in the 60s. What makes it even more special is that there were vocalists singing on stage while dancers were dancing, which was a new experience for me. I was very much impressed by this performance.

  1. What piece of work are you the most proud of?

I am proud to have danced pieces by famous choreographers such as Grand Tarantella, Firecracker, peasant pas de deux in Giselle and Lead Jester in Cinderella. Above all, I am most proud to have danced in Castrati by Nacho Duato which I recently performed in A Ballet Soirée. Nacho Duato is a world-renowned choreographer who creates great works. It was a great honour to dance the lead role in his piece at my young age. It is an extremely demanding piece and there was so much expectation from others at that time; I managed to adapt, and transformed the stress into motivation to dance at my best. I was thrilled to finish every performance to the rapturous applause of the audience.

 

  1. What is your process like?

I have classes, I rehearse, I perform. It sounds simple but ballet is kind of a “cruel” profession; it’s very demanding on dancers. Ever since I was a child, I have received very strict professional training and had basic technique classes every day. Even now I've joined a ballet company when my schedule is all packed with rehearsals, we still have morning class every day to perfect our technique. The actual ballet-learning process is harder than you can imagine. There are times when I want to give up but I know my parents placed all their hope in me; I know I cannot give up my future in the face of the small hardships that I encounter now. Compared with training at school, working with a professional company is less hard but more stressful. I know I need to perform at my best for the audience members who come to support us, so I demand of myself that I perform as perfectly as possible. My goal is that they will see some unforgettable shows and I will have no regrets.

  1. What is your dream project?

Um... I don’t really have a dream project in mind now. I am still enjoying what I am doing at the moment, and enjoying the spontaneous applause and support from the audience at each curtain call. We make a great deal of effort for each performance because we are passionate and determined to dance at our best, and the audience’s applause is the best reward we could wish for.

  1. If you could change one thing about the art scene in HK, what would it be?

I would love to make the public more supportive of ballet and other performing arts, so that more people come to see our performances, and get to know how to appreciate the arts. Receiving recognition from them is always a great motivation to us, the performers.

*Photo credit Gordon Wong


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