China's famous dancer Jin Xing is the Shanghai Beauty
Updated
Described by some dance critics as "one of the world's best dancers," Jin Xing is also China's most famous and successful choreographer. Jin Xing's in Melbourne with her dance company, to perform 'Shanghai Beauty'. Jin Xing's is a remarkable story. Ms Jin was once a man and a colonel in the world's largest military force and her talent and creativity have captured the imagination of China's arts scene.
Presenter: Sen Lam
Speakers: Jin Xiang, Chinese dancer, choreographer and owner of China's only independent dance company, Jin Xing Dance Theatre
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JIN: I don't know, people try to put all things in one, I think that me. So one side is a successful choreographer or whatever, and another thing is I have a complicated background - trans-gender, or transexual. But I think this is part of my life I take very equally. And I think that is quite challenging for the (Chinese) society, for the environment where I am living, of course. But that's encouraging me to be who I am.
LAM: I think also like many people, there are many different layers to us aren't there? It's not just the one single layer?
JIN: Exactly, and this layer is overlapping to each other and become who I am today. I am not just a dancer and choreographer. Also I am not just transexual, but transexual background. These are complications put together who made me who I am today.
LAM: Well, we'll talk about your work a little bit later, but to what extent do you think has your natural talent and indeed, your training and your background, to what extent has that package made the road easier for you?
JIN: I think somehow, the deeply-rooted cultural influence in Chinese cultural influence .. even in a military environment, I received all art education as a dancer and that's the quality, the discipline, the education that they can give to you as a young child is amazing. Even today, I still benefit from such a strong education. Of course, sounds very bizarre for the western audience, but the military give the best arts education in China.
LAM: Not to mention a very solid grounding in discipline I imagine?
JIN: Yes, extremely disciplined. Even for all professional who require a certain discipline, the military can certainly give you the best. Even today, in Chinese society, the best artists and the best athletes, all come from the military, most of them. So of course, I still benefit from that and at the same time, it was such an isolated environment. But as a child, I could get in contact with an arts education. My mind was wild and full of imagination. And also my personal desire and dreams, with everything combined with my art education development, it developed and developed. And at the end of the day, after 28 years I find out myself who I am.
LAM: Mmm, and indeed, you talk about being inspired as a child. You were inspired by one of the works of the Cultural Revolution, the Red Detachment of Women.
JIN: Yes.
LAM: How does such an overtly propaganda piece, how did that affect you in terms of creativity?
JIN: Now you are looking back from the adult's point of you as purely propaganda piece, but at that time, I was only like 5, 6 years old, a child. For me it was purely performance. All the girls, gorgeous women, dancing on point, on stage. There was the beautiful music, that distracted me a lot. And at that time, I had my fantasy I wanted to be on stage. No matter, dancing or singing, just put me on stage. That what drives me right onto the stage. So that is the ... still I am looking back, all the Cultural Revolution. Even in my piece Shanghai Beauty, I have a part presenting the Cultural Revolution period, all the people dressed in Mao suits. So this is...
LAM: I was going to say, the costumes would have been quite austere would it not, in comparison to the beautiful tutus and the wonderful costumes of say the Nutcracker or ....?
JIN: No, no, no, it's completely different. But it still has our kind of unique Chinese influence that you can see the different decade from 1950s until today, how the Chinese aesthetics are changing, the colour and the clothes. That is the piece about the Shanghai Beauty, all the sensations of an aesthetic measurement.
LAM: But that is now though. During the Cultural Revolution ...
JIN: Oh at that time, it was very completely, that is why I have a famous piece in China called the Black and Red. When I open my eyes in the Cultural Revolution.. I was born in 1967, so only two colours you can see is red all the red flags and all the black colour. Everybody dress in very dark colours. So these two colours, at that time I did not know had a political inference, but for me, that's the colour I'm facing too, so I had to accept it.
LAM: Your listening to Connect Asia on Radio Australia and with us in the studio this morning is Chinese dancer, choreographer, and dare I say businesswoman, Jin Xing.
Jin Xing, Shanghai Beauty of course opens tomorrow in Melbourne. You have presented it in Adelaide, I understand?
JIN: Yes, we're just coming from Adelaide Festival.
LAM: What was the response like?
JIN: Fantastic. The four evenings were full house, sold out and great. The first time our company comes to Australia to perform in such a special festival, 50th anniversary we are really honoured. Then this time also the first time come to Melbourne, we'll be performing in the Arts Centre. It is really exciting. All the dancers now are working on the stage and I am here for the interview, so I think it is great. I am looking forward meeting all the audience from Melbourne.
LAM: Well, we're certainly thrilled to meet you. We talked about having different layers. I understand there is also some Western dance influence in your background as well, that you studied under Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham. What was that like, for a young Chinese dancer?
JIN: I think this company made my eyes wide open, because that time before I started contemporary dance. I already won the prize in China, the best male dancer in China. So physically I'm completely equipped, everything is ready, just enter the programe, I can do whatever you want, but I lacked a personal expression, my own feelings. So when I started contemporary dance, then I discover all kind of techniques, all the masters from Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham. They all developed their own style. Then I discovered, it was most important at the end of the day as a dancer, as a professional choreographer, you need to create your own style.
LAM: How did Merce Cunningham, for instance, affect your style. Many people would say that his work is very sparse and as a highly trained, highly technical Chinese dancer, how did you respond to that?
JIN: It's funny, because through my education, when I am dancing in China, full of the dramatic expression, emotions that carry on your face, and it's physical. As soon as you enter the Merce Cunningham studio, everything, this kind emotion, you leave outside of the door.
LAM: It is all pared down?
JIN: Exactly, you are very logically, mathematically working on your physical lines and just a completely different concept of dealing with the bodies and that is what's made interesting. You're dealing with all the artists, everybody have their own understanding of how to develop your physicality and developing emotion, out of your own experience. That started telling me it was okay, now I can do something what I want and that's driving me to today.
LAM: So if you were to cast your mind back, would you say that you dance differently now as a woman as compared to when you were a male ballet dancer or do you think dance is not gender specific?
JIN: Exactly, I think, dance is not a gender specific. Because for me before I took classical dancing, it was my role to always play the male soldier, you have to dance like a man. And as soon as I started choreographing my own dancing, I think I don't think about it, dancing for man or woman, it's the human being, everybody dancing. That is why I can attract so much audience. I think the best result to communicate to the public is to use the human being point of view instead of the gender issue.
LAM: Well, we'll have to wrap it up, but I could just ask you one little question.
JIN: Sure.
LAM: The concept of yin and yang I think is a recurring theme, not just in your work, but also in your life. Is that true, of today's China as well, that amid the fast-paced progress, China has to take care not to destroy its heritage as well?
JIN: I hope so, that is my deep wish. Because we're so fast in economic development in a sense, but the cultural heritage, we lose a lot of traditions. So we need a yang-yin in society, to keep as much as we can. And somehow, the deeply Chinese philosophy influences the whole world or at the same time, we will really benefit from our cultural development, so I think we can keep as much as we can.
