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Harmony Day

Harmony Day is an opportunity for all Australians to embrace cultural diversity and to share what we have in common. To celebrate Harmony Day, we asked three dancers from China who are now performers with the Queensland Ballet about their experience of living and working in Australia.

 

Zach FangZach Fang

我叫方智,刚满21岁的我今年已是在异国他乡的澳洲的第五个年头。回望过去, 九岁的我带着对芭蕾的纯真独自来到距离家乡近一千公里的北京舞蹈学院,七年的刻苦学习虽有疲惫,伤痛,泪水,但并没有让父母和老师失望,让我在 Youth  American Grand Prix 国际芭蕾舞比赛中凭借着优异的成绩,获得了澳洲芭蕾舞学校的全额奖学金,为期两年的学习。我带着父母及老师期望,带着对芭蕾的热爱,来到大洋彼岸的澳大利亚墨尔本。在澳洲芭蕾舞学校学习的过程,我不断完善和提高自己,两年后我成功进入昆士兰芭蕾舞团,如今已是第三个年头了,压力虽从不曾离我而去,但是爱与梦想同在,未来我会把困难踩在脚下,用更好的舞姿呈现世人
 

My name is Fang Zhi. I have just turned 21 and this is already my fifth year of living overseas in Australia. Looking back, at the age of nine I carried my innocent enthusiasm for ballet with me and went by myself nearly a thousand miles away from my home to the Beijing Dance Academy. After seven years of hard study I had my share of injuries, tears and exhaustion but I never let my parents or my teachers down. On the back of my results at the Youth American Grand Prix International Ballet Competition I got a full scholarship to study for two years at the Australian Ballet School. I brought the hopes of my teachers and my parents and my love for ballet all the way with me to Melbourne. While studying at the Australian Ballet School I strove to constantly improve myself and after two years I was accepted into the Queensland Ballet and I am now already in my third year. Although the stress and pressure hasn’t left me yet, neither have my dreams and my love for ballet. In the future I will be able to show the world that when I dance I can step over any difficulties in front of me.
 

Born in China, Zhi began his dance training at The Beijing Dance Academy. Zhi joined The Australian Ballet School in 2012 where he was awarded the Level 7 Award of Excellence. He joined Queensland Ballet as a Company Dancer in January 2014.

Repertoire highlights

  • Bluebird pas de deux in Greg Horsman's The Sleeping Beauty
  • Gu Se Jin Xiang (The Beijing Dance Academy) 
  • Leigh Rowles’ Ascension, Assemble Internationale, Canada, 2013
  • Leigh Rowles’ The Nutcracker: The Gift of a Dream (The Australian Ballet School)

 

Zuquan KouZuquan Kou

在坐了十几个小时的飞机后,终于到了我期盼已久的布里斯班。这是我第一次来到这个国家,很期待在这个国家·生活·工作,刚下飞机给我的第一感觉就是,热 很热。觉得再也不用买长袖衣服穿了,后来听朋友说我来的时候正好是布里斯班最热的时候。刚到的第二天就需要工作 来到了我即将在这里工作一年地方,心情非常激动也有一点点的害怕,害怕不适 应害怕语言不通。果然排练的时候一句都听不懂,后来发现在排练中我只有让自己全身心的投入工作中,才能弥补语言上的障碍。没来之前很多朋友说国外的演员都只跳自己的不会去教别人,来到了这我并没有这么觉得,他们在工作中还帮助了我很多,非常的感谢他们。不知不觉在这里已经生活了,快俩个月了 在工作上学到了很多以往,看不到和学不到的东西 而且还交个很多朋友,生活中也开始慢慢适应了这里,也开始喜欢上了这里!

After more than ten hours on the plane and with a great sense of anticipation, I finally arrived in Brisbane. This is the first time that I have come to this country and I have long been looking forward to living and working here. As soon as I got off the plane my first impression was that it was hot, very hot. It seemed as if I would never need to buy another jacket again living here! I found out later from a friend that I had come to Brisbane at the hottest time of the year. I started work the day after getting here. When I arrived at the place where I was about to be working for a year I felt both excited and a little bit scared; scared of not fitting in, scared of not being able to understand the language. At rehearsal I did not understand a word that was said, but later I discovered that all I had to do was throw all of my body into my work to make up for any language difficulties. Chinese friends of mine told me before coming here that performers overseas would only look out for themselves and were not interested in helping others, but I have not experienced this at all; they have all been helping me at work a lot and I am truly grateful to them. Without realising it I have already started up a new life here. It has been two months and I have already learned things at work that I had never seen or learned before and have made a few good friends here too. I am slowly getting used to living here and starting to really like it.

 

Kou began his training and career at Liaoning Ballet School in 2003. He was a soloist with the Liaoning Ballet since 2009 and won the Classical Ballet Solo Best New Comer Award at the International Ballet and Choreography Competition (IBCC) in 2011 and the Gold Award in 2015. Kou joined Queensland Ballet as a Company Dancer in 2016.

 

Ze WuZe Wu

在布里斯班生活的感受

从小的时候我就向往国外的生活,这次有机会来到Queensland Ballet。我满怀期待地终于到达了美丽的布里斯班。当时出机场我看见新鲜的空气,舒适的环境让我不由自主的爱上了布里斯班。从机场到住的地方有一些距离,这一路上我看到了布里斯班的房子,车子,陆地。房子没有中国那样的高楼,车子的方向盘在右面,陆地是那么样的干净,还看到一些光着脚走路的人。家门口就有通向city的公交车,交通是那么的方便。

在这生活了一个多月,已经慢慢的习惯了这里的风俗习惯。新鲜的空气,美丽的环境,便利的交通,热情的布里斯班的人。还有Queensland ballet热情的演员,像一个的大家庭一样!

Ever since I was a child I always wanted to live abroad and now I have had the opportunity to come here to the Queensland Ballet. After a great deal of expectation I finally arrived in beautiful Brisbane. When I stepped off the plane I saw the scenery and the fresh clear air and I could not help but fall in love with Brisbane. The airport was a little way from the place where I would be living and on the way there I looked at all the Brisbane houses, the cars and the landscape. There were no huge skyscrapers like in China, the steering wheels were all on the right side, everything was so clean and I even saw people walking around without shoes on! The bus into the city leaves from right outside of my door so it is really easy to get around here.

I have been here for over a month now and am already getting used to things here. The people in Brisbane are all so friendly and the people in the Queensland Ballet are so friendly too, it is like being in one big happy family!

Ze studied at the Shenyang Dance School in China since 2009 and received the second prize at the 11th Korean Ballet competition in 2014. Ze joined Queensland Ballet as a Jette Parker Young Artist in 2016. 

 

For more information about Harmony Day including, visit the Harmony Day website.

Images on the blog post page and on this page courtesy of Queensland Ballet.