Lead principal dancer and deputy director reflects on his career with one of China's greatest ballet companies as it stages adaptation of Swan Lake, Zhang Kun reports.

As the Shanghai Ballet celebrates the 10th anniversary of its Swan Lake production of the Shanghai Grand Theatre on Feb 15, Wu Husheng, the lead principal dancer and deputy director of the company, shared his experiences with the show and his career as the leading dancer in one of China's greatest ballet companies.

Swan Lake, which was composed by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, is arguably one of the most popular ballets in the world. Shanghai Ballet's Swan Lake was choreographed by British artist Derek Deane. In 2015, Deane created a new version for the company, featuring an unprecedented ensemble of 48 swans, double the usual 24.

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Over the past 10 years, this deluxe production has toured extensively around China, Europe, the United States, Australia, and other parts of the world. In 2020, it debuted at Lincoln Center in New York, and in 2023, the Shanghai Ballet made its fourth tour of Europe, with 36 performances in four cities in the Netherlands, performing for over 70,000 attendees.

"The first few performances are usually challenging — dancers fall asleep when having their makeup done because they haven't recovered from jet lag," Wu says about the international tours when he danced in up to 20 shows. The most difficult part, however, is when half the tour is completed.

"By this time, the whole ensemble is exhausted, but there is still a long way to go," he told China Daily backstage before the production's anniversary performance at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. "Now that I have taken an administrative position, I pay attention to my fellow dancers and care about their physical and mental well-being.

"I tend to think too much. If I notice a technical problem and can't get my moves right, I am so troubled that I cannot sleep at night. Sometimes I keep on doing the moves in my apartment. It's not helpful at all because there isn't enough space and I can injure myself easily."

Such obsession and persistence can sometimes become a burden. Wu is happy that caring for others has helped him divert his focus so that he can dance with renewed ease onstage. "I surprised myself by making improvements with my dancing."

At 39, he maintains his passion for dancing, and hopes to gradually "shift his focus onto administrative work and choreography instead of retiring from the stage and quitting dancing completely".

Wu began taking ballet classes when he was 9 and joined the Shanghai Ballet at 17. He made rapid progress in the company, and was promoted to principal dancer several years after that. In 2007, he won best male dancer at the New York International Ballet Competition, as well as the special jury award named after Igor Youskevitch, co-founder of the competition.

"At that time, many people thought I would pursue an international career instead of returning to Shanghai," Wu says. "But I returned and managed to build an international career at the Shanghai Ballet, working with some of the best international choreographers and talents."

Dancers grow and improve through the portrayal of different characters and collaboration with other partners, says Xin Lili, artistic director of the Shanghai Ballet. The company was founded in 1979 and developed from the performance team of The White-Haired Girl, which debuted in 1964 as China's first original ballet production.

Adding Chinese context to ballet and creating new Chinese content remains the core mission of the Shanghai Ballet, Wu says.

Through the decades, Wu has played the male lead for almost all of the Shanghai Ballet's major productions, such as The White-Haired Girl, The Nutcracker, and The Phantom of the Opera, a large number of which were created by leading international choreographers.

One of the more important productions for Wu was A Sigh of Love, choreographed and directed by French artist Bertrand d'At (1957-2014).

The production was loosely based on the film In the Mood for Love by Hong Kong-based filmmaker Wong Kar-wai, with the story moved to Shanghai in the 1930s.

"It was the first time I played the hero in a new original production. I was very involved in the creation, as the director needed to seek inspiration from the actors.

"The dance moves were tailor-made on my physical condition, so it suits me very well, and I really enjoyed the creative process," he says. The show, which premiered in 2006, has become one of the most enduring in the repertoires of Shanghai Ballet, and was performed at the Hong Kong Arts Festival last year.

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During the 10th-anniversary celebration of its production of Swan Lake, the Shanghai Ballet introduced three pairs of dancers for the lead roles of Prince Siegfried and Odette. Wu and his partner Qi Bingxue, being the mature pair, are followed by Tu Hanbin with Feng Zichun, and Xu Jingkun with Guo Wenjin.

Wu finds Asian dancers making great progress in the global ballet scene and attributes this to advanced training methods and frequent international communication. He also notices a shift in the criteria for international ballet competitions that emphasize the dancers' ability to convey their passion to the audience and present their true emotions and individuality through dance.

Contact the writer at zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn