BMHS Junior Is Ballet Ambassador to China
Torrance, CA (September 5, 2013): It is quite possible that Bishop Montgomery junior Danielle Ireland ’15 traveled further than any of her classmates this summer. For almost four weeks, Ireland was in China as part of the Long Beach Ballet’s “Ballet Ambassadors to China” program. Billed as “an elite program for students looking for life-changing experiences, increased strength, technique, artistry and a profoundly enhanced view of themselves, of the world, and of life inside a ballet company,” the delegation from Long Beach traveled to Beijing and Guangzhou to perform at different theaters and festivals. One of the primary purposes of the trip was to work with the dancers in Guangzhou. David Wilcox, director of the Long Beach Ballet, has long-time ties to the Classical Ballet in Guangzhou and organizes trips every year.
Torrance, CA (September 5, 2013): It is quite possible that Bishop Montgomery junior Danielle Ireland ’15 traveled further than any of her classmates this summer. For almost four weeks, Ireland was in China as part of the Long Beach Ballet’s “Ballet Ambassadors to China” program. Billed as “an elite program for students looking for life-changing experiences, increased strength, technique, artistry and a profoundly enhanced view of themselves, of the world, and of life inside a ballet company,” the delegation from Long Beach traveled to Beijing and Guangzhou to perform at different theaters and festivals. One of the primary purposes of the trip was to work with the dancers in Guangzhou. David Wilcox, director of the Long Beach Ballet, has long-time ties to the Classical Ballet in Guangzhou and organizes trips every year.
One of the things that struck Ireland the most was how differently ballet dancers are treated in China than they are in the United States. “They are little fearful,” explained Ireland. “They were getting yelled at quite a bit. I guess it is a product of being in a country where communism is still the form of government.” Ireland, however, was very impressed with technically sound the Chinese dancers were. “The dancers we worked with were primarily older, professional dancers,” explained Ireland. “When we were performing with the Guangzhou Ballet, it was incredible to see first-hand how skilled they all were.”
Another important aspect of the trip for the dancers from Long Beach was to show the people in China a bit of American culture. In all, Ireland said they had about seven performances, each of which combined both classical Chinese and classical American qualities. “It was all such a tremendous learning experience,” stated Ireland. “The people we met were great and we were treated like celebrities.”
The trip was not all work for the Long Beach dancers. They spent some time touring Guangzhou and Beijing (a 22-hour train ride apart) and visiting other national landmarks. “The Great Wall was one of my favorite parts of the trip,” explained Ireland. “It was just so colossal seeing it from a distance.” Other highlights for Ireland included the meditation area at Lotus Mountain and the city of Beijing.
Ireland has more trips involving ballet planned for the coming year, including New York City and Washington, D.C. and she plans to continue with ballet in college. “My dream school is Stanford,” explains Ireland. “I don’t plan on dancing professionally – I want to be a doctor – but Stanford does have a highly-regarded classical ballet group that I would love to be a part of if I am lucky enough to go there.”