Photo by Jingzi Zhao.
I met Xuan Cheng in 2011. I was a green and eager Apprentice with Oregon Ballet Theatre and Xuan was a new Principal Dancer. She was bold, driven, and uncompromising in her creativity. Our matched passion for ballet immediately bonded us and she became a friend and mentor to me. Over the ten years we danced together, we shared a lot, from accomplishments to challenges, personal growth, trials, travels, and more.
Xuan has an amazing way of making people believe in themselves. Whenever I was faced with a challenge or self-doubt, with just a look and a nod from her, I knew she believed in me and because of this, I did, too. Xuan shares her passion and support with everyone she touches and a whole new community will be experiencing her glow.
Xuan recently joined Hong Kong Ballet as a Principal Dancer and Rehearsal Director. Days before her move, I had the chance to meet up with her and talk about her time with Oregon Ballet Theatre, her upcoming move to Hong Kong, and to reflect. As usual, I left feeling inspired and grateful to call Xuan a friend.
Can you tell us a little about your background and what brought you to this art form?
I started dancing for fun when I was 5, traditional Chinese dance. I had no idea what ballet was but I had a teacher that saw me and noticed my small head and long neck and he suggested I learn ballet. When Guangzhou Ballet(GB) was founded they were looking for their first class of students so I auditioned and got in. There were thousands of kids auditioning from the Hunan Province and I was the only girl to be accepted. Zhang Dandan, the founding Artistic Director of GB, saw me right away and hand picked me. She saw something in me and believed that I could be a star.
What about this artistic expression do you find most compelling?
We use the human body and it’s fascinating. I love the idea that we are using our bodies as a language and a vehicle to tell a story and to connect with an audience. I also love live theater. It transcends, the magic of it, when you’re in a theater and step on stage. It takes you to a whole other universe. That’s why the pandemic has been so hard. Of course I love the studio, but if the amazing work can’t be presented in a theater, connecting to the live audience, something is just missing. It’s different than a movie or tv, it can only happen in this one second. It can not be repeated. It is different every time.
Who has been your biggest influence in your journey?
I am endlessly grateful to Dandan. She shaped who I am from when I was very young. She taught me how to dance but also to see ballet as a whole career. She implanted the seed in me and I used my whole life to develop that seed. Every struggle that I faced, I would think of how she saw this artform. Also my husband, Ye, we grew up together. We worked together, did everything together, and to this day we go home and talk about ballet. The support he has given me, the freedom he has given me. Even now, he is supporting me going to Hong Kong. He has always allowed me to follow my dreams and believed in me. He has never stopped me from reaching my dreams. It’s not only just one person though. I get inspiration from dancers around me, the coaches and ballet masters, they all have made me who I am today. It’s been every person I have met. There are always things I can learn from each person and they have made me who I am today.
Photo by Jingzi Zhao.
If you weren’t dancing, what would you see yourself doing and why?
Nothing. Is that pathetic? Hahaha! Everything I do in my life is connected with dance. It is my calling.
You started your career with Guangzhou Ballet in China, then La La La Human Steps, and danced with Les Grand Ballet Canadiens in Montreal. All of this before joining OBT as a Principal dancer at only 26. Having experienced so much, what has your time at OBT meant to you?
It’s my second home. It’s the longest company I have stayed with. I feel I grew up with the company as a person and as an artist. I also expanded my life outside of the studio as an artist. I used to just see myself as a ballerina. Now I feel I am an artist. I also have a school here which is my baby. Making something with my husband from zero, it’s like seeing something go from a seed to a forest.
On top of being the reigning ballerina of OBT, you founded and run the Oregon International Ballet Academy with your husband Ye Li. What has being a businesswoman taught you and how has it influenced your dancing?
First of all, I have been very grateful to OBT for letting me be a dancer and a businesswoman. I love being a teacher and I love sharing my experience. Passing on this special treasure to the next generation has actually made me a better dancer. When I teach the students I stress not just the steps but the how and why; what is beyond the technique and how we use the technique to serve the art. I see that as my ultimate goal as a dancer and a teacher. It has made me see ballet differently, see it as a whole thing and also beyond it. How it relates to humans and connections. I use to just be a dancer, now I am an educator and a server for this art form. I can’t be a dancer forever but I can serve this art form forever.
You have another exciting move coming up. Can you tell us about what you will be doing with Hong Kong Ballet and how this opportunity arose?
I am very excited. I will be a Ballet Mistress and a Principal Dancer for this season. I am excited for the repertoire and the full-lengths but I also love the opportunity to be at the front of the studio and pass my experience to the young artists; to help them become their better selves. I just love to work in the studio; to work on something from zero to seeing the magic unfold on stage. Now I have the opportunity to be a dancer and a mentor at the same time. I am already doing this with my school but now I get to do this with a company and adult artists. It’s in Hong Kong so it’s close to home. I have always wanted this opportunity. The people in my motherland can see me dance before it’s too late. Haha!
Photo by Jingzi Zhao.
You are beloved by Portland audiences as a lyrical and dramatic dancer. Next season, HK Ballet’s season consists of almost all dramatic works. What are you most excited for and why?
Septime Webre’s Romeo and Juliet because I love the idea and concept he created. He adapted the story to take place in Hong Kong. We are taking it on tour to New York. I see myself as a bridge to connect the two cultures. I love that people in New York will see the East meets West culture. I can’t wait to see that unfold. Plus it’s Romeo and Juliet. I love it no matter what!
Next February you will be returning to perform with OBT for a final run of shows as a farewell. What has the Portland audience grown to mean to you over the past decade?
It’s my family. It’s my people. I just want to say thank you. I am very grateful for so many years with the Portland audience. I have felt so welcomed and loved by them since day one. It is going to be very hard for me without them. I have made so many connections with them on and off stage. They are more than just an audience, they are part of my life. And they have made me a better dancer. They are really a part of my career. They always have a place in my heart.
You are so connected to Portland through your school, performance career, and life. At the same time, it must feel amazing returning closer to home and family. What is your dream for what the future will hold for you?
This is really hard for me. Because I am so connected to both places. Portland is home, too. My husband will be here. Our school is here. But the opportunity in Hong Kong is a dream for me and allows me to have so many experiences at once. I guess, like I said, I want to be a bridge of cultures. I would love to use this art form and my experience to share the beauty and joy of ballet to connect people from different backgrounds and different geographies. I guess I don’t know what the future holds but I will embrace whatever life brings to me.
Thomas Baker is a retired dancer living in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. He loves all things performance, art, and design.
