Yuan Yuan Tan and Vito Mazzeo in Symphonic Dances

Yuan Yuan Tan and Vito Mazzeo in Symphonic Dances, music Sergei Rachmaninoff, choreography by Edwaard Liang. Shot at Gala Dance Open 2016 on 25.4.2016 in Alexandrinsky Theatre, St Petersburg, Russia.

Check out all pieces from Gala Dance Open 2016

Check out all pieces from Gala Dance Open 2016

Yuan Yuan Tan is currently principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet, (born in Shanghai in 1977), Chinese: 谭元元; traditional Chinese: 譚元元; is a. She entered Shanghai Dance School at the age of 11. Initially her father opposed this, as he wanted her to become a medical doctor. Her mother, however, was very supportive. Her fate was settled by a coin toss – the coin landed on heads and Yuan Yuan Tan started her dancing career. She won multiple international awards at an early age; including a gold medal and the Nijinsky Award at the 1st Japan International Ballet and Modern Dance Competition (1993) and a gold medal in the 5th International Ballet Competition in Paris (1992). At age 18, she became a soloist dancer with the San Francisco Ballet Company. Two years later, in 1997, at age 20, she was promoted to principal dancer, attaining the highest position for a ballet dancer, an unusually rapid upward path. She was at that time the youngest principal dancer ever in the history of the San Francisco Ballet company. Today, she is a marquee name for the company, while San Francisco Ballet Company itself is widely considered to be among the best in the world and in the words of choreographer Mark Morris, the “best company in North America”.

Vito Mazzeo is principal dancer with Dutch National Ballet. Vito was born in Vibo Valentia, Calabria (Italy), and trained at the La Scala Theatre Ballet School in Milan where he graduated with full marks in classical and contemporary, the only one in two hundreds years history of the school. He danced with The Royal Ballet, the Teatro dell’Opera di Roma and San Francisco Ballet, where he joined as a soloist and was promoted to principal within six months. In San Francisco, he was the regular star partner of former Dutch National Ballet principal Sofiane Sylve. Vito’s transition to the Dutch National Ballet was prompted by his admiration for the company’s varied repertoire and particularly by his fascination for the work of Hans van Manen. Vito is the winner of the Premio Postiano Léonide Massine and the Danza&Danza award for ‘best dancer of the year’ and a guest artist with Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, The Hong Kong Ballet and Arena di Verona.

Edwaard Liang (born 1975 or 1976 in Taipei, Taiwan) is a Taiwanese-born American dancer and choreographer. He grew up in Marin County, California. Liang began studying dance at the age of 5. He entered the School of American Ballet in New York City in 1989, joined New York City Ballet in 1993 and was promoted to the rank of soloist in 1998. In 2001, Liang left the New York City Ballet to dance in Fosse on Broadway. He returned to New York City Ballet from 2004-2007. Liang began choreographing around 2003. In July 2013 Liang became artistic director of BalletMet.

Symphonic Dances. In his first commission for San Francisco Ballet, Choreographer Edwaard Liang chose to create a “spiritual, abstract world,” he says, “what you would call the in-between, where it’s neither this world nor the next world.” His concept is a perfect match for his choice of music, Sergei Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances. “It’s very spiritually based,” Liang says of the score. “Some people would call it dark, but I consider it intensely spiritual. As a choreographer I don’t want to limit audiences in what they see. This is an abstract ballet, so I really want them to find themselves through it.”

Photos by Jack Devant Ballet Photography with kind permission of the Dance Open, special thanks to Ekaterina Galanova and Adelia Mukhamedzhanova.