The principal dancer of the Primorsky Stage of the Mariinsky Theatre Shizuru Kato and the soloist Saki Nishida took part in the round table “Arts under 30: How Young Professionals from Russia and Asia are Changing the Theatre Industry”, which was held as part of the educational programme of the Eastern Economic Forum. Kimin Kim, principal dancer of the Ballet Company of the Mariinsky Theatre, joined the event remotely.
The event, dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Union of Theatre Workers of Russia, brought together on one platform several outstanding representatives of the new generation of theatre leaders who are already determining the vectors of cultural cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region.
The discussion was moderated by Vyacheslav Starodubtsev, rector of the Novosibirsk Conservatory and chairman of the Union of Theatre Workers of Russia Commission on Education. Participants from Russia, China, Japan and South Korea discussed issues and current topics pertaining to the drama theatre and the music theatre, as well as to the ballet art.
It was a spirited debate, challenging and full of specific examples from the participants’ creative lives. Among other things, the participants dwelt on the issues and difficulties encountered by artists and stage directors engaged in international projects, in particular, the language barrier, cultural diversity and differences in professional terminology.
The Mariinsky Theatre artists shared their experience of how professional skills helped them overcome the existing differences in the training of artists coming from abroad.
The principal dancer of the Mariinsky Theatre Kimin Kim said that he did not encounter any language difficulties at the beginning of his career in Russia. The artist is confident that the universal language of choreography, facial expressions and the ballet art philosophy help dancers and teachers understand each other without words.
The soloist of the Primorsky Stage Saki Nishida expanded this concept, also noting that over her lengthy stay in Russia, she has got closer to the Russian people. The ballerina emphasized that she felt more confident with her Russian colleagues and loved to work with them, because, unlike the Japanese, they tend to show their emotions more vividly.
The principal dancer of the Primorsky Stage Shizuru Kato noted that he had been living in Russia for 7 years and during this time, self-control and discipline, which are taught specifically in Russian ballet, had become the most important things in his performances.
The round table “Arts under 30: How Young Professionals from Russia and Asia are Changing the Theatre Industry” was organized by Roscongress Foundation and the Union of Theatre Workers of the Russian Federation.
