1 Yuan Tan born in Shanghai China

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Yuan Tan, born in Shanghai, China, trained at Shanghai Dancing School and Stuttgart’s John Cranko School. She joined San Francisco Ballet as a soloist in 1995 and became a principal dancer in 1997. She has danced lead female roles in Tomasson’s Giselle, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Nutcracker; Tomasson/Possokhov’s Don Quixote; Morris’ Sylvia; and Lubovitch’s Othello. She created roles in Tomasson’s The Fifth Season, Chi-Lin, Silver Ladders, and 7 for Eight; Possokhov’s Magrittomania, Damned, and Study in Motion; Wheeldon’s Continuum and Quaternary; and Welch’s Tu Tu. Her repertory includes Ashton’s Thaïs Pas de Deux; Balanchine’s Symphony in C, Theme and Variations, Concerto Barocco, Prodigal Son, and Apollo; Duato’s Without Words; Robbins’ In the Night, Dances at a Gathering, and Dybbuk; and Makarova’s Paquita. 2

Tan received a gold medal and the Nijinsky Award at the 1 st Japan International Ballet and Modern Dance Competition (1993) and in the 5 th International Ballet Competition in Paris (1992). A frequent guest artist, Ms. Tan headlined “Yuan Tan and Eight Ballet Stars, ” a gala in Nara, Japan (2003), and “Yuan Tan and Friends” Gala in Shanghai in 2000. Additional honors include an invitation to the White House in 1999 and The Bud magazine City of Heart award in Shanghai in December 2007. She was featured in Vogue magazine in April 2003 and was named a “Hero of Asia” in the Asian edition of Time in October 2004. Recent guest appearances include a 2006 charity concert in Shanghai and a performance of the full-length ballet Magpie Bridge a benefit promoting harmony between China and Japan. 3

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 4

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Yuan Tan (Chinese 谭元元) is a principal dancer with the San Francisco Ballet. She was born in Shanghai in 1976, and entered Shanghai Dance School at the age of 11. Initially her father opposed. He wanted her to become a medical doctor. Her mother, however, was very supportive. Her fate was settled on a piece of coin. The coin landed on head, and Yuan Tan started her dancing career. [1] She won multiple international awards at early age, including a gold medal and the Nijinsky Award at the 1 st Japan International Ballet and Modern Dance Competition (1993), a gold medal in the 5 th 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, a very unusually rapid upward path. [2] She was at that time the youngest principal dancer ever in the history of the San Francisco Ballet company. Today, she is the marquee name for the company, while San Francisco Ballet Company itself has now been widely considered to be among the best in the world, and in the words of famed choreographer Mark Morris, "best company in North America. " [3] 5

在“卡门”中演出 6

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在“巴黎圣母院” 中表演 11

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Yuan Tan in Esmerelda 14

在“天鹅湖”中演白天鹅 15

在“天鹅湖”中演白天鹅 16

在北京国家大剧院演出“ 天鹅湖” 2009年 1月 17

在“天鹅湖”中演黑天鹅 18

在“天鹅湖”中演黑天鹅 19

Vadim Solomakha (left) and Yuan Tan performing the “Black Swan” pas de deux from Swan Lake at the San Francisco Ballet, 1998. 20

In Tommason’s “Swan Lake”在“天鹅湖”中演黑天鹅 2006 21

In “Sleeping Beauty” 22

In “Sleeping Beauty”, by David Cooper 23

在“吉赛尔”中演出 24

在“吉赛尔”中演出 25

Yuan Tan in the title role and Tiit Helimets as Duke Albrecht in a performance of “Giselle” by the San Francisco Ballet at the Kennedy Center Opera House. By Erik Tommason 2008 26

在“吉赛尔”中演出 27

Yuan Tan in Tomasson's Romeo and Juliet (© Erik Tomasson)May 2009 28

Yuan Tan in Tomasson's Romeo and Juliet (© Erik Tomasson) 29

Renate Stendhal reviews Romeo and Juliet with Yuan Tan 30

Yuan Tan and Yuri Possokhov in Tomasson's Romeo & Juliet. Photo-C Erik Tomasson 31

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With Ruben Martin in Balanchine’s “Diamonds” 2009 36

With Damian Smith in the pas de deux from Wheeldon’s After the Rain, 2008 37

She has danced lead female roles in Tomasson's Giselle, Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Nutcracker; Tomasson/Possokhov's Don Quixote; Morris' Sylvia; and Lubovitch's Othello. She created roles in Tomasson's The Fifth Season, Chi-Lin, Silver Ladders, and 7 for Eight; Possokhov's Magrittomania, Damned, and Study in Motion; Wheeldon's Continuum and Quaternary; and Welch's Tu Tu. Her repertory includes Ashton's Thaïs Pas de Deux; Balanchine's Symphony in C, Theme and Variations, Concerto Barocco, Prodigal Son, and Apollo; Duato's Without Words; Robbins' In the Night, Dances at a Gathering, and Dybbuk; and Makarova's Paquita. [4] She was the cover person for Time Magazine, Asia's Heroes, 2004. 38

Yuan Tan and Yuri Possokhov in Lubovitch's Othello. Photo-C Lloyd Englert 39

Yuan Tan and Yuri Possokhov in Lubovitch's Othello. Photo-C Marty Sohl 40

Yuan Tan and Anthony Spaulding dance in "Diving into the Lilacs. " (Kurt Rogers / The Chronicle) 41

Yuan Tan and Anthony Spaulding's dancing in "Diving Into the Lilacs" was a highlight of the night, which returns on the 2010 Repetory Season's Program 4. (Kurt Rogers / The Chronicle) 42

Yuan Tan and Anthony Spaulding in Possokhov's Diving into the Lilacs (© Erik Tomasson) 2009 43

Yuan Tan in Morris' Sylvia. Photo-C Chris Hardy 44

The San Francisco Ballet’s “Sylvia, ” choreographed by Mark Morris and featuring Yuan Tan, right, will be performed as part of the Lincoln Center Festival. By Chris Hardy, July 2006 45

Yuan Tan and Ruben Martin in Welch's Naked. Photo: Erik Tomasson 2009 46

Famed Yuan Tan and Damian Smith in Balanchine’s “Emeralds”(2009) 47

在“卡门”中演出 48

在“卡门”中演出 49

YUAN TAN and DAMIAN SMITH – Pas de Deux from Wheeldon’s AFTER THE RAIN. Photos by Erik Tomasson. 50

YUAN TAN and DAMIAN SMITH – Pas de Deux from Wheeldon’s AFTER THE RAIN. Photos by Erik Tomasson. 51

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Yuan Tan Carries New Swan Lake (2007) Though Scenic and Costume Designer Jonathan Fensom's (this is his first ballet production) craggy lake rocks, silhouetted flying swans and spot-on costumery of the evil Von Rothbart (think oil spill meets goth) were impressive, it was principal dancer Yuan Tan who carried the show. Her performance as the cursed Odette-Odile, Swan Queen, could move even the nonballet enthusiast to tears. To say that it looked like she had no bones in her body would of course be a cliché, but also one of the only ways to accurately describe her graceful back bends, fluttering swan arms and water- like fluidity. In short, she was breathtaking. 53

In new “Swan Lake” by Erik Tommason, 2009 54

Yuan Tan and Tiit Helimets. Courtesy of the SF Ballet. (白天鹅） 55

With Tiit Helimets in new “Swan Lake” by Lacy Atkins/Chronicle, 2009 56

With Tiit Helimets in new “Swan Lake” by Lacy Atkins/Chronicle, 2009 57

With Tiit Helimets in new “Swan Lake” by Erik Tommason, 2009 58

With Tiit Helimets and Damian Smith in new “Swan Lake” by Lacy Aktins/The Chronicle, 2009 59

With Damian Smith in new “Swan Lake” by Erik Tommason, 2009 60

Yuan Tan and Damian Smith in “Stravinsky Violin Concerto” (by Erik Tommason, 2009) 61

Yuan Tan and Damian Smith in “Stravinsky Violin Concerto” (by Erik Tommason, 2009) 62

the PBS broadcast is hosted by Bay Area local Kristi Yamaguchi, Yuan. Tan as show queen and hosted by Kristi Yamaguchi. (2008) 63

Yuan Tan has been a guest principal dancer with the Hong Kong Ballet to perform in some modern pieces with the company. 64

Yuan Tan and Damian Smith in Yuri Possokhov’s “Fusion”, by Erik Tommason 2008 65

STEALING THE SHOW AGAIN: Yuan Tan and Damian Smith in "The Fifth Season. " by Erik Tomasson 66

POWERFUL: Yuan Tan and Damian Smith from The San Francisco Ballet performing "The Fifth Season. " 67

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CNN's Kristie Lu Stout talks to China's most critically acclaimed ballet dancer, Tan Yuan about her rise to fame. (July 2008) http: //edition. cnn. com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/06/25/ta. yuanyaun/index. html Videos: Delicate and daring 9: 02, Performance on Stage 7: 13, Movement and Emotion 6: 27 Tan Yuan Dancing 1: 37 (all four pieces are connected with an advertisement at the very beginning) 69

Yuan Tan China's Dancing Queen By Laura A. Locke Monday, October 4, 2004 …… Tan's mix of professionalism and puckishness presents a charming picture to strangers, one that is no less beguiling to those who work with her every day. Even in a room full of talented, graceful young women, "she makes you want to look at her, " says Damian Smith, Tan's lead dance partner. 70

. Magnetism is as good a word as any to describe Tan's allure, but it is insufficient to explain how at age 28 she has become one of the world's top ballerinas and the most critically acclaimed dancer ever to emerge from China. Native ability enabled the Shanghai-born Tan to win a gold medal in 1992 while competing for China at an international ballet competition in France—and to catch the eye of Helgi Tomasson, San Francisco Ballet's artistic director. Tan's determination helped her at age 21 to reach ballet's highest rank, that of principal ballerina, with the San Francisco troupe. Now in her prime, Tan's dedication keeps her focused amid the distractions of fame. She danced at the White House for President Bill Clinton and Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji in 1999, and presented a key to the city to then Chinese Vice President (now President) Hu Jintao during one of his visits to San Francisco. …… 71

……. . Still, Tan works 13 hours a day, six days a week. "I always have to try harder, " Tan says. "What the choreographer wants or the audience wants, it's like endless. . . never enough. Never good enough. " To audiences, Tan's performances come across as light, fluid and effortless. Most of the attendees do not know she has endured three stress fractures in her legs. "Maybe it looks easy on me, but it's not, " she says. Not that Tan is thinking of giving it up. Absent career-shortening injury, she should be able to continue dancing for many years. In the future, she hopes to return to Shanghai and open her own ballet school, to pass along her knowledge to the next generation. Tan says she has never forgotten what a judge told her in Paris: that dancing is not all technique—to be a true artist, one must "dance from the heart. " Says Tan: "You have to feel the room, feel the characters, and feel deep inside of yourself. I don't think I have achieved this goal yet. But I'm trying to reach that point, little by little. " 72

生活中的谭元元 73

12/31/2008 74

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Yuan Tan poster in front of municipal government“ 76

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练习中的谭元元 79

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S. F. Ballet production of ‘Nutcracker’ on PBS The Snow Queen (Yuan Tan) is projected on TV screens during recording of the San Francisco Ballet‘s “Nutcracker” 2007. (Michael Maloney / The Chronicle） 81

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Pictures， Videos and Introduction in Chinese http: //www. balletstargala. com/cn_2008. 12. html (International Ballet Star Gala in Taibei) (first find Gala 2008, then for actress Yuan-Yuan Tan, 20 photos) http: //www. tanyuan. com（谭元元个人网站，其中 11个精彩视频的专访和演出片段很值得一看！） http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=2 rdg 1 t. Iax. H 4&feature=related (2007 春节联欢晚会上在“岁寒三友--松，竹，梅”中的演出) http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=MG 6 d 9 PN 3 Rz 8&feature=related ( 与徐刚，吕思清，孔祥东同台） 85

“Lar Lubovitch's `Othello'” stars Desmond Richardson in the title role, with Yuan Tan as Desdemona. Taped at San Francisco's War Memorial Opera House on March 2 and 3, 2002. http: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Z-Rj 8 -vpge. M&feature=related (Othello“奥赛罗”, 非常精彩！must see!) http: //video. sina. com. cn/ent/j/2008 -12 -31/023031667. shtml 2009 年元旦期间，谭元元携手香港芭蕾舞团走进国家大剧院，再次演绎“ 芭蕾经典之经典”的《天鹅湖》（新浪访问） http: //video. sina. com. cn/ent/j/2008 -12 -24/141831200. shtml （香港芭蕾舞团“天鹅湖”在国家大剧院上演片段） http: //video. sina. com. cn/news/c/v/2008 -07 -23/153619339. shtml （视频：舞蹈艺术家谭元元，上海东方卫视节目，2008） 86

San Francisco Ballet’s Yuan Tan is hitting her stride By: Janos Gereben Special to The Examiner 01/31/09 8: 00 PM PST SAN FRANCISCO — Top ballerinas all share skill, talent and athleticism, but each has something individual and distinctive. Among San Francisco Ballet stars in recent years, clear examples of that “something special” include Evelyn Cisneros’ dazzling smile, Joanna Berman’s uncanny rapport with the audience, Tina Le. Blanc’s utterly natural presence and Lucia Lacarra’s verve and elegance. When it comes to Yuan Tan, the shorthand for what makes her unique is total focus and steely discipline. From her debut in San Francisco 14 years ago to the gala evening opening the 2009 season a couple weeks ago, she has stood ramrod straight, seemingly taller than her 5 -foot, 4 inch height — stronger than anything one would expect from such a lithe body. 87

Others at 34 either retire or prepare for the inevitable in the butterfly-length life of dancers; Tan seems very much at midcareer, her strength undiminished. Starting ballet “late” — at age 11 as a winner of auditions in her native Shanghai, among a handful selected from thousands of applicants — Tan exploded onto the international scene at age 15. She won contests in Finland Japan, became the only female winner of a Nijinsky Award in Poland went on to win a gold medal in Paris, where she first caught the eye of San Francisco Ballet Artistic Director Helgi Tomasson. Tan was already a student with John Cranko’s Stuttgart Ballet when Tomasson invited her to participate in the 1995 gala in The City. She stayed on as a soloist, and two years later she was promoted to the highest rank in the company, becoming its first Chinese principal dancer. In China, which she visits five to six times a year (including attendance at the Beijing Olympics), she is famous, a big name in a country where ballet is somewhat of a national mania. Along with Roger Federer, Placido Domingo and Yo-Yo Ma, Tan is a Rolex “testimonee, ” meaning that her image is used in the luxury watch company’s advertisements. But about another commercial possibility — rumored at one point — that she would own a chain of ballet studios in China, Tan’s answer 88

is an unequivocal “no, ” because she doesn’t want her name used unless she can take responsibility for running the schools. Tan has received accolades in the title role of “Giselle, ” as Kitri in “Don Quixote, ” in numerous works by Yuri Possokhov (her favorite is “Magrittomania”), in George Balanchine ballets, classical and contemporary works, always presenting a combination of strength and grace. At first, she had both fans and detractors (who found her too rigid, effort showing), and one of her Black Swan reviews spoke of a “smile that’s painted on, peeling off too often. ” But soon, having proved herself night after night, she became an all-around audience favorite. Whether cause or effect, Tan’s body language and facial expressions also loosened up. As with most dancers, Tan has had multiple injuries through the years — including stress fractures in both legs — but she always came back quickly, and resumed work in full. In the season that just started, Tan will dance major roles in many programs, in good health, at the height of considerable powers. 89

In the News : Yuan Tan in “Romeo and Juliet” ……. San Francisco's Shanghai-born dance star Yuan Tan as Juliet made this Romeo and Juliet memorable. She brought back the memory of some great Juliets of the past without the usual regret of time lost and never regained. In her first child-like scene, her Juliet has enough quick-silvery lightness and impishness to bolt around the Nurse, as Ulanova or even Fonteyn used to do, all grace and weightless fluidity. …. . the young exuberance and beauty of her movement were irresistible. Yuan Tan showed the subtle hues of her palette a moment later when her suitor Paris was introduced. The child's insouciance turned into a girl's astonished and slightly embarrassed curiosity, the careful shyness of a young colt approached by a first rider, torn between being game and wanting to bolt away. 90

In abstract ballets, Yuan Tan come across as distant and cool, but when she dances a part she loves, and she loves dramatic story ballets, an actress is born – a pleasantly understated, cinema-style actress who instinctively lets her body do most of the talking. And she is gifted with a body that apparently has no limits in pliable expressiveness, speed, shot-arrow strength and focus. She looks like a silvery thread, with a natural Asian delicacy of limbs that does not conjure the painful image of anorexic ballerinas. She is not tall but long-limbed, and the stretch of her legs and very expressive feet seems to extend her movements into space. She also showed the best of her musical phrasing (as she already did in Lar Lubovitch's. Othello and Tomason's Giselle )– this rare capacity to do so much more than execute steps and master technical difficulties: to dance and let the dance breathe. 91

……In the Balcony Scene, there is no shy hesitation in Yuan Tan's Juliet – she responds with eager, childlike trust and a natural sensuous pliability. It is only at the end, when Romeo runs up the steps after her and kisses her, that she, too, is struck to the core. She touchingly, comically goes weak in her knees and almost keels over from that kiss. 92

…. . Her quiet Asian face with its big slanted eyes seems made for romantic drama, tragedy, and she clearly feels most at home on these shores. …… The moment she awakens and sees Romeo in his cape, ready to go into exile, we watch a woman facing the poignancy of her passion. No trace of the child is left when she takes on her destiny, and yet the very willfulness in her longing and despair seems childlike at times and is movingly translated through the breathless spins and reckless balances the dancer launches into as the drama unfolds. 93

Yuan Tan is obviously at the height of her power as a dancer, fearless and selfassured enough to take increasing risks …. . . …… Today, Yuan Tan is the only prima ballerina of Asian descent in America. The audience adores her, and so do the important patrons in the Pacific Rim community of San Francisco. Had there been a technically equally riveting dancer for Romeo available in the company, this revival might have been filmed like Lar Lubovitch's 1997 Othello (where Yuan Tan was partnered by the impressive Black dancer Desmond Richardson). 94

In the News: Tommason’s new “Swan Lake” it was principal dancer Yuan Tan who carried the show (the Tommason’s new “Swan Lake”). Her performance as the cursed Odette. Odile, Swan Queen, could move even the non-ballet enthusiast to tears. To say that it looked like she had no bones in her body would of course be a cliché, but also one of the only ways to accurately describe her graceful back bends, fluttering swan arms and water-like fluidity. In short, she was breathtaking. (By Jennifer Pollock in “Yuan Carries New Swan Lake”, Feb 2009) Tiit Helimets and Yuan Tan were especially touching in it Saturday. …… Tan is now equally first rate as Odette and her evil standin, Odile, lavishing a fluid back and time-stopping balances upon both roles. (By Rachel Howard, Chronicle Dance Correspondent February 23, 2009) 95

In the News…. Command Performance of International Ballet adds modern dance to the mix ……… For a gala touting its ballet credentials but still wanting to push the envelope, Christopher Wheeldon's quasi-ballet After the Rain fit the bill. San Francisco Ballet principals Yuan Tan and Damian Smith moved like metronomes, swaying sideways to Arvo Pärt's clock-ticking music, drawing us in to its mesmerizing folds. 96

WASHINGTON — Watching four performances of San Francisco Ballet’s “Giselle” at the Kennedy Center Opera House this weekend, I marveled more than ever at what a haven of classical style this company has become under its artistic director, Helgi Tomasson. …… Yuan Tan (who danced on Saturday night) is widely admired as the company’s leading dramatic ballerina. With her long feet and often drooping hands, her dancing seems more mannerist than suits “Giselle. ” But her immersion in the action is admirable, and she maintained a steady rapport with Tiit Helimets (Albrecht). In Act II both interacted vividly with Sofiane Sylve (Myrtha). (By Alastair Macaulay, Dec 2008) 97

谭元元的成功是中国芭蕾的神话，但她也为此付出了很多。小时候，她并不能从芭蕾中感受到快乐，因为想放弃，甚至挨过妈妈的耳光。现在，她已浸润芭蕾 20多年，并跻身世界顶级舞者行列。到底芭蕾给了她怎样的享受，让她一路坚持下来？　　 “我想更多的是陶冶吧。”元元说，如果要从中获得满足感那是很难的，因为艺无止境，艺术家总是好了还要更好，从来没有满足感。每次谢幕的时候，我都想：哎呀，我可以跳得更好一点。如果说幸福感，舞蹈太苦了，很难说幸福。成功嘛，那要看你怎么来看了，我的成功在于我的努力，能有这么多光环，我也真的是为之付出了很多。但有一点是可以肯定的，在舞台上的时间是我生命中最美好的时刻，在那一刻我感受到所有的付出都是值得的，我整个人陶醉其中。（记者李洋） 98

谭元元：芭蕾是我生命的一部分谭元元说：“在舞台上的时间是我生命中最美好的时刻，在那一刻我感受到所有的付出都是值得的，我整个人陶醉其中。芭蕾已经是我生命中的一部分！我希望未来自己还能够对中国以及世界的芭蕾舞发展起到作用，任何事情都是有可能的，将来祖国有什么需要我帮忙的我都会尽力而为。” （伦兵报导，北京青年报，12/30/2008） 99

。。。。。。时至今日，谭元元在美国旧金山芭蕾舞团已经连续１２年担任首席舞者。其实，在国外的舞团中首席并非终身职位，跟舞团的合约都是每年一签（也就是说你稍微不努力后面就有一大批更年轻的候补者跟上来）。高处不胜寒，谭元元怎么能够１２年都使自己处在金字塔顶端？“不要有危机感，但是也不能松懈，要更尽力提高自己。”谭元元坦率地说。话说得简单，可做起来很难。为了让自己保持好的状态，她不得不放弃很多女孩子都喜欢的生活方式，比如逛街。在美国期间她也曾跳到胯骨错位，差点终止舞蹈生涯。“ 现在跳舞时还有点疼，不过好很多了。” 　　她曾对媒体说过，等自己跳到巅峰时就不再跳了。什么时候是巅峰呢？谭元元想了一下说：“巅峰？不知道，反正不是现在。也许有一天我起床之后觉得自己不想跳了就挂靴了。现在我还可以再冲一下。” 　　在国外，有人说谭元元可以跳到４５岁。不过她不想跟自己太较劲。“舞蹈演员的生活有自己的规律按部就班。我觉得跳到３５岁刚刚好，然后做回正常人。我已经１５年没有在家过过春节了。” （摘自李特报导，竞报，12/31/2008） 100

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