Artistic Director Christopher Stowell is currently on a working vacation in Guangzhou, China where he has been invited to be a guest instructor with the Guangzhou Ballet.
Here’s a picture postcard from the rehearsal room in China, reminding us that ballet is a common language shared all over the world!
Here is Christopher with the assembled dancers of Guangzhou Ballet- check out our own Xuan Cheng to his left- Xuan used to perform with this company early in her career, before joining Oregon Ballet Theatre.
Here are some images of Christopher in class with the Guangzhou dancers:
So, where in the world is Guangzhou?
Formerly referred to as Canton, and still the birthplace of Cantonese cuisine, Guangzou is in Southern China, and makes up one of the land masses surrounding the Pearl River Delta, along with Hong Kong and Macao. Here’s a map:
For many years, Guangzhou was the only port open to western trade in mainland China. Guangzhou has a population of about 12 million people and a gorgeous high tech skyline:
One last fun fact courtesy of Wikipedia: Christopher is probably enjoying the fact that, unlike other parts of China where heavy use of the horn while driving can make for a cacophonous city center, Guangzhou has an ordinance that makes it illegal to honk your horn while driving.
We wish Christopher and his partner Scott safe travels!
August 2, 2012
Ballet News, In the Community, Picture Postcards