Yuanyuan Tan

Yuan Yuan Tan
Born 谭元元
Shanghai, China
Alma mater Shanghai Ballet School
John Cranko School
Occupation Ballet dancer, choreographer, brand ambassador
Years active 1995–present
Height 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m)
Title Prima ballerina, Principal, San Francisco Ballet
Guest Principal, Hong Kong Ballet
Yuan Yuan Tan poster in front of San Francisco City Hall
Yuan Yuan Tan after diving into lilacs

Yuan Yuan Tan (Chinese: 谭元元; born 1977, Shanghai, China) is a Chinese ballet dancer. She is the prima ballerina of San Francisco Ballet where she holds the rank of principal dancer. She also holds the title of guest principal dancer at Hong Kong Ballet.[1][2][3][4][5][6]

As one of the most accomplished and critically acclaimed dancers of her generation, Yuan Yuan Tan is widely regarded as "the greatest Chinese ballerina of all time"[7][8][9] and was called a "national treasure" by ChinaDaily.[3]

Due to her accomplishments, Tan has become a fashion icon and celebrity in her native China. As one of few dancers to find mainstream success, she has been featured in numerous publications and high-profile brand endorsements. In 2004, she was featured on the cover of Time magazine as a "Hero of Asia."[10][11][12]

Early life

Yuan Yuan Tan was born in Shanghai, China and raised in the city’s traditional Hongkou District. She first learned to dance in pre-school and took an interest in ballet after watching an old broadcast of Galina Ulanova performing Swan Lake. She maintained an interest in dance throughout her primary education, where she excelled academically.[3]

At the age of 10, she was scouted by the Shanghai Ballet School and invited to join their training program. She was one of 24 candidates chosen from thousands of potentials in her age group from across China. Tan’s father, an engineer, adamantly opposed her pursuing ballet as a career, instead wishing for her to continue in academia and pursue a medical or law degree. Her mother, who once harbored ambitions of becoming a dancer herself, was supportive of Tan's desire to enroll in the ballet school. The parents’ impasse was resolved by flipping a 5-fen coin. Tan’s mother won the toss and her father capitulated.[3][9][13][14][15][16]

Ballet career

Training and competitions

Yuan Yuan Tan’s formal dance training began at the Shanghai Ballet School at the age of 11. Because of her parents earlier indecisiveness, she was enrolled one year later than the other students in her class and was at a disadvantage. The rigorous training regime left her depressed and homesick until, at the age of 13, a new teacher arrived that inspired her to excel. At 14, she began competing at international ballet competitions representing the People’s Republic of China.[4][15][17]

Tan's first major breakthrough came in 1992 at the 5th International Ballet Competition in Paris, France. Tan's performance was awarded a perfect score by competition judge Galina Ulanova, the legendary ballerina and Tan’s childhood idol. Tan went on to win the gold medal of the junior female division. In 1993, Tan won the gold medal of the junior female classical division at the 1st Japan International Ballet and Modern Dance Competition in Nagoya, Japan. She also received that year's Nijinsky Award, named after Russian ballet legend Vaslav Nijinsky, the first time the prize was granted to a female dancer.[4][15][17]

In 1994, Tan attended the John Cranko School in Stuttgart, Germany on a full scholarship, where she continued her training with the Vaganova method. 6 months into her two-year scholarship, Helgi Tomasson, artistic director of the San Francisco Ballet, the oldest ballet company in the United States, invited Tan to dance as a guest of the company, having spotted her at the Paris competition in 1992.[4][15][17]

San Francisco Ballet

Soloist

Shortly after arriving in San Francisco in 1995, Tan was offered and accepted a full-time soloist contract with the San Francisco Ballet; at the age of 17, she became the youngest in the company’s history and the first Asian soloist. One of her first significant roles was in the classic Swan Lake, which had inspired her love of ballet at the age of 5.[4][18]

Principal dancer

A major breakthrough came when Tan was called as a last minute replacement for an injured principal dancer in George Balanchine's Stravinsky Violin Concerto. Tan had never danced the ballet before, nor was she acquainted with the unique style of Balanchine’s choreography. Tan was given a videotape to watch from the San Francisco Ballet archives, and performed the piece after only 6 hours of learning.[15][19]

The next season, in 1997, Tan was promoted to principal dancer; at the age of 19, she became the youngest principal in the history of the San Francisco Ballet, and the first Chinese dancer to reach that rank in a major company.[4][18]

Today

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".[20]

She has danced lead female roles in Helgi 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.[21]

International fame and fashion icon

Brand collaborations

Note: this list is not exhaustive and only includes some of the most notable appearances.

Brand Collaboration Year Notes Ref.
Burberry Campaign 2013- "Art of the Trench" Shanghai[22] [11]
Chanel Event 2014 Shanghai, China [23]
Coach Brand Ambassador, campaign 2016- Modern Career Women 2016, Asia campaign[24] [25]
Dior Event 2008 "Christian Dior and Chinese Artists" [26]
First Republic Bank Campaign 2012- Print / Online [27]
Gap Campaign 2012 International ad campaign [28]
Giorgio Armani Event, editorial 2012 "One Night Only in Beijing" [29]
Ferrari Event, charity 2012 Ferrari @ The Great Wall, Beijing [30]
Hugo Boss Fashion show 2013 F/W 2013, Shanghai [31]
La Mer Campaign 2017 “La Mer x 谭元元“ [32]
Lane Crawford Campaign 2013 Photographed by Patrick Demarchelier [33]
Louis Vuitton Event, Editorial 2015 Hong Kong [34]
Rolex Brand Ambassador, campaign 2012- International [35]
Rosewood Hotels Brand Ambassador, curator 2014- Beijing, International [12]
Tiffany & Co Events, charity 2016- San Francisco [36]
Tod's Brand Ambassador, editorial 2013 Milan Fashion Week [37]
Tom Ford Event, editorial 2011 With Tom Ford and Maggie Cheung, Beijing[38] [39]
Van Cleef & Arpels Brand Ambassador, campaign, event 2012- Ballet inspired collection [11]

Note: this list is not exhaustive and only includes some of the most notable appearances.

Publication Date Notes Ref.
Time Oct 2004 Featured on cover "Heros of Asia" 1 of 20. [40]
Vogue Apr 2003 Photographed by Annie Leibovitz [41][42]
Vogue IT Nov 2012 Editorial "Yuan Yuan Tan" [43]
W Oct 2013 Editorial [44]
WWD 2013- Numerous Appearances [45][46][47]
Net-a-Porter Jul 2014 "The Edit" [48]
GQ China Sep 2011 Web Editorial (Gucci) [49]
Tatler 2008 "Floating Yuan" [50]
Tatler Asia Nov 2012 Editorial "Yuan Yuan Tan" [51]
Tatler HK Aug 2017 "Asia's Most Wanted" [52]
Numero (大都市) Dec 2016 Editorial for Coach "谭元元 “小美人鱼”就是我" [53]
Harper's Bazaar China Aug 2017 Editorial [54]
Elle China Nov 2017 Editorial "Yuan Yuan Tan, Red & Black" [55]
Elle UK Oct 2015 "4 People Changing the Face of Ballet" [56]
Cosmopolitan Mar 2017 Editorial [57]

Filmography

Features

Note: this list is not exhaustive and only includes some of the most notable appearances.

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2003 Lar Lubovitch's Othello Desdemona San Francisco Ballet [58]
2007 The Nutcracker Snow Queen San Francisco Ballet [59]
2011 The Little Mermaid The Little Mermaid By John Neumeier [60]
2017 RAkU - The Film The Princess Documentary of the ballet by Yuri Possokhov [61]

Television

Note: this list is not exhaustive and only includes some of the most notable appearances.

Year Title Role Notes Ref.
2008 CNN special - "The perfect poise of Tan Yuan Yuan" Herself 45 minute special program [62]
2011 PBS - The Little Mermaid The Liittle Mermaid / Herself About the ballet by John Neumeier [63]
2013 CCTV Herself Interview in Chinese [64]
2013 CCTV News Herself Interview in English [65]
2016 天天向上 Day Day Up Herself / Swan Queen Chinese variety show [66]
2016 金星秀 The Jin Xing Show Herself Chinese talk show [67]
2016 2016 Shanghai International Film Festival Herself Film festival red carpet [68]
2017 我们来了 Up Idol Herself / Swan Queen Chinese variety show [69]

Bibliography

In 2013, Tan published her autobiography ”我和芭蕾“ (Ballet and I), chronicling her journey to international stardom. The book was met with critical acclaim and the first run was sold out within minutes.[70]

in 2017, Tan published "足尖上的艺术—世界芭蕾名团巡礼" (The Art of Pointe, the Ballet World Tour), a guide for Chinese language audiences to the history of the most significant ballet companies in the world.[71]

Public speaking

In 2015, Tan was invited to speak at the prestigious Fudan University in Shanghai, China, where she gave a lecture based on her autobiography, ”我和芭蕾“ (Ballet and I).[72]

In 2016, Tan was a headline speaker at the annual TEDxShanghai, speaking on her life and career in a lecture called "Balance — My Life as a Ballerina."[8][9]

References

  1. ↑ "San Francisco Ballet - Dancer". www.sfballet.org. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  2. ↑ "TAN Yuan Yuan | HK Ballet". www.hkballet.com. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  3. 1 2 3 4 李齐. "Raising the barre[1]- Chinadaily.com.cn". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 李齐. "Raising the barre[2]- Chinadaily.com.cn". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  5. ↑ 李齐. "Raising the barre[3]- Chinadaily.com.cn". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  6. ↑ "The Little Mermaid from San Francisco Ballet | About the Program | Great Performances | PBS". Great Performances. 2011-11-30. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  7. ↑ "The Hong Kong Ballet - Tan Yuan Yuan". hkballet.com. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  8. 1 2 "TEDxShanghai | TED". www.ted.com. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  9. 1 2 3 TEDx Talks (2016-12-06), Balance - My Life as a Ballerina | Yuan Yuan Tan 谭元元 | TEDxShanghai, retrieved 2017-10-09
  10. ↑ "TIME Magazine -- Asia Edition -- October 11, 2004 / Vol. 164, No. 15". Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  11. 1 2 3 Sulcas, Roslyn; Cooper, Michael (2013-11-20). "Ballet Dancers as Brands". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  12. 1 2 "A Pirouette Through China's Capital With Tan Yuan Yuan". Rosewood Hotels and Resorts. 2017-05-01. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  13. ↑ "Destiny's child". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  14. ↑ "Haunting Beauty". dancemagazine. 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Coolcat (2013-04-07), Interview with Tan Yuanyuan, retrieved 2017-10-04
  16. ↑ "The Perfect Poise of Tan Yuan Yuan" CNN, June 25, 2008.
  17. 1 2 3 TEDx Talks (2016-12-06), Balance - My Life as a Ballerina | Yuan Yuan Tan 谭元元 | TEDxShanghai, retrieved 2017-10-04
  18. 1 2 "Sunday Profile: Yuan Yuan Tan". SFGate. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  19. ↑ "Yuan Yuan Tan's 20 stellar years at S.F. Ballet". SFGate. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  20. ↑ "San Francisco Chronicle Jan 08, 2005" SF Chronicle
  21. ↑ "Yuanyuan Tan" HK Ballet Guest Principal Dancer
  22. ↑
  23. ↑ CHANEL. "香奈儿官网_CHANEL官网_香奈儿中国官网 | 香奈儿CHANEL官网". CHANEL (in Chinese). Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  24. ↑
  25. ↑ Hantang Culture Shanghai (2016-11-21), COACH Modern Career Women - Tan Yuan Yuan, retrieved 2017-10-05
  26. ↑ "Christian Dior and Chinese Artists - UCCA". UCCA. 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  27. ↑ "First Republic: Yuan Yuan Tan". First Republic Bank. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  28. ↑ "Gap continues edgy new image makeover with campaign starring indie musicians and dancers". Mail Online. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  29. ↑ 顾馨. "Fashion Special: Armani hosts fashion gala in Beijing | Style". www.chinadaily.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  30. ↑ "法拉利官方网站". www.ferrari.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  31. ↑ "Shanghai Chic: Hugo Boss Winter 2013 Fashion Show". Luxury Insider. 2013-06-06. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  32. ↑ Team, Tencent VFE. "LAMER X 谭元元：开启你的焕变奇迹_腾讯视频". v.qq.com (in Chinese). Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  33. ↑ FirmStudio. "The LC Insider | by LaneCrawford". lcinsider.com. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  34. ↑ "Homage to Hong Kong - Louis Vuitton Passion for Creation". Luxury Insider. 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  35. ↑ Sulcas, Roslyn; Cooper, Michael (2013-11-20). "Ballet Dancers as Brands". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-10-03.
  36. ↑ Rabimov, Stephan. "San Francisco Ballet 2017 Gala Best-Dressed List". Forbes. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  37. ↑ "芭蕾舞蹈家谭元元亮相TOD'S米兰时装周首秀". slide.fashion.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  38. ↑
  39. ↑ "Tom Ford Opens First Womenswear Boutique In Beijing | Jing Daily". Jing Daily. 2012-12-20. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  40. ↑ "TIME Magazine -- Asia Edition -- October 11, 2004 / Vol. 164, No. 15". Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  41. ↑ "20 Ballet-Inspired Ways to Wear Tulle and Tutus Offstage". Vogue. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  42. ↑ "Glorifying those beautiful bodies". SFGate. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  43. ↑ "Tan Yuanyuan - Vogue.it" (in Italian). Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  44. ↑ Lawrence, Vanessa. "Yuan Yuan Tan Loves Audrey Hepburn, Loathes Exaggeration". W Magazine. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  45. ↑ Staff, WWD (2013-01-28). "A Hot Week for San Francisco's Social Scene". WWD. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  46. ↑ Saeks, Diane Dorrans (2016-09-13). "San Francisco's 2016 Symphony and Opera Galas Draw Glamorous Crowd". WWD. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  47. ↑ Staff, WWD (2012-01-20). "San Francisco Ballet Opens Season". WWD. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  48. ↑ "NET-A-PORTER.COM先锋人物对话--芭蕾女皇谭元元". Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  49. ↑ "Gucci 90周年 举办"新的视野，爱的延续"慈善晚宴_潮流_GQ男士网". www.gq.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  50. ↑ "Floating Yuan / Tan Yuan Yuan / Asia Tatler – Awethentic Studio". awethenticstudio.com. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  51. ↑ Mok, Charmaine. "Interview: Tan Yuan Yuan | Hong Kong Tatler". Hong Kong Tatler. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  52. ↑ Tatler, Hong Kong. "Asia's Most Wanted: China's Most Eligible Ladies | Hong Kong Tatler". Hong Kong Tatler. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  53. ↑ "杰出人物 | 谭元元 "小美人鱼"就是我". www.sohu.com. 2017-01-11. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  54. ↑ "Sina Visitor System". weibo.com. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  55. ↑ www.ellechina.com. "全新高端女性门户网站 | ELLE 世界时装之苑杂志官方网站". www.ellechina.com. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  56. ↑ "4 People Changing the Face of Ballet". ELLE UK. 2015-10-09. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  57. ↑ "时尚COSMO_问谁穿风衣平底鞋最美？杜鹃笑而不语_时髦办". fashion.cosmopolitan.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  58. ↑ Lubovitch, Lar (2003-06-10), Lar Lubovitch's Othello / San Francisco Ballet, Kultur Video, retrieved 2017-10-05
  59. ↑ "Amazon.com: The Nutcracker (San Francisco Ballet, 2007): San Francisco Ballet, Tomasson, Helgi, Petipa: Amazon Digital Services LLC". www.amazon.com. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  60. ↑ Grimm, Thomas (2011-11-15), The Little Mermaid, C Major Entertainment, retrieved 2017-10-05
  61. ↑ "RAkU -The Film". www.catticus.org. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  62. ↑ CNN, By Denise Tam For. "The perfect poise of Tan Yuan Yuan - CNN.com". edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  63. ↑ "The Little Mermaid from San Francisco Ballet | About the Program | Great Performances | PBS". Great Performances. 2011-11-30. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  64. ↑ Coolcat (2013-04-07), Interview with Tan Yuanyuan, retrieved 2017-10-05
  65. ↑ Coolcat (2013-04-07), Interview with Tan Yuanyuan, retrieved 2017-10-05
  66. ↑ 湖南卫视芒果TV官方频道 China HunanTV Official Channel (2016-07-15), Day Day Up 20160715: Jiang Mengjie teases Jin Goo【Hunan TV Official 1080P】, retrieved 2017-10-05
  67. ↑ SMG上海电视台官方频道 SMG Shanghai TV Official Channel (2016-11-16), The Jinxing Show EP.20161116[SMG Official HD], retrieved 2017-10-05
  68. ↑ "上海国际电影节". www.siff.com. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  69. ↑ 湖南卫视芒果TV官方频道 China HunanTV Official Channel (2017-09-22), Up Idol Season2 EP.8 Rosamund Kwan Is a Talented Skier & Ballet Dancer [Hunan TV official channel], retrieved 2017-10-05
  70. ↑ "芭蕾女王谭元元自传北美发售 《我和芭蕾》揭秘舞台人生-美国中文网视频". video.sinovision.net. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
  71. ↑ "从足尖到笔尖，谭元元推新作《足尖上的芭蕾》". ent.sina.com.cn. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
  72. ↑ "上海国际艺术节校园行之谭元元访谈会成功举行_综合新闻_复旦大学". news.fudan.edu.cn. Retrieved 2017-10-09.
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