Inside Yuan Yuan Tan’s Last Efficiency with San Francisco Ballet

A bathe of flowers and a sustained standing ovation marked the tip of an period: Yuan Yuan Tan’s retirement from San Francisco Ballet after nearly 30 years on February 14, her forty eighth birthday. A muse to choreographers, an inspiration to generations of dancers, and a deeply beloved viewers favourite, Tan, generally known as YY to pals and colleagues, performed a central function within the firm’s success throughout Helgi Tomasson’s­ lengthy tenure as inventive director. Her ultimate efficiency (with SFB, no less than—she will not be but retiring from dancing) was in Sir Frederick Ashton’s Marguerite and Armand partnered by Aaron Robison. Whereas there have been rumblings throughout the web that her departure ought to have been celebrated with better fanfare, Tan was radiant, crusing by the function with the musicality, lyricism, and technical brilliance which have outlined her as a ballerina. Tan introduced Dance Journal backstage for her ultimate efficiency, sharing her ideas, feelings, and SFB recollections all through the milestone occasion.

“I’ve my routine to prepare for the present: I do my very own make-up, I hearken to music, and I return some texts. I’ve to be very quiet earlier than I am going onstage. So what I did was precisely the identical. I informed myself, ‘It’s okay, simply get pleasure from each single second.’ ”

“I used to be getting a lot of flowers and notes and texts, and simply nonstop congratulations and blissful birthday. I believed I might be very nervous. It was stunning, as a result of I normally get little butterflies in my abdomen earlier than the stage, however I didn’t that evening.”

“I devoted my whole life to this firm. I don’t miss class. I don’t miss any rehearsals. I don’t need to miss a present. The younger ladies go, ‘YY, do you ever get injured?’ I’m like, ‘Hell, yeah.’ And so much. Each labrum tears, I’ve fractures, and my vertebra was injured proper earlier than The Little Mermaid filming. I did cortisone and I went on. I’m not suggesting to take action. However I’ve a really sturdy will to push to the restrict.”

“I’ve danced so many dramatic roles. [John Neumeier’s] The Little Mermaid, [Yuri Possokhov’s] RAkU, and [Lar Lubovitch’s] Othello had been all highlights.”

“I used to be pondering again on lots of issues. Right here at SFB, I noticed the glory days. I actually love the dancers right here. It’s like my household.”

“Generally you don’t understand how good you [are]. As a result of dancers develop up being criticized by the instructor, schoolmates, colleagues, after which, if you get onstage, by critics, and rehearsal administrators, and the inventive director. Generally it will possibly get in the way in which; you consider what you hear. However now, once I look again, I say, ‘Wow, I did fairly good.’ ”

“Marguerite and Armand is new for me. It’s a really distinctive piece, created for Margot Fonteyn and Rudolf Nureyev.”

“It was very distinctive and really touching that Helgi did a speech onstage after my ultimate bow. In entrance of all the corporate, he stated, ‘Are you able to please come again? You’re wanted to move down your legacy and your information to the younger dancers.’ ”

“I’m nonetheless taking class with the corporate—and I really feel good. My physique nonetheless features and I’ve the flexibleness. I nonetheless do the large jumps. So I say goodbye to SFB, after which it’s my option to nonetheless maintain dancing. Saying bye to SFB on my birthday and Valentine’s Day, it was additionally my selection. I selected that day as a result of I believe I will probably be reborn.”