Classic ballet dance wins best performance at annual Chinese Bridge Competition
Student Lucy Hirst recently won the ‘Best Performance’ award at this year’s Chinese Bridge Competition, held at SOAS University of London earlier this month.
With 13 contestants from 11 universities taking part in this annual Chinese language proficiency competition, Lucy, who studies Contemporary Chinese Society and pre-intermediate language level study delivered a performance taken from a classic ballet dance in contemporary China.
I got to learn more about China's cultural history in a way that aligned with my hobbies - something that you don't always have the opportunity to do in general class. It's something that I've really enjoyed doing and would do again.
The first part of her dance showed a young girl called Xier waiting earnestly for her father coming back home on the eve of Chinese New Year. The second part displayed the happiness and excitement of Xier when she saw the New Year gift bought by her father: a piece of red ribbon. Lucy’s performance conveyed the emotions of the piece as she brought the role to life on stage.
Her coach Zhaoxia Pang, Lecturer in Chinese, said: “I was very proud of Lucy’s strength and bravery. As well as the talent show demands, Lucy had to deliver a three-minute speech, answer questions from the judges and prepare over 120 questions relating to Chinese language, culture, history and geography. An incredible achievement where this recognition is truly deserved.”
Lucy said: “I signed up for the competition out of impulse - I think everyone in my class was surprised when I said I wanted to take part. I viewed it as a way to push myself a little harder and support my actual Chinese studies.
“At the start I questioned myself a lot, I'd only studied Chinese for about a year and a half and would be competing against final year students that majored in Chinese (I, unfortunately, do not!) and had spent a year in China, immersed in the language.
“However, thanks to the guidance from my teacher, Zhaoxia, I got to learn more about China's cultural history in a way that aligned with my hobbies - something that you don't always have the opportunity to do in general class. It's something that I've really enjoyed doing and would do again.
“I'd recommend it to anyone wanting to push themselves, not only in language-learning but also in terms of personal development. Thank you so much to my teacher, who helped me all throughout!”
The annual Chinese Bridge Competition is recognised globally as the most challenging Chinese proficiency competition for university students. Contestants must demonstrate their abilities in three areas: oral presentation, knowledge about Chinese language and culture, and a talent show.
SOAS has a legacy of outstanding success in this competition since it began in 2002, which is a testament to the strength of the SOAS Chinese Language programmes.
