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Upcoming Prodigy in the World of Ballet
Patricia Zhou speaks about her admirable progression and her refinery of her craft
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Patricia Zhou Performing Odette’s Variation
Patricia Zhou Performing The Adagio
Patricia Zhou Performing The Coda
I was introduced to Patricia Zhou through her performance on Season 12 of Dancing with the Stars which aired earlier this year. From her story to her execution of impeccable art across the gleaming waxed ballroom floor on which she painted pure bliss with her feather-light feet, one thing was blatantly apparent, she was born to create beauty, she was born to bring forth art.
Despite having started at what would be considered too late of an age (13), she has leaped up the rungs in the field of classical ballet, and has established herself as a front runner in the new generation of modern ballerinas, winning the Prix de Lausanne 2011. Having just graduated from the famed Kirov Academy of Ballet in Washington D.C., as the recipient of the President Award due to her excellence achievement in both academic and artistic grades (she received the highest grades in all academic and artistic classes combined), she has earned a prestigious spot in the esteemed Royal Ballet in London. She will be making her debut during the 2011 fall season, and will remain with them for their 2011/2012 season.
She will be performing with the Gelsey Kirkland Academy of Classical Ballet from June 13-July 26, and was kind enough to answer some questions about her journey thus far, moreover what the future holds for her (well, at least as much as she can tell).
What has been the most challenging aspect of your ascension in the world of ballet?
To me, the most challenging aspect has been, and will be, pushing myself everyday to the best of my ability. It is very hard to go into the studio everyday and repeat the same things without getting bored. However, I am lucky enough to be always surrounded by wonderful teachers and peers that inspire me to keep working and improving.
What would you say is the most important thing you have learned thus far, which you think will always be relevant to you as your grow?
The most important thing that I have learned thus far is to never give up. Ballet can get very frustrating sometimes – trying to get all of the steps and coordination right, but it certainly helps knowing that it will get better every day if you keep practicing the movements correctly.
Do you get to choreograph (to any extent) any of the pieces you perform?
I have not choreographed any of the pieces I performed. However, I am very open to working with the choreographer to find movements that work for me, so on some levels, I have been able to collaborate with them.
Growing up, who did you look up to in the world of dance, and now that you are growing into your own person in this field, have the people you look up to changed?
At first, I did not know much about ballet, so I looked up to the older students at school. Overtime I began to idolize the famous stars like Guillem and Zakharova. I still look up to them amongst many others, including Asylmuratova and Ms. Gelsey Kirkland. My idols usually change from time to time depending on what my aesthetic is at the moment.
Are there any ballerinas in your family and if there are, would you say they inspired you in any way to pursue this profession?
There are no dancers in my family. I am the first, so to them this is all very new.
Are there any ballet steps that you have yet to master?
All of them! I believe that I will be trying to perfect them until the last day I dance because it is
always possible to make something better.
Do you have any other passions, or is ballet all you have ever wanted to do? Had you not chosen to become a ballerina, what field do you think you may have ventured into?
Yes, many of them include fashion, interior design, singing, cooking, and baking. Although my parents wanted me to become a doctor or a lawyer, they had actually expected me to become a food critic due to my childhood obsession with eating. Now I love to cook and bake because it is very relaxing for me.
Based on you experience in the field of classical ballet thus far, what advice do you have to offer for aspiring ballerinas who started off or are started off much at a later age than you did?
I think it is critical to not only work hard, but also to really listen and think. The teacher gives out so many corrections in class, it doesn’t matter who they are to, always take them for yourself. The teacher can only do so much for you. The rest is in your own hands. You have to be the one who always push yourself to the next level.
Despite the grueling, competitive, and sometimes cruel world of classical ballet, would you say you have found a family in this new environment?
I would definitely say that I have found myself a family in ballet. There are so many friends I’ve made through ballet who I’d have never met otherwise; people from Russia, Korea, Australia… from all over the world. And it’s really interesting because everyone knows each other. It’s really a small, small world when it comes to ballet.
What do you hope to express/transcend with you craft as you grow, progress, and become more independent as a dancer as a whole?
I hope that I am able to develop my own unique sense of movement as I become more independent. I also hope that I will be able to transcend technique in order to portray characters and tell stories in a natural, human way. It makes ballet much more approachable and less threatening for everyday people to understand.