This British director has been a "behind the scenes hero" in Shanghai for 23 years, from "Swan Lake" to "Phantom of the Opera" by the Royal Ballet | Youth | Shanghai
In 1983, at the age of 26, Derek Dean made his debut on the Chinese stage as a young actor in the Royal Ballet of the United Kingdom.
In 2000, he, who had transformed into a world-renowned ballet choreographer, hit it off with Xin Lili from the Shanghai Ballet and began a 23 year collaboration with Shangba.
From Swan Lake, Romeo and Juliet, Nutcracker, Hamlet, Sleeping Beauty, and Camellia Woman to this year's Phantom of the Opera, he has witnessed the growth of many actors in Shanghai. They went from unfamiliarity to tacit understanding, achieving success with each other and creating multiple high-quality ballet works.
Derek Dean is proud of this team. He said, "Being able to witness the growth of actors is the most valuable thing for me. It's really great to see them enjoying everything ballet brings on stage." He also looks forward to letting more audiences around the world see the brilliance of Chinese ballet.
Not long ago, a journalist from Liberation Daily's Shangguan News had a chat with Derek Dean at the Shanghai Ballet about his 23 year relationship with Shanghai. We will present the exciting content of this dialogue in two forms: video reporting and written reporting.