孕婦也能跳芭蕾

Far from being heavy, lumbering and clumsy, pregnant women are often fascinating, beautiful andserene, according to the artistic director of one British ballet company.

And to prove it, Balletlorent is recruiting 12 pregnant women to star in a dance production alongside six professional ballet dancers.

"MaEternal" will be performed in the northern English city of Newcastle in May and is offering the 12 who get through the auditions "a chance to share with an audience the beauty of what it means to carry the life of another within you."

Artistic Director Liv Lorent, who, coincidentally, is pregnant herself, says she has always been keen to combine trained dancers with people from all ages and stages in life to make her ballet productions richer.

"I've done projects in the past where I have invited all sorts of people -- children, old people, builders, footballers, doctors, all sorts -- to take part," she said.

"This is another development of a long-held wish to mix up the different physical types in my choreography. The shape of people changes the way they move, and I like that very much."

She notes the stark contrast between the typically lithe light and muscular physique of a dancer, and the softer, rounder contours of a pregnant woman, and delights in it.

"You can't get a 25-year-old size 8 ballet dancer type body to move with the weight, the gravitas or the sheer cheerful spirit of a pregnant woman," she said.

Lorent promises that no previous dance experience is necessary to audition for a part in MaEternal. The only requirement is that anyone wishing to take part should be up to 32 weeks by the time of the performance on May, 14. Beyond that, she says, the risk is too high of unplanned dramas on stage.

As well as recruiting 12 pregnant women, Lorent has also signed up Lynn Campbell, an active birth therapist who runs pregnancy classes in and around Newcastle, to advise on the movements and abilities of expectant mothers.

"Culturally we don't always have the words to celebrate the beauty of pregnancy, and although people are often fascinated by it, they don't know how to express that, so they say things like 'Aren't you big!'" Campbell said.

"So this is a real opportunity for pregnant women to be seen in a new way."

在英國一家芭蕾舞公司的藝術指導看來，孕婦并不笨重、遲緩、笨拙，相反，她們常常十分美麗迷人、寧靜安詳。

為了證明這一事實，“芭蕾洛倫特”公司目前正招募12名孕婦，與另外六名專業演員共同出演一部芭蕾舞劇。

這部名為《MaEternal》的芭蕾舞劇將于5月在英國北部城市紐卡斯爾上演，順利通過選拔的12名孕婦屆時將“有機會與觀眾共同分享‘生命孕育之美’”。

“芭蕾洛倫特”公司藝術指導麗芙•洛倫特自己也是個準媽媽，她說為了使自己的作品更加豐富，她一直喜歡邀請不同年齡、不同社會背景的人與專業演員同臺演出。

她說：“在過去的一些作品中，我邀請過小孩、老人、建筑工人、足球運動員、醫生等各種各樣的人參與演出。”

“我一直希望能在編舞中加入各種不同體型的人物，邀請孕婦同臺是又一次新的嘗試。人的體形會改變其動作方式，我對此很感興趣。”

洛倫特注意到，舞蹈演員身體輕盈柔軟、體格健美，而孕婦的形體則更加柔和圓潤，她對這種鮮明的對比很感興趣。

她說：“你不可能讓一個身形苗條的25歲芭蕾演員跳出孕婦的那種厚重、莊嚴或歡愉的感覺。”

洛倫特說，報名參選者不需要有任何舞蹈經驗。唯一的條件是有意參演的孕婦在5月14日演出當天孕期最多為32周。她指出，如果超過32周，上演“意外劇目”的風險太大。

除招募孕婦外，洛倫特還聘請了一位名叫琳•坎貝爾的生育專家，為參演孕婦提供動作及技能指導。坎貝爾在紐卡斯爾市內及周邊地區開設有孕期培訓班。

坎貝爾說：“從文化意義上說，我們似乎一直沒有合適的言辭來贊美孕育之美，盡管人們常被這種美所吸引，但卻不知道該如何表達，所以總會說‘你的肚子好大啊！’之類的話。”

“所以孕婦跳芭蕾是以一種全新的方式展示孕育之美的絕好機會”。