Even in the third trimester of her pregnancy, Chinese choreographer and dancer Xie Xin still couldn’t resist the call of the stage. However, after giving birth, a number of postpartum symptoms required her to take a break. The hiatus ended up being a blessing in disguise—it helped her realize that she wanted to dedicate the rest of her life to the art of dance, and that, with the right mentality, moments of weakness can be transformed into feats of strength. These revelations lent clarity on not only how she approaches dance going forward but shed new insight on her physical limits and future goals.
谢欣说，失去舞蹈的时候，就是让她立志终身扎根舞蹈的时候。
那时她第一次当母亲。怀胎八个月的时候，她还坚持在剧场一线演出，但不曾料到的是，产后的种种恢复和后遗症，让她却不得不停下来调整身体，重视自己和舞蹈的关系。
所幸这种痛苦的结果是甜蜜的。因为她发现，“虚弱也是一种能量”，这让她对身体、对舞蹈、对未来，都有了一种全新的理解。
Xie has held high expectations of herself throughout all 16 years of her career. Having practiced day in and day out, she holds a thorough understanding of the expressive abilities of her body. Knowing when to assert power and when to withhold it to communicate particular feelings have all become second nature to her. This mastery of body has resulted in a rich lexicon of movements that have captivated audiences across the country.
谢欣是个对自己要求很高的人，习舞十六年，她几乎没有一天是停止练习的。长期以往的训练下来，她对自己的身体有十足的把握，怎样蓄力、怎样舒展、怎样呈现，在舞蹈时已不需要思索，而成为一种本能。她力图和自己的身体达到一种相互和解的状态，这样才能够让身体展现出更丰富的东西。
Xie began her career in traditional Chinese dance, a marked departure from the contemporary dance she now focuses on. Contemporary dance, as she sees it, is more than aesthetics—it’s about the ability to convey the complexities of the human condition, whether it be pain, sorrow, or hurt. There’s a depth to the art form that has kept her riveted. But picking up contemporary dance was anything but easy. In terms of technicals, it was already a steep learning curve. And to wield the expressive capabilities of contemporary dance to its full potential, Xie believed she had to deconstruct her preconceptions of dance, relearning everything from the ground up. Every new obstacle pushed her deeper into untraversed creative territories, and with it, brought about new perspective on how movement and the human body could be used to different expressive means. “Every creative bottleneck was a mountainous hurdle,” she recalls. “There was no comfort zone. However, once you pass one horizon, you’re able to see further and harness new energy. All you need is courage, patience, and a love for dance.”
谢欣最早之前学的专业是中国舞，这和当代舞有着相当的差异。现代舞的动作语⾔不仅仅是展现美，更会呈现出痛苦、挣扎、疼痛，它似乎是本更“厚实”的书。在转向的时候，她坦言也曾遇到过困难——先是从技术开始，再到对自我的认知，对世界的认知。这是一次次突破自我的尝试，需要她去挣脱原有的框架，然后再到找到自己着力的身体语言研究方向。“每一次瓶颈就是一座山，没有舒适区，翻过去视野和能量被一次次打开，但需要勇敢、耐心、还有对舞蹈的爱。”
In 2014, Xie established her own dance company. But before reaching this milestone, she’s had to put in her dues. Over the course of her career, she’s performed with different dance groups across China, including the renowned Jin Xin Dance Theatre, which saw potential in her early on. Under the wings of Jin Xin dancers, Xie went from an amateur dancer to an accomplished professional in the span of six years. Looking back on her journey, she feels grateful. “I’m thankful for the memories during those formative years, and how they trained me to be a professional dancer,” she says. “Every setback I endured, every challenge I faced, every person I hugged, and every step I walked were all essential in preparing me for the future.”
在 2014 年，谢欣成立了自己的舞蹈剧场。而此前，她在国内多个舞蹈剧场都当过舞者，包括金星舞蹈团在内。金星尤为器重当时还算年少的谢欣，整整六年时间，她从一个初登舞台的舞者蜕变成为了一个专业而成熟的演员。回首这种种经历，她是非常感恩的，“感谢那些经历赋予了我最宝贵的青春里珍贵的记忆，也赋予了我作为职业舞者的修养。”如果有重来的机会，谢欣说，她还会走过那些珍贵的地方，“相遇每一次打击，经历每一次挑战，拥抱每一个人，每一个阶段都冥冥之中在为未来准备着什么。”
Since establishing Xiexin Dance Theatre, she’s has been on a creative hot streak. In the past few years, she’s added a number of notable works to her oeuvre, including Plus, From In, Unknown, and Touching. Through these performances, Xie has meditated on notions of truth, humanity, perception, and love. Woven together, these strands of life form a panoramic view of existence as she understands it.
Out of all the shows, Xie says that Touching has been perhaps the most meaningful performance so far. “It was based on my perception of the buoyancy and weight of life in the then and there,” she says.
独立之后，谢欣没有丝毫的松懈，她在舞台上留下了一部又一部作品，比如《+》、《一撇一捺》、《未·知》、《触不可及》。她非常明晰自己编排和创作的方向：在于“真实”，在于“人”，在于“感悟”，在于“爱”。而这样的理念，也正赋予了她的舞蹈一种强大的生命力。
在采访的当下，谢欣说，《触不可及》是她留给自己这个时间点上的一支独舞，“是此时此刻对生命的轻与重的感知。”
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Xie believes in living in the present moment, but to be fully in this moment, she understands that reconciling with the past is important. She treats every show and every breath as her last, believing that it’s essential in living life to the fullest. This awareness keeps her grounded and has shaped her personality to take on many parallels with her style of dance: straightforward, passionate, and unguarded.
她是一个活在当下的人，但为了这一刻的“活着”，会厚积薄发许久。她几乎把每一场舞都当作是最后一场，把每一次呼吸都当作最后一次，甚至把生活的每一段状态都定义为生命唯一且最重要的时刻——这样的觉悟，让她的人，和她的舞一样，好像一个猛子扎进生活的大潭里，简单明了、全情投入、毫无防备，然后痛快淋漓地释放。
Despite show postponements and cancellations as a result of the pandemic, Xie and her dance trope remain optimistic about the future. At the height of the lockdowns, they were given ample time to unwind and continue honing their craft. Much like her own hiatus after becoming a mother years back, Xie believed this temporary lull was something that can ultimately be beneficial for the group, one that can make them more resilient.
To her, a mature dancer should carry certain traits: they must be cultured, physically fit, resilient, and clearheaded. Dancers with these qualities are the ones who she believes will find the most success. An eye for detail can make choreographed movements beautiful, but contemporary dancers who are attuned with their inner selves is what can truly elevate a regular performance into a work of art.
2020 年，在疫情带来的影响下，谢欣和她的舞蹈团却一直是能量满满，一边养精蓄锐，一边创作着。虽然很多演出都延期和取消，但也给了她们足够的时间去反刍和学习，这就好像她产后调理时一样，先直面困难，再调整自己，谢欣觉得这未尝不是“坏事变好事，让心态变强壮”。
谢欣觉得，一个成熟的舞者无分派别，只要是“人有修养、身体真实、对职业踏实有韧性，对内心简单而通透”的，她喜欢这样“内外兼修”的舞者，那种敏锐的感知力让舞蹈变美，而内在的澄澈则会给舞蹈赋能，那是舞蹈的精髓。
With loosening lockdown restrictions in the past few months, Xie has found herself with a packed schedule. She’s performed across the country and even starred on the Chinese reality TV show Dance Smash. With dance now being championed by Chinese networks, dance in all forms—including contemporary dance—has been in the spotlight. “I do think this is a good moment for dance,” Xie says. “Movement is the most effective form of communication.”
Despite the growing interest in contemporary dance, Xie says that dance theatres in the country shouldn’t be complacent. The art must strive to reach new creative plateaus, to touch peoples’ hearts, and deliver unforgettable shows. Dance has given Xie much courage and joy over the years, and now, each time she steps on stage, she’s eager to pass it on to audiences.
城与城的隔离放宽后，谢欣疯狂地辗转在中国各大城市排演舞蹈，甚至也上了火爆的综艺《舞蹈风暴》。曾经小众的当代舞，似乎在一夜之间为全民皆知，成了炙手可热的一种文化标签，未来的市场看似前途无量。谢欣是乐观的行动派：“我相信这是一个好的时机，行动是最有效的声音。”
一路走来，谢欣知道即使观众市场增长，当代独立舞团的未来也并不能谓之容易。但她只是淡淡说，希望给观众带去“留画的舞台，内心的触动”，足矣。舞蹈带给她的恣意和果勇，舞台自会一一传递给每一个人。
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