The next day, the Moscow International Ballet Competition officially kicked off. The competition categories are divided into very detailed categories, according to age: junior group, youth group, according to the number of dancers: solo, duet, group dance, according to gender: men's solo, women's solo...... It's like the different sports of the Olympics.

Lina signed up for the women's solo event in the youth category.

There is only one competition for solo dance, which is a game to determine the winner or loser, so the pressure on the contestants is much greater.

Lina was not the only one with the accompaniment, her competitors were 34 in total, half of them had their own accompanists, but all of them were piano or piano and an orchestra superimposed accompaniment, piano and ballet, recognized as the best and most official combination.

Because the Moscow Piano Competition encourages players to bring their own accompaniment, the competition has also set a special award for this purpose, the "Piano Accompaniment Award". Even if a contestant doesn't win an award for his ballet performance, his piano accompanist may win.

In the 70 years since the contest was founded, Lina is the only contestant to be accompanied by a Chinese instrument that the judges are completely unknown to.

As early as when Lina reported her repertoire and accompanying instrument to the competition, the other party confirmed to her three times, "Are you sure you want to use this instrument?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure. ”

It is because of her unusual accompaniment that the competition party and the judges pay special attention to her, and it just so happens that there is a Chinese ballet dancer Zhao Wenting among the judges.

Zhao Wenting, a Chinese in Russia in her fifties, is the first Chinese to win the first prize in women's solo dance at the Moscow Ballet Competition, creating a historical legend. Since then, more Chinese have participated in this competition and won awards.

She is now retired, but she still has a high reputation in the industry, a maestro who regularly serves as a jury member in major ballet competitions around the world. She has participated in or watched others participate in so many competitions, but it is the first time she has met someone who competes with Chinese instruments and Chinese-style repertoire, and what is even more strange is that this person is not Chinese!

LinaAtkinson，

Zhao Wenting kept this name firmly in her heart.

She also noticed the name of the accompaniment: Shen Mozhen.

Just like the major sports championships, the ballet competition is broadcast live to the world.

Zhang Pei, Peter, Alan and Luke, as cheerleaders, came to the Bolshoi Theater early and took their seats in the audience, they were all looking forward to Lina's performance.

Liu Yan was backstage, and Miao Xiaomei helped Lina and Shen Mozhen styling.

After nearly a month, Miao Xiaomei took another ultra-long-distance job, from New York to Moscow overnight, and she didn't even have time to breathe, so she put on makeup for the two protagonists as soon as possible.

This time, Lina asked Miao Xiaomei to help her with makeup, she said, "Myself, or the makeup artist I know, can't paint Chinese-style makeup, and I don't want to use a perfunctory face to perform "A Thousand Times". ”

Lina's look is completely different from other contestants wearing traditional style tutus, and her performance costume was specially designed by Zhong Jiangnan for her performance, which is a ballet performance with two elements, showing off her dance posture and showing off her figure. Complicated hanfu is definitely not suitable. So the flesh-colored skirt, only above the knee, is not as complicated as ordinary Hanfu, simple and light, Zhong Jiangnan used silk fabric, the fabric is skin-friendly, slightly sagging, the skirt, even the lowest skirt, also fits the skin perfectly, outlining her graceful and slender figure, and this skirt has no sleeves, so that when Lina's hands are raised high, her shoulders will not be subject to any resistance.

Miao Xiaomei combed her into a seemingly simple but extremely complex bun, her golden hair was meticulously combed together, and then a golden hairpin was inserted. The bun is very tight, and Lina's scalp is a little deformed, just to prevent one from falling off during the performance, if the hair is loose while jumping, it is a major mistake in the performance! Miao Xiaomei can't bear this responsibility.

Lina's contours are very deep, Miao Xiaomei tries to blur her contours as much as possible, so that her eye shape is softer, her eyebrow bones are not so protruding, and her nose is more small, everything leans towards the characteristics of orientals.

Although it is different from the real costume style, the first thing that comes to mind when a foreigner who doesn't understand Lina's style is the East, which is China.

A young lady of Russian ballet in the same dressing room said curiously, "It's the first time I've seen such a costume, it's so beautiful!"

Shen Mozhen's styling is relatively easy, she still follows her usual Chinese classical beauty style, with Lina, she wears a flesh-colored Hanfu, to be precise, it is more like a rubber powder, she is a pianist, she can't steal the limelight from Lina, her makeup and hair accessories are very elegant, and the whole is similar to the white-clothed pianist in "Battle of the North Wind", they are all indifferent and cold.

Shen Mozhen felt that she seemed to like this style more and more, she inexplicably had a sense of substitution, and consciously held a cold style, like a fairy who does not eat fireworks in the world.

In the waiting area, the two of them are definitely the two brightest stars in the audience, and those ballet dancers from all over the world are studying their clothes and looks.

Liu Yan and Miao Xiaomei watched the performance backstage.

34 players, with an average score of two games and 17 people in two days, Lina's luck was not as good as Li Xiaoru's, she was assigned the first game, and she drew her own lot to the 7th. She appeared too early, and the judges may score points.

The 6 contestants in front of Lina performed traditional repertoire, standard academic, Liu Yan didn't know ballet, she thought everyone danced beautifully and well.

There is a black piano on the left side of the stage, if you bring piano accompaniment, you can sit directly and play it live, if you bring an orchestra, there is enough space on the stage to accommodate the entire symphony orchestra.

The sixth contestant brought a small orchestra, the piano played the main melody, and other instruments cooperated, and the famous song "Swan Lake" was perfectly interpreted.

At the end of the performance, the audience applauded warmly.

After everyone's curtain call, the lights on the stage dimmed, but the audience sitting in the front row could still find what the staff was arranging on the right side of the stage, wooden piano tables, wooden chairs, guzheng, and unfamiliar musical instruments appeared in everyone's field of vision.

Everyone talked about it,

The lights on the stage slowly brightened, but the brightness didn't seem to be very strong, and there was a hint of dimness.

A graceful figure appeared in the middle of the stage at some point, with her back to the audience, standing on tiptoe and striking a ballet posture, as if she was still holding something in one hand.

The audience immediately discussed,

"What kind of dress is she wearing?"

"With such a long skirt (not long, compared to a super short tutu), can you dance ballet like this?"