Swan Lake in China: An 11-City University Tour

Between March 30 and April 26, 2023, I joined North Star Performing Arts Management on a month-long tour across China. Eleven artists. Thirteen universities. Eleven cities: Beijing, Yinchuan, Chongqing, Changsha, Chengdu, Kunming, Harbin, Nanning, Guangzhou, Wuhan, and Shanghai. Twenty-five Chinese media sources covered the tour. Thirteen of those covered a single stop in Guangzhou, where I was named individually as 费拉德 performing Swan Lake and 九儿.

I'd been working at the Canadian Red Cross as a Medical Equipment Advanced Technician on Vancouver Island since December 2022. When the opportunity came to perform in China, my management supported the leave. I wasn't going to say no. I'd already lost my dance career once — in 2013, after years of training in Mexico and performing with Goh Ballet Academy in Vancouver. Depression, injuries, and life took it away. So when this door opened, I walked through it.

North Star was founded by Liu Zhenyu (刘振宇), who emigrated from Hunan to Canada in 1998 and built 北美之星艺术团 into an organization that has performed on CCTV, at the Chan Centre at UBC, and at The Orpheum in Vancouver. The administrative director was Yang Liqiong (杨丽琼 / Joan Yang), a lecturer in UBC's Department of Asian Studies. Danielle Gould managed the dance team — 7 dancers total. All the universities we visited were connected through 北京北方投资集团 (Beijing Beifang Investment Group).

We started in Beijing at Canvard College on April 4, where the tour was framed as the "Jiahua International Culture and Art Week" — East meets West. Our visas were F Class (Cultural Exchange), sponsored by Canvard. From there we moved across the country.

Every stop had its own character. In Yinchuan, students lined up with flowers and Chinese and Canadian flags. In Chongqing, we did a 15-act gala in 3 chapters, and the university established an Arts and Sports Center — appointing us as artistic advisors and instructors. In Changsha, we performed at Swan College of Central South University of Forestry and Technology. In Nanning, the welcome was the most elaborate of the tour: 侗族大歌 (Dong polyphonic singing), 绣球 (embroidered ball) presentations, and a joint 5-meter mural depicting Guangxi landscapes. In Harbin, over a thousand people watched — students, faculty, and international exchange students from Italy, England, and Korea. In Wuhan, it was Liu Zhenyu's third visit — he said "让我倍感亲切" (fills me with warmth). In Shanghai, they organized a 百人华尔兹 (100-person waltz) as part of an International Cultural Exchange Week.

Guangzhou was where everything came together. At 华南农业大学珠江学院, all 9 of us were named in the coverage — the only stop where that happened. I performed the Swan Lake pas de deux and 《九儿》with Danielle Gould. Sara Carver did The Dying Swan solo. Allison Lang performed a neoclassical piece. Sydney and Mackenzie Carlson did a hip-hop duet. Treyvin Kinisky did a jazz solo. The evening gala was titled "声动华珠，响彻世界" (Voices Resonate Through Huazhu, Echoing Across the World) and closed with all of us performing 《我爱你，中国》(I Love You, China).

During the day in Guangzhou, Liu Zhenyu coached the university's 华珠红星合唱团 (Red Star Choir). We did tongcao painting (通草画) — a traditional art using pith paper — collaboratively painting 木棉花 (kapok flowers), Guangzhou's municipal flower. We tried on lion dance costumes during a 醒狮 demonstration. Coverage came from China Daily, 广州日报, 南方都市报, CCTV融媒网, 中国青年网, 央广网, and seven more outlets.

The total reach — including livestreams across Douyin, Bilibili, and other Chinese platforms — I estimated at approximately 20 million in a post I wrote for the Canadian Red Cross internal network after returning. The livestream numbers aren't verifiable from outside China since those platforms are walled off from Western search engines. What I can verify: 25+ media sources, 50+ URLs, 135+ photos documented, and national-level coverage from CGTN, 央广网, China Daily, 中国青年网, and CCTV融媒网.

Today I serve as an artistic advisor for Chinese universities connected through the Beifang network. That relationship started with this tour. The kid from the favelas of Brazil who found ballet at 12 ended up being named 费拉德 in 13 Chinese media sources for performing Swan Lake in Guangzhou. I didn't plan that. Nobody plans that.

The complete media dossier with all 25+ sources and 50+ URLs is available on the Press & Media page. For inquiries: vlad@vladpereira.com.