Relevé to Russia: Josephine Cheung's Dance Career from Hong Kong to Russia

Richly filled with ballet history and culture, Russia is a dream for many dancers around the world to visit, to train or even perform in. Dancing her way from Hong Kong to Samara, Josephine Cheung reflects on her experience as a Ballet Artist with the Samara Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre.

Josephine owes her strength and tenacity to her upbringing and training in Hong Kong. Her journey in ballet has not always been the smoothest, but through her training at the Jean M. Wong School of Ballet she learned the importance of hardwork and determination, as well as how to overcome hardships and the harsh realities that exist within the dance industry. Fortunate enough to have the support of her family, Josephine was granted the opportunity to further her ballet training in Russia.

Why did you decide to pursue a dance career in Russia?

I always loved watching Russian ballerinas, especially because of their insane physique. I was born with hyperextension especially in my knees and I noticed that in almost every Russian ballerina. Therefore I was intrigued to study ballet in Russia. I had done tons of research on the internet on how to use my hyperextension correctly and there weren't any concrete answers. When I received the offer from the Bolshoi Ballet Academy, I knew right away that it was my chance to learn how to control my knees and use my body to its full potential.

What are some of the differences between dancing in Hong Kong and Russia?

The biggest difference is for sure the language. In Russia, everyone treats you as if you speak their language. It was very hard for me at the beginning, but my friends and classmates helped me a lot with it. The ballet studio in Russia has a raked floor which means that it is on a slight angle to make your lines appear longer on stage. It was very hard for me to get used to and re-adjust my balance so that I could dance and not fall over in class!

Last but not least is definitely the technique. The Bolshoi School has their own technique and all my classmates were trained there for 5 years before me, so naturally it was very hard at the beginning to get used to their technique. The way you move your arms and head, as well as the coordination are all a little bit different from how I used to dance.

What were some of the things you had to adapt to and get used to in Russia?

At the start, I had to adapt to living on my own without my family and my helper. I was always a pretty independent girl but I had never lived away from my family before leaving for Russia. Having to handle my own laundry, make my own food sometimes and take care of every aspect of my life was definitely a challenge and took a while to get used to. Going from a part time ballet student to a full-time ballet student in a professional school and dancing up to 8 hours a day was very challenging for the body as well, so naturally I have learnt how to take good care of my body and also how to deal with injuries.

The best thing about living and working in Samara:

The best thing about living in Samara is that it is a city with an extremely long and clean beach! In the summer, it is very nice to take a short 10 minute walk down to the beach, have lunch and unwind before our evening rehearsals. The best thing about working in Samara is that I am given a lot of opportunities to dance and explore! I am now preparing for my debut in the Pas de Trois of Swan Lake! The other big plus is that colleagues here are very friendly and helpful! I'm very lucky to have a lot of good friends here with a few familiar faces from the Bolshoi School!

The top 3 things you miss most about Hong Kong:

Definitely the fooooood! I didn't appreciate Hong Kong as much before I left. Hong Kong is really a vibrant city with a mix of different cultures. I'd love to have some bubble tea and home cooked meals now (my grandpa is definitely the best cook ever!).

And that brings me to the next thing I miss the most - my family! Although I go home every summer to see them, this year due to the pandemic, I haven't had the chance to visit home. My family is planning on visiting me when the border opens again, but we'll have to see when that is going to be!

Last but not least I miss my friends! Most of them now are working and are crazy busy so we don't have too much time to call each other and catch up. Summer used to be the time for us to catch up with each other and talk for hours! I miss them a lot and we're trying to make good use of the self isolation period to squeeze in time to talk to each other since we couldn’t meet up this year.

How do you stay connected with Hong Kong?