The Rolex initiative: unbuilding the symbol.

During the November press conference that concluded the first year of the upscale Rolex Mentor and Protege Arts Initiative, choreographer William Forsythe (mentor) and Sang Jijia (protege) cemented their bond. Forsythe told guests, "One of the nicest things is that we're friends."

When Jijia, a Chinese citizen of Tibetan origin, was first chosen as a protege (defined by Rolex as a "young artist of exceptional promise"), he said he wanted "to understand how cultural differences affect the work or artists." A graduate of the Music and Dance Department of the Central Ethnic University in Beijing, he joined China's first modern dance company, Guangdong Modern Dance Company, in 1993. He attracted such notice as a dancer and choreographer that he was named a "Star of the Next Century" by the Guangdong provincial government. In 1999 he joined the City Contemporary Dance Company in Hong Kong. Jijia has called Forsythe, artistic director of Ballett Frankfurt, his hero.

About his own participation in the project, Forsythe, a 2003 Dance Magazine Awardee, said "My job was to unbuild the symbol I was for him and introduce him to a world of work. You can only do it with a lot of sweat, working hard, and throwing stuff away. He spent a lot of time with me, facing the realities of making dances." Asked if there were any problems in the company when this outsider joined, he said, "As soon as he began dancing, everyone said, 'Oh my god, of course!'"

Jijia, whom friends call "Sangba," has spent the year taking class, contributing to the creative process, and helping out with video. "Ballett Frankfurt is an international company, and every person's existence affects the ballet," he said. "Observing Bill, I have to figure out what I can use [as a choreographer]. I need more time."

Luckily, Rolex can give him that. After bestowing $50,000 on Forsythe and on four other master artists of other disciplines, and $25,000 (plus travel expenses) on each of the proteges, the watch company can pledge another $25,000 if the latter wishes to continue. For Jijia, the choice is clear: He is staying and has co-choreographed a new work on Ballett Frankfurt that premiered in January 2004. (Ballett Frankfurt will fold in August [see "Frankfurt and Forsythe Face Off," News, DANCE MAGAZINE, September 2002, page 19], and Forsythe's plans were unsettled at press time.)

From a video that Rolex circulated about the initiative, one gets a glimpse of Jijia at the barre. With his open chest and precise footwork, you could swear he is ballet trained. But he told this reporter that his route was from folk dance to modern dance. Later in the video, when he dances freely, a beautiful, contemplative quality comes through.

"I would describe Sangba as unpolluted water," says Forsythe in the video. "He runs clear. There's nothing in his way, like a stream without obstructions. I wonder if there is anything to teach him. I think that one can only provide experience for his own learning abilities. Maybe I'm learning something from Sangba."

Jijia plans to return to China after the two-year period. Welcoming him back will be Willy Tsao, artistic director of both the companies with which Jijia has danced. Tsao, who also attended the press conference, reports that modern dance is on the rise in China, and that a recent modern dance festival in Beijing attracted the participation of twenty-two colleges from all comers of that huge country. There is no doubt that Jijia, after being exposed to Forsythe's wild and rigorous approach, will stir things up on his home turf. For more information, see www.rolexmentorprotege.com.