The vigorous development of ballet art
If the performance of the French "Queen's Comedy Ballet" in 1581 has always been regarded as the initial prototype of ballet, then the spread of ballet in China And development is almost more than 3 centuries later. However, although it started late, it is progressing by leaps and bounds. .
At the beginning of the 20th century, foreign ballet companies came to China to perform, but their scale was limited. Since then, Russian overseas Chinese have successively come to China to open amateur private ballet schools, especially in Shanghai, Tianjin, Harbin and other places, which have a positive effect on China's ballet enlightenment education.
Undoubtedly, the real rise and development of ballet in China also occurred after the founding of the People's Republic of China. This is in line with the Chinese government's active absorption and development of all outstanding cultures and arts of world significance. The basic principles of support are closely related.
Initially, it was the Russian school that had an influence on Chinese ballet. From February 1954, when the first Soviet expert O·A·YEALINA was invited to come to Beijing to hold the first "teacher training class", to 1958, China staged the first classic ballet " "Escape from Zhi Lake", Chinese ballet achieved a rapid "triple jump" in its initial stage. During this period, Dai Ailian, who was well versed in ballet art, also played an important role.
The students in the first "Teacher Training Class" (most of whom had received some ballet training) miraculously completed the syllabus for grades 1-6 of the Soviet Dance School in half a year, and passed All passed the rigorous examination. They became the teaching backbone of the Beijing Dance School, a ballet major founded in the same year. Since then, I have continued to improve in practice and grown into a true ballet educator - cultivating batches of outstanding talents.
An important measure to achieve the "three-level jump" is to practice and perform while training. During this period, famous Soviet ballet artists often came to China to perform. Their superb performances attracted many audiences, and the Chinese gradually became familiar with and loved this art.
In 1957, under the guidance of Chaplin, China staged a complete ballet for the first time - "LA FILLE MAL GARDEE", which was written by Jean Doberval at the end of the 18th century. The work has a realistic style, which is suitable for the actual level of Chinese ballet dancers at that time, and the team has been improved through the performance.
In October 1958, under the guidance of Gusev, Beijing Dance School concentrated its efforts and successfully staged the world-famous classic ballet "Escape from Lake" (Odette was played by Bai Shuxiang) (SWAN LAKE) ), the whole play aroused strong repercussions at home and abroad. Through rigorous rehearsals, a ballet team with multi-faceted talents has been created at a high speed. Today, "Escape from Zhihu Lake" has "settled" in China - becoming the most appealing ballet repertoire to the audience.
At the end of 1959, the Beijing Dance School Experimental Ballet Troupe was established, the first professional ballet troupe in China’s history. The following year, Shanghai established a dance school with the same structure as Beijing, and also took on the task of cultivating professional ballet talents. From then on, the north and south responded in an effort to open up a new situation for the ballet industry.
After "Escape from Lake Zhi", in 1959 and 1960, under the guidance of Gusev, "LECORSAIRE" and "GISELLE" were successfully staged. The young Chinese ballet team seems relatively comfortable undertaking these two famous ballets with different styles.
During this period, China sent Jiang Zuhui (1934--), Wang Xixian (1933--) and others to study in the dance drama directing department of the Moscow State Drama Academy, with excellent results. After returning to China, Jiang Zuhui released her graduation work - "The Spanish Daughter" (adapted from the famous poetic drama "Yangquan Village" by the famous European writer Robert de Vega during the Renaissance, premiered at the Tianjin Song and Dance Theater in 1961; Wang Xixian In Beijing, he directed and performed his graduation work "THE FOUNTAIN OF BAKHCH I SARAY" (adapted from the famous poem by the Russian poet Pushkin), premiered by the Beijing Dance School Experimental Ballet Company.
1963 , the Central Opera and Dance Theater was established, and the ballet troupe affiliated with the school ended its experimental stage and became a national-level theater. Soon, Jiang Zuhui directed a famous ballet - "NORTRE-DAME DERARIS" (based on Adapted from the novel of the same name by the famous French writer Hugo, it premiered at the Central Opera and Dance Theater... In just 10 years, Chinese choreographers and actors have basically been able to independently control the creation, rehearsal and stage performance of classic ballets.
The creation and practice of Chinese ballet began in 1964. In fact, most of the first generation of ballet choreographers turned from studying folk dance to ballet major. Their national cultural backgrounds undoubtedly have some differences. Contributing to the exploration of the nationalization of ballet.
The performance of the large-scale Chinese ballet "THE RED DEPACHMENT OF WOMEN" is not strictly a "record opening" (it has been released before this). There have been explorations of ballet nationalization in different types, different scales, and different effects), but it can be said to be the first and most successful large-scale Chinese ballet - it has a distinctive Chinese style and style from content to form.
"The Red Detachment of Women" premiered in 1964. Choreographers and directors: Li Chengxiang, Wang Xixian, Jiang Zuhui; composers: Wu Zuqiang, Du Mingxin, etc.; premiered by: Central Opera and Dance Drama Theatre, heroine: Bai Shuxiang as Qionghua; Wu Jingzhu as Company commander; male lead: Liu Qingtang as Hong Changqing; Li Chengxiang as Nan Batian; main supporting actress: Zhao Ruheng as comrade Qionghua; Wan Qiwu as the fourth child.
It is adapted from the movie of the same name. It tells the story of China's second revolutionary period: Qionghua, who was tortured, could not bear the oppression of the landlord Nan Batian, so she escaped from the tiger's mouth. She happened to meet Hong Changqing, a representative of the Red Army Party. Through his guidance, Qionghua joined the Detachment of Women and went through many hardships. and test, and grow into an outstanding revolutionary warrior. After Hong Changqing died, she took the red flag and moved forward bravely.
This dance drama has won praise from many parties since its birth with its shocking tragic plot, magnificent scenes, distinctive characters and regional customs of Hainan Island. It created an unprecedented image of the heroic Chinese Detachment of Women "wearing pointe shoes" on the ballet stage, integrating the essence of ballet with the Chinese style, adding a wonderful piece to the world ballet scene.
"White-Haired Girl" and "Red Detachment of Women" created by Hu Rongrong (1929--), Fu Aidi (1936--), Cheng Daihui (1932--), Lin Yangyang (1939--) Released at the same time, it is equally divided. It is another successful exploration of Chinese ballet.
THE WHITE HAIR GIRL premiered in 1965, composed by Yan Jinxuan; premiered by: Shanghai Ballet; heroines: Cai Guoying (A), Mao Huifang (B) as Xi'er ; Gu Xiamei (A) and Shi Zhongqin (B) play the white-haired girl; the leading actor: Ling Guiming plays Dachun; the main supporting actor: Dong Xilin plays Huang Shiren.
It is adapted from the opera of the same name. It tells the story of Xi'er, the daughter of a poor farmer, who is forced to be sold to the bully landlord Huang Shiren to pay off her debts. She cannot bear the humiliation and flees into the mountains. After living in the open air for many years, her hair turned white. People who didn't know her called her the "White-haired Fairy" - (ghost). In the end, she was rescued by the Eighth Route Army and reunited with her young lover, Dachun, who was now an Eighth Route Army soldier. The opera "The White-Haired Girl" has moved millions of people in China with its true story of "the old society forced people to become ghosts, and the new society turned ghosts into people."
This ballet does not follow the original work and take shortcuts, but recreates it according to the artistic characteristics of ballet. It skillfully uses Chinese classical and folk dance materials to present the plot in a ballet-like way, combining realism and romance. Regarding the main characters in the play, such as: Xi'er's innocence, sweetness and tenacity and perseverance after becoming a "white-haired girl"; Dachun's simplicity, honesty and bravery and hard work after joining the army, and Huang Shiren's insidiousness and viciousness... etc. They are all painted more vividly and vividly.
"The Red Detachment of Women" and "The White-Haired Girl" play a milestone role in the development history of Chinese ballet. They are a deeper practice of "adapting foreign materials to China", and stand on their own in the world of ballet art with their unique Chinese characteristics. The collective wisdom makes up for the lack of experience, making the exploration of ballet Chineseization start from a higher starting point and start quickly.
Unlike the fate of other dance and dance drama works, these two works were designated as "model operas" during the "Cultural Revolution" - two dance dramas that were rarely allowed to be performed at that time. Withstanding the test of time and society, "Red Detachment of Women" and "White-Haired Girl" still retain their artistic vitality. Both works have been recognized as "20th century classics".
The performance of the period of literary recovery in the field of ballet is, first of all, the resumption of performances of the classic Western ballet repertoire, so that the broad audience who have only seen one "red" and one "white" for a long time can experience the colorful ballet art after a long absence. After that, there was a craze for "Escape from Zhihu".
Chinese ballet in the new era has shown a trend of vigorous development:
The first is to adopt a more open vision and widely absorb and learn from the world, not just limited to a single Russian school of thought. influence. Since the early 1980s, famous ballet artists from Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Canada and other countries have successively taught their skills through friendly exchanges. Ballet veteran Anton Dowling and famous ballet choreographer B. STEVENSON have successively guided and rehearsed their own works at the National Ballet of China: the pure classical style "Quartet" for men and women. (TE-PASDE QUIXOTE), "Prelude" and the famous ballet master Balanchine's "SERENDE" (SERENDE)... etc., most of which have become the repertoire often performed by the troupe.
In addition, over the past ten years, China has successively staged many Western classics of different styles. For example, in 1980, it was performed by the National Ballet of China under the personal guidance of Lisette Sanval, the ballet master of the Paris Opera House. The famous French romantic ballet "Sylvia" (SYLVIA); in 1984, Anton Dowling's version was rehearsed and performed by the famous British ballet artists Belinda Wright and Yulisha Jerko. "Giselle"; in 1985, he performed "Don Quixote" under the personal guidance of world-class ballet artist Rudolf Nureyev and ballet master Eugene Polyakov. "(DONQUIXOTE); and "ROMEO AND JULIET" (1989, directed by Roman Walker) and "SLEEPING BEAUTY" (1994, MacMillan MAC MILLAN edition, Maury Directed by Ke Parker)...all very successful. In particular, Nuliev used his unparalleled superb skills and deep understanding of dramatic characters, combined with the actual situation of the National Ballet of China, to conduct rigorous training, which greatly promoted the improvement of the actor's level - leaving a mark in the history of Chinese ballet. A precious page. In many of the above-mentioned international exchange activities, Dai Ailian played a very good role as a bridge.
At the same time, the Beijing Dance Academy adhered to the good tradition of combining learning and practice, and successively staged "Coppelia" (1979) and "La Bayadere" (1981); the Shanghai Ballet Company staged "The Wave" (also known as "The Fisherman and the Bride") Act 3; Tianjin Song and Dance Theater revived "The Spanish Daughter" (1982); in addition, the Liaoning Ballet, established in 1981, launched "Sea Heroes" (1983)... This not only enriches the cultural life of the masses, but also enables a new generation of ballet talents to grow rapidly through the performance of pure classical ballet masterpieces guided by ballet authorities from all over the world.
In 1982, Wang Qifeng (female, Shanghai) and Zhang Weiqiang (Beijing) set the first winning record for Chinese contestants (third prize in performance) at the Jackson International Ballet Competition in the United States. Since then, Chinese contestants have frequently participated in various international ballet competitions, showing strong strength. The more prominent ones include:
1984--The first Paris International Ballet Competition, Wang Qifeng (Shanghai) and Wang Caijun (Beijing) won special awards;
1985--13th Lausanne International Ballet Competition, Li Ying (female, Beijing) won the first place, Xu Gang (Beijing) won the second place; 1985--The 5th Moscow International Ballet Competition, Tang Min ( Female) won the Best Performance Award, and Zhang Weiqiang and Zhao Minhua won the third place in the men's duet and solo dance respectively (both Beijing contestants).
1992--Tan Yuanyuan (Shanghai) won the first prize at the 5th Paris International Ballet Competition;
In the same year, Tan Yuanyuan won the 1st Japan International Ballet Competition in one fell swoop Gold Medal in the Women's Junior Category (Yu Xiaonan, a female contestant from Liaoning, China, won the Silver Medal in the Junior Category of the same session); Polish Nijinski Award.
1994--Wang Yuanyuan (female) and Cao Huanxing (both Beijing contestants) won the second place in the modern ballet pas de deux at the 6th Paris International Ballet Competition.
1995--Helsinki Ballet Competition, Zhang Zhao (female) and Han Ye both won second place in the youth group.
1997--At the 8th Moscow International Ballet Competition, Zhang Zhao, who has won many awards, won the first place in the female pas de deux.
Under the new situation, the exploration of Chinese ballet has also taken new steps. The ballet adapted from Chinese literature and drama masterpieces has achieved remarkable results. Such as: "Thunderstorm" (original work by Cao Yu), "Home" (original work by Ba Jin), "Soul", "A Q", "Sorrow" (original work by Lu Xun), etc. In terms of structure and expression, some breakthrough explorations have been made, which is nothing short of a bold and useful attempt.
Among such works, the dance drama of the same name adapted from Lu Xun's famous novel "Blessing" and "Lin Daiyu" adapted from Cao Xueqin's legendary work "Dream of Red Mansions" are quite influential.
The New Year’s Sacrifice premiered in 1980. Choreographer: Jiang Zuhui; Composer: Liu Tingyu; Premiere: National Ballet of China. Heroine: Yu Leidi plays Xiang Lin's wife; Wu Zhaoning plays He Laoliu.
The original novel reveals in profound ways the tragic fate of working women in the old era under feudal shackles: the simple and dutiful young widow Xiang Lin, who made a living as a maid in a wealthy family, was sold to Deep in the mountains - be He Laoliu's wife. She fought to the death, but was moved by the kind-hearted He Laoliu, married him and had a son. But the good times did not last long - her husband died and her son died... Due to feudal consciousness, everyone regarded Xianglin's sister-in-law, who had remarried twice, as an ominous symbol. There was nowhere in the vast sky to accommodate this unfortunate woman. On a snowy day, That night, she passed away with resentment and accusation against life.
In its two scenes - "Resistance to Marriage", the director carefully used the Chinese wedding custom of "the bride covering her head" and carefully designed the plot of "three uncoverings": when He Laoliu's relatives and friends --The simple mountain people danced joyful folk dances and blew the bride's hijab layer by layer. They never imagined that the bride in front of her had her hands tied up and her mouth was stuffed with cotton.
With tears streaming down her cheeks, she bumped into the desk - begging to die! He Laoliu offered her her freedom out of sympathy. Sister Xianglin was moved by his kindness and decided to stay... The two acts of "Blessing" have become an independently staged dance drama chapter with its rich local flavor, wonderful pas de deux and soul-stirring plot treatment.
"Lin Daiyu" premiered in 1982, choreographed and directed by Li Chengxiang and Wang Shiqi; composer: Shi Fu; premiered by: National Ballet of China, heroine: Wang Pingping as Lin Daiyu; Feng Ying as Xue Baochai; male lead: You Guoqing Decorated by Jia Baoyu.
This magnificent work by a Qing Dynasty writer at the end of the 19th century sounded the death knell of China's feudal society by describing the rise and fall of prominent feudal families. There are hundreds of characters in the book, all with different personalities - each with his own voice, appearance, and smile.
The ballet "Lin Daiyu" abandons the exquisite work and complex plot of the original work, and captures the most touching love story - the emotional entanglement and final tragic ending between Lin Daiyu, Jia Baoyu and Xue Baochai. Among them, the "Death of Daiyu" in Act 4 is quite original. It describes that Daiyu, who is dying, still loves Baoyu deeply, holding a silk handkerchief as a token of love, and having hallucinations in the dark... Suddenly she feels that Baoyu is close at hand, and the two express their heartfelt feelings to each other; suddenly they feel that the surroundings are dark and scary, Baoyu disappeared without a trace; suddenly she saw Baoyu and Baochai getting married - she was erratic in the meantime... The sound of drums for Baoyu and Baochai's wedding was heard in the distance, and Daiyu returned to the cruel reality - burning the "silk handkerchief" angrily ", passed away in extreme grief. The choreographer boldly used the technique of stream of consciousness to fully reveal Daiyu's mental journey in a national ballet vocabulary, which is very contagious. The 4th act of "Lin Daiyu" - "The Death of Daiyu" has also become an independently staged dance drama chapter.
In addition, the large-scale ballet "Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai" (1983), a collaboration between Zhang Huli and Ali of the Liaoning Ballet, and "Searching for Light Trilogy" ("Trilogy of Light" (1983) by young choreographer Shu Junjun) 1985), "Orchid Flower" (1988) and Xiao Suhua's "Fantasy of Red Mansions" (1992), etc. It is also an active exploration of the nationalization of ballet.
In addition to Beijing and Shanghai, which have their own ballet positions, Tianjin Ballet Company was officially established in 1992 and performed "Arabian Nights", "Escape from the Lake" and other plays; in 1995, the Guangzhou Ballet Company launched its "Arabian Nights" and "Escape from the Lake". The performance of "Anna Karenina" is the first "appearance" after the establishment of the troupe...
Over the past half century, ballet art has made great progress in China. Now, it is ambitiously stepping into the " "Ballet Power".
Modern dance is still booming in China (1)
Modern dance in China has a broad definition and a tortuous development process. As mentioned before, pioneers of new dance art such as Wu Xiaobang, Dai Ailian, and Jia Zuoguang all learned authentic Western modern dance from famous teachers during their dance education. In their artistic practice, they maintain the concepts of freedom and innovation that are similar to modern dance, and at the same time pursue the national character and spirit of the times more strongly. Among them, Wu Xiaobang's wise words of "dancing with the pulse of the times" and "20th century classics" represented by "March of the Volunteers", "Song of the Guerrillas", "Hunger Fire", etc. should be regarded as "Chinese modern dance". "Precious spiritual wealth.
In the development process of modern Chinese dance, broadly speaking, any dance that does not have a specific national style or classical formula seems to be classified as "Chinese-style modern dance." However, the reason why we did not include the works mentioned earlier in the category of “modern dance” that we have introduced in the category of “modern dance” is because they reflect the social and historical events of public concern and have a distinctive realist character. Strictly speaking, they are obviously different from "modern dance" which belongs to the Western modernist art system, from creative concepts to expression forms.
From the late 1950s to the early 1960s, Wu Xiaobang founded the "Tianma Dance Art Studio" to systematically implement the teaching system he created - derived from modern dance - in order to create a "Chinese dance art studio". "Modern Dance" approach, and has carried out various creative practices. The works of this period include: "Ambush from Flying Daggers", "Three Plum Blossom Lanes", "Goose Falling on the Sand", which are inspired by ancient music and pursue the spirit of traditional Chinese culture; there are also "Shepherd Boy Literacy" based on real life. , "Football Dance", "Butterfly"...etc. His artistic beliefs remain the same, but the above-mentioned works are not as influential as those dances he performed during the Anti-Japanese War. Later, with the discontinuation of "Tianma Studio", the exploration of modern dance in China gradually declined.
Chinese modern dance re-emerged from the late 1970s to the early 1980s and developed increasingly with the deepening of reform and opening up. The early batch of works that the masses call modern dance include: "Hope", "Silent Song", "Goodbye, Mom", "Wedding on the Execution Ground", "The Endless Strings", etc. From the conception to the breakthrough of language model, it has obvious sense of innovation and great impact. However, except for "Hope", the expression techniques of most works still reflect the specific characters in specific events in a concrete way. Obviously, this is not strictly modern dance.
Since then, Shanghai Hu Jialu has launched his own series of works "Call of the Ideal", "Rope Wave", "Blood Sinking", "Chess Caprice", "The Other Shore", "Monologue"... From the creativity of the works to the expression form - language cultivation It seems that the choreographer is getting closer to the "modern dance" in his mind.
Modern dance is still in full swing in China (Part 2)
China has really let go of its hands and directly introduced "authentic" modern dance from the West and conducted new explorations on this basis. It happened in the past ten years. It takes Guangzhou, the outpost city of reform and opening up, and Beijing, the cultural capital of China, as its "bases".
In 1987, the first modern dance experimental class was opened in Guangdong Province; in 1991, the Beijing Dance Academy officially opened a modern dance teaching and research section. Famous Western modern dance experts are successively invited to conduct systematic physical and choreographic training. Successively include: Sarah Stackhouse, Shang Rubi, Douglas Nelson, Claudia Gittleman, Lucas Hoving, Ross Parks (USA); Biejit ·Oxan (Sweden), Janet Randall (UK); Chinese-American experts Wang Renlu, Jiang Qing, and teachers from Canada, Australia and other countries. In addition, Chinese modern dancer Kuo Ming-tat, who received a master's degree in the United States in the 1940s, and especially Cao Chengyuan of Hong Kong City Contemporary Dance Company, also played an important role in promoting modern dance.
Most of the contemporary young modern dancers enter this field with a sense of novelty and devotion to Western modern dance. As China's professional dance education has formed a comprehensive network system, technical training has reached a very high level. Those "new recruits" who enter the experimental modern dance training class after strict selection have solid ballet or Chinese dance skills and first-class physical fitness. They are by no means "drawing" of "modern dance" on a "blank paper". The intensive modern dance training class has achieved outstanding results - it surprises the teacher and is even more powerful for the "students".
Soon, young Chinese modern dancers showed their unique grace in the world dance scene: the first record was made by Qin Liming and Qiao Yang of the Guangdong Modern Dance Class at the 4th International Modern Dance in Paris in 1990 In the competition, he won the gold medal in pas de deux with "Transmission of Sound" (choreographed and directed by Cao Chengyuan) and "Tai Chi Impression" (written and performed by himself). After that, in 1994 and 1996, the gold medals at the 6th and 7th International Modern Dance in Paris were won by the Chinese - -Xing Liang and Sang Jijia won. In addition to performing Cao Chengyuan's works, they also performed their own works "Light" and "Huang".
Modern dance emphasizes self-awareness more than folk dance and ballet. It is freer and more versatile in human body language without requiring special styles and norms. In addition, modern dance training promotes dancers’ improvisational creativity. . Therefore, compared with folk dances and ballet dancers, most Chinese modern dancers have invested in choreography practice earlier - combining choreography and performance, showing higher talents, and a number of recognized excellent modern dance numbers have emerged. For example:
The dance numbers just mentioned that won awards in international competitions are "Tai Chi Impression" (couple dance), "Light", and "Double Dance" (solo dance); in addition, there is "Tide" (group dance) (Director: Wang Mei) "Autumn Beauty" (group dance) (Director: Zhang Shouhe); "Basket and Bamboo" (collective creation); "Sleepless Night" (written and performed by Shen Wei)...etc., some of these programs are in The performance at the American Dance Festival in 1991 was praised by modern dance authorities from all over the world. They were surprised to find that Chinese artists have so quickly integrated with international standards in the field of modern dance, and their works exude the special charm of the Oriental nation... .
In 1992, the Guangdong Experimental Modern Dance Company was formally established; currently, a modern dance company is also being established in Beijing. With the expansion of international cultural exchanges, people's appreciation habits have become more diverse. Chinese audiences, especially young people, have shown a strong interest in modern dance. Undoubtedly, creating true Chinese modern dance requires many aspects of exploration. It should also uphold the spirit of the times and embody the soul of the nation.
In an open China, modern dance is in the ascendant.