Let the seeds of cultural self-confidence be sown in the hearts of children early. Shanghai-style cultural landmarks open "Peking Opera Small Classes" for children.
Lowering the waist, holding the top, kicking the legs... It has been rainy for many consecutive days in Shanghai, which has just entered winter, but it has not stopped the enthusiasm of a group of children to show their hard skills.
This is an open day activity of Yuyin Club's "Peking Opera Small Class" held last Sunday in the new performing arts space "Youxitang" in the cultural alley of "Jinchao 8 Alley".
The youngest student on display is 5 years old, and the oldest is no more than 11 years old.
Don't look at their childish faces, but they can show their reciting and basic skills, but they are full of rigidity and posture, and they are meticulous in responding to the words "singing, reciting and fighting" on their practice uniforms.
This exhibition also answered the questions of many fans who love the famous Peking opera actor Wang Peiyu-in addition to performing and appearing in opera variety shows, what has "Boss Yu" been up to this year?
She became the "Principal Wang" of the "Little Peking Opera Class", offering courses to popularize and promote Peking Opera for children.
In January of this year, Wang Peiyu opened the first store of "Yuyinshe" in the country at "Jinchao 8 Lane", a new landmark of Shanghai style culture.
What should be done in such a space full of historical deposits and not lacking in fashion elements?
Wang Peiyu chose to open a Peking Opera education brand "Peking Opera Junior Class" for children. She plans to enroll children aged five to ten and start teaching the basics of Peking Opera singing, reading, and fighting.
Different from general "interest classes", "small subject classes" have a certain "threshold", which depends on whether the waist, leg and voice conditions are suitable for learning Peking Opera.
After auditions and interviews, only more than 20 of the more than 100 applicants were finally selected.
In accordance with the state of "keeping fists in hand and music in mouth" in traditional academic classes, in addition to participating in professional courses on Saturdays and Sundays, young students can also freely participate in practice classes on weekday evenings for daily basic skills training.
Under such a concept of popularizing Peking Opera, the children at the Open Day were not eager to show the Peking Opera arias they had learned, but started to show the basic skills first.
Especially the lower back, under the professional protection of the teacher, the young students challenged the limit little by little, and the best of them were able to catch their own ankles, which made the parents and audience in the audience applaud.
Regardless of whether it is waiting for the scene or the small steps taken during the completion of the action, it can be said that the "rules" of Peking Opera are run through every detail.
Such a strictly trained "interest class", but can five or six-year-old children accept it?
The reporter interviewed a number of students and parents, and found that compared with the influence of the elders in the family, many of them spontaneously asked to learn opera, because their love in turn affected young parents.
Zeng Xitong, a six-year-old boy, is one of the representatives. The boy’s mother “broke the news”: “Don’t look at him on stage, he is full of energy, and he often cries when practicing. The grandparents, uncles and aunts of the children in the class like to watch him practice. I broke down and cried while challenging the difficult movements, and my nose bubbles flowed to the floor." Do you want to practice after such a hard time?
"Of course!" Facing the reporter's question, Zeng Xitong was very firm.
Compared with the innocence of young and cute children, older children should regard Peking Opera as an important dream in life.
Concubine Wu Ai, a student of the first batch, won the title of "Little Magnolia" in Shanghai Children's Drama in 2022. Her biggest dream is "to be able to act with Li Shengsu, even if she is just a court lady behind her, I will be satisfied."
This may be the meaning of "starting from the dolls" - to enable them to bloom the flowers of traditional culture passed down from generation to generation with their own efforts and love.
"As long as I'm not on a business trip or performing, I will sit in the office in Lane 8 of Jinchao every weekday, waiting for the children to come to class. Watching them practice, sometimes I will practice along with it." Wang Peiyu recalled this event In 2019, it was either on the way to promote Peking Opera, or it was promoting the "Wu Li Xiang" of Peking Opera.
She hopes that in the next five years, 500 children with Peking opera performance talents will be trained through the "small class", so as to prepare for professional opera schools and make a "down-to-earth" effort for the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation. .
(Our reporter Huang Qizhe)
(Source: Wen Wei Po, 5th Edition, December 6, 2022)