China News Agency, Shenyang, October 23rd: How to use ballet to tell the Chinese story on "toes"?

　　——Interview with Qu Zijiao, Director of Liaoning Ballet

　　China News Agency reporter Wang Jingwei

　　There have always been world-class first-class ballet artists in Chinese ballet. In recent years, Liaoning Ballet has produced a large number of outstanding ballets with the theme of "Chinese Story".

How to use ballet to tell the Chinese story on "Pointe"?

What kind of exploration does Liaoba have in this regard?

Qu Zijiao, head of the Liaoning Ballet, recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency's "East and West Questions".

The following is a summary of the interview transcript:

China News Service reporter: Ballet art is imported to China. How do you combine it with Chinese stories?

Qu Zijiao:

Ballet art originated in Italy, prospered in France, and prospered in Russia.

In the process of combining ballet art with Chinese stories, we always have an idea in our hearts, that is, we must be original.

We must bring the culture belonging to China to the world, and use cultural innovation to "dance" our cultural self-confidence.

　　Because ballet has a history of only a few decades in China, how can the West feel the charm of Chinese ballet and recognize the strength of Chinese ballet?

I think the answer is to dance an original Chinese ballet that blends with Western ballet.

The ballet "Swan Lake" performed by the Russian Mariinsky Theater Ballet was staged in the Opera Hall of Tianjin Grand Theater.

Photo by Tong Yu

　　Just imagine, if the Liaoning Ballet takes the western classic ballet "Swan Lake" to the world, it will be difficult to jump out of its characteristics.

However, we took the original ballet "Eight Girls to the River" and "Mulan" to the world, so that more foreign audiences can know this historical story, feel the breadth and depth of Chinese culture, and at the same time be attracted by Chinese ballet art.

At the same time, how Chinese original ballet can better integrate with the world ballet art form needs further exploration.

China News Agency reporter: The story of "Eight Girls Throwing in the River" is well known in China, but it is a bold attempt to adapt it into a ballet. What is the story behind the original adaptation and design of the Liaoning Ballet?

Qu Zijiao:

When choosing this drama, there were also voices of doubt. Many people thought that the art of ballet was elegant, and it was performed with princesses and princes. The main characters in Casting the River are the girls in their prime.

At that time, we also considered these issues, but we chose to choreograph this ballet without hesitation.

　　We hope to convey the inner spirit of Chinese stories through the language of ballet and to impress the audience with art.

Wang Huimin, the youngest girl in the "Eight Girls", is only 13 years old, but she knows that she has to pick up a gun to defend her motherland. This sincere and simple patriotism is deeply touching.

The original ballet "Eight Girls Throwing in the River" appeared in "The Wave of the Great River" - the first performance season of outstanding stage art works.

Photo by Yu Haiyang

　　In July 2016, the creative team of "Eight Girls Casting in the River" revised and polished the play for the third time, hoping to achieve the effect of "romantic tragic, tragic and beautiful".

This revision has enlarged the parts with national characteristics such as Northeast Yangko and Korean dance, and the characters' emotions, costumes, props, and stage lighting have been adjusted more fully and more appropriately.

Since then, the Chinese ballet "Eight Women Throwing the River" has made the world ballet stage full of princes, princesses, warriors, and beauties, with the image of "women warriors".

China News Service reporter: The dance drama "Eight Girls Throwing in the River" won the Wenhua Award, the highest level of Chinese culture and art in China. When it was performed abroad, how did the audience respond to China's red stories?

Qu Zijiao:

The Liaoning Ballet entered Russia twice with this dance drama, and received very good response.

Every time I tour, I sit in the audience and watch the audience's reaction, because the audience's feedback is not only the criterion for judging the success of the dance drama, but also the key to the continuous improvement of the dance drama.

　　I remember that when "Eight Women Cast in the River" was performed in Russia for the first time, halfway through the performance I heard crying, and when I looked back, it was an old couple.

I think it was the story in "Eight Women Throwing the River" that moved them, because Russia and China shared a common experience, and they also went through the painful World War II period. Although they did not understand the language, they resonated emotionally.

After the performance, the audience showed their reverence for the actors and responded with warm applause for a long time, and they were reluctant to leave the theater for a long time... This shows that the ballet we choreographed really moved the audience and gained recognition.

Stills of the Eight Girls Throwing in the River.

Photo courtesy of the interviewee

　　Since 2013, this dance drama has been performed for nearly 100 times. While gaining international recognition, we have also brought this dance drama to university campuses to influence the hearts of young audiences through subtle emotional expressions.

At that time, I heard the female college student beside me sigh in the auditorium: "I was so touched! I didn't expect that she was only 13 years old, and she gave her precious life for our beautiful life today. We really have to study hard and cherish the present. A beautiful life!" At that time, I felt very at ease, knowing that the drama was a success.

On the evening of September 19, 2019, the ballet "Mulan" created and performed by the Liaoning Ballet was staged at the Mississauga Center for the Performing Arts in the Greater Toronto Area, Canada.

Photo by Yu Ruidong

China News Service reporter: Liaoba's original dance drama "Mulan" was selected as the key promotion project of "Chinese Culture Going Out". What kind of integration and innovation is behind this?

Qu Zijiao:

Don't rest on the classics in order to create the classics.

When choreographing the original dance drama "Mulan", it was actually aimed at the European market for sales.

At that time, I often took actors to participate in competitions, and I learned that many foreigners were very interested in the story of Mulan.

To this end, we have created the original Chinese ballet "Mulan" in three years, integrating Chinese classic literature and Western classic art forms, and interpreting the ancient Chinese legend of Mulan's army.

　　In 2019, we took this play into the world's art hall, the Lincoln Theater. After watching the performance, the American staff gave a thumbs up and said, "You are the real artists, I never thought that you could see such beauty and so much beauty. A good ballet is really rare!"

　　"Mulan" is a magnificent drama that combines Chinese dance art and ballet art organically. It has the character of Chinese culture, reflects the feelings of home and country, and the idea of ​​yearning for peace. It has both cultural heritage and era significance.

Afterwards, through business negotiations with local performances, we performed 16 performances in the United States and Canada, and each performance was very well received.

China News Service reporter: In recent years, Liaoning Ballet has released original works such as "Iron Man" and "Model", which are popular with the public. In the process of innovation, what kind of ideas and ideas does Liaoning Ballet adhere to?

Qu Zijiao:

Actually, because ballet is more lyrical and has a weaker narrative function, it is not easy to express Chinese themes in ballet, a typical Western art form.

Therefore, we focus on highlighting the "Iron Man Spirit" and "Lei Feng Spirit" as the core theme, connecting the real themes with the pointe art, and telling touching stories.

　　"Iron Man" takes Wang Jinxi as the prototype, starting from the last time of "Iron Man"'s life, from the "Iron Man"'s deep nostalgia for the oil industry and endless thoughts connected with the oil battle that swallowed mountains and rivers more than 60 years ago, this work is creatively, There is Wang Jinxi's resolute side, and his soft side when he treats his co-workers, his wife and children, so that everyone can see a flesh-and-blood character full of emotion, a hero who stands above the sky.

　　In terms of dance choreography, "Iron Man" uses the expression of "parallel time and space" to connect narrative and memory to make the story unfold more smoothly and completely. To meet the audience's aesthetic needs for the diversity of dance art.

In terms of choreography and music, advanced multimedia video technology and rich stage sets complement each other to create a magnificent choreography effect. With the background music with lyrical and narrative sense, the audience can get a more immersive stage sense and full drama. Tension audio-visual enjoyment.

Iron Man stills.

Photo courtesy of the interviewee

　　"Lei Feng Spirit" is a precious spiritual wealth that lasts forever and never fades.

In the choreography of "Model", we took fragments of "Lei Feng's Diary" as the creative material, used poetic dance language for innovative expression, and presented "a ray of light", "a seed", "a drop of water" and "one piece" in a juxtaposed structure. "Brick" and "one nail" depict Lei Feng's spirit of helping others, selfless dedication, and dedication to work.

　　"Model" comprehensively uses classical ballet, neo-classical ballet and modern dance performance skills, from the virtual to the real, combined with stage scheduling, stage design, video background and other stage art methods, to establish a dance performance between the main body and the inheritance of "Lei Feng Spirit". Stagecraft logic.

It is worth mentioning that "Model" is independently performed by the Liaoning Ballet Youth Ballet Company, whose average age is only 15 years old. This dance company is the first professional youth ballet company in China, and the youth performance is more charismatic and shocking.

　　Strengthen people-to-people and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries, tell Chinese stories well, and show a real, three-dimensional and comprehensive China.

The original Chinese ballet dance drama will continue to be bold and innovative, using culture as the medium, to tell wonderful Chinese stories to all parts of the world, and to realize the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures at the artistic level.

(Finish)

Interviewee Profile:

Qu Zijiao, head of the Liaoning Ballet.

Photo courtesy of the interviewee

　　Qu Zijiao, head of the Liaoning Ballet, national first-class performer, outstanding expert of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, recipient of special allowances from the State Council, representative of the 9th and 10th Liaoning Provincial People's Congress, visiting professor of Beijing Dance Academy.

She is the first ballet dancer from Liaoning to win an international award. She leads the Liaoning Ballet Company to the world and explores how to tell Chinese stories with ballet in the context of globalization.