Modern Express News (reporter Liu Jingyan) How does classical dance present the heroic story of rain and flowers? Teachers and students of Nanjing Academy of the Arts put the story of Xu Baoye, the heroic martyr of Yuhua, and his wife Ye Yanping on the stage in the form of classical dance. Recently, Ji Xiaochun, a teacher at the Dance School of Nanjing University of the Arts, shared the creation experience of the work "Waiting for Rain and Flowers".
In a dimly lit cabin, on an old desk, there is a certificate of revolutionary martyrdom... In the Yuhuatai Martyrs' Memorial Hall, the hut where Ye Yanping, the wife of Yuhua Heroic Martyr Xu Baoye, lived was restored. Here, Ye Yanping experienced a half-century of waiting, waiting not for the rest of her life with her husband, but for the news that her husband had already sacrificed.
After the story frozen in the memorial was put on the stage, the original title of the work was "Half a Century of Waiting", which was later changed to "The Waiting of Rain and Flowers". At first, Ji Xiaochun invited her classmate and well-known choreographer Kong Dexin to cooperate. After collecting wind, they were deeply moved by the story of the martyr Xu Baoye and his wife Ye Yanping, and Kong Dexin quickly identified this as the theme.
On the stage, the green silk girl silently waited for her lover, and at the end of the story, she became a white-haired old man. In the process, there are waiting, there are memories, there are longings, and there are losses. Whenever her heart could not bear the torment, as long as she took out a five-pointed star, she felt that there was a faith that could support her to wait.
"The work not only expresses the deep respect for the sacrifices made by the martyrs Xu Baoye and his wife for the revolution, but also praises the power of faith brought to people by the heroic spirit of Yuhua." Ji Xiaochun said.
After the work was choreographed, it caused some controversy, and some people said that it was more like contemporary dance than classical dance. "Classical dance is not the same as ancient dance, we can't stick to ancient themes, we need to innovate and develop, and create neo-classical dance." Ji Xiaochun introduced, just like "Liang Zhu", it is an ancient Chinese theme, but the violin work is also a classic.
Why is it "classical dance" not to wear ancient costumes and not to perform ancient stories? "Classical dance is not an ancient dance. In the 1950s and 1960s, experts at the Beijing Dance Academy borrowed something from martial arts, opera, and even ballet, and then formed 'classical dance'. Ji Xiaochun told reporters that the works, from movement, technology to rhythm, are the "language" of classical dance.
Ji Xiaochun said that the students who participated in the creation of this work were deeply moved by the story and inspired by the heroic spirit of Yuhua, drawing the strength of faith from it.
(Courtesy of Dance School of Nanjing University of the Arts)