"Chinese Dance Drama" is the most important and original dance and drama art style in modern and contemporary China, and the vivid practice of this drama genre less than 100 years ago embodies the five outstanding characteristics of Chinese civilization: outstanding continuity, outstanding innovation, outstanding unity, outstanding inclusiveness, and outstanding peace. This article takes the creation of dance dramas with excellent traditional Chinese cultural themes in recent years as the object of discussion, and talks about the "outstanding innovation" presented by its aesthetic expression, which is an important representation of Chinese dance drama in the new era.
General Secretary Xi Jinping mentioned "innovation" 12 times in his important speech at the Symposium on Literary and Artistic Work, and made a comprehensive and incisive exposition on the nature, significance, goals and tasks of artistic innovation. Under the guidance of a series of important expositions such as "innovation is the life of literature and art", "the spirit of innovation should run through the whole process of literary and artistic creation and production", and "enhancing the original ability of literature and art", the creation of dance dramas since the new era has shown a new turn and new pursuit of expression compared with tradition. If we take Mr. Wu Xiaobang's "Poppies" in 1939 as a mark, the "Modern Chinese Dance Drama" that originated in the 30s of the last century is placed in a special historical period of Chinese social transformation from tradition to modernity. As a 90-year-old stage art form and dance art phenomenon, its internal evolutionary logic is inextricably linked with the social and cultural context of modern China. As an important genre of Chinese modern and contemporary art, dance drama has continued three genres from the drama gene because of its innovative practice in the two directions of "New Chinese Drama Movement" and "New Dance Movement" in the context of the New Culture Movement: Western ballet, modern vernacular drama (Western drama derived from the ancient Greece drama tradition), and traditional Chinese singing opera; In terms of dance genes, it also reflects the openness, integration, diversity and inclusiveness of the construction of the rational path, especially in the contemporary era with the construction of the dance style system under the discipline system, Chinese classical dance, ethnic folk dance, ballet, modern dance, contemporary dance, national standard dance, etc., all provide eclectic and rich materials for the dance in the dance drama, which should prove that the development of Chinese dance drama is inclusive and keeps pace with the times. In addition, each generation of choreographers and scholars are snowballing, the exploration and practice of drama styles and dance art language styles have never stopped, and the innovative context of the integration of "science and art" since the new century has brought endless new media, new materials, new technologies, new concepts, and new visions, constantly promoting the creation of dance drama to present an incremental evolution of structure, form, and media language, which should be said to have made a historical accumulation for the take-off of dance drama in the new era. The innovation of dance drama in the new era is constantly broadening the boundaries of dance drama in the traditional sense, and it can be said that the basic paradigm and artistic language of dance drama have never been as rich and complex and difficult to define as today.
In 1939, Mr. Wu Xiaobang created the dance drama "Poppies" stills Data picture
According to incomplete statistics, there are more than 200 Chinese dance dramas premiered since 2012 as of September this year. Not only is the number considerable, but the angle of subject selection is also rich and diverse, which can be subdivided into historical figures, historical events, traditional arts, cultural relics, folk tales or literary works, such as Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Dongpo, Li Qingzhao, Xi Shi, Wang Zhaojun and other historical and cultural celebrities; "Dream of Red Mansions", "Journey to the West", "The Legend of the White Snake", "Nine Songs" novels; important historical events such as the Silk Road and the Ancient Tea Horse Road; Traditional arts or artifacts such as paintings, music, porcelain, and so on. In recent years, dance dramas with excellent traditional Chinese cultural themes have frequently "gone out of the circle" with "outstanding innovation", competing to express the new form of dance drama art in the new era. The deep-seated motivation behind it is "cultural self-confidence + dance self-confidence" - in the face of the theme of excellent traditional Chinese culture, adhere to creative transformation and innovative development, and be determined to explore the new aesthetic expression of dance drama art, gain insight into Chinese spirit, Chinese style, Chinese style, and Chinese value, and become the high-level aesthetic goal set by Chinese dance drama art in the new era.
In perspective, time and space, rules
Explore the new form of narrative of "three-dimensional interweaving".
In the face of the new context, aesthetic concepts, media environment, and technical means, and in the face of the ubiquitous "new battlefield" of storytelling, movies, online dramas, online literature, games, animation, short videos, etc. In the face of the current audience's understanding of the mechanism, logic and taste of the story, the art of dance drama must continue to explore the concepts, methods, means and experience of storytelling. An important feature of dance drama creation in the new era is that it attaches great importance to the "construction and expansion" of "content", and in the face of a subject matter, it is no longer superficial and sketches the outline of the story according to the map, but fully recognizes the importance of "deep cultivation of content", boldly draws on and explores new narrative techniques, and presents a "three-dimensional interweaving" of narrative perspective, time and space layout and narrative rules. For example, in the breakthrough innovation of the narrative perspective, many dance dramas choose the strategy of "compounding" the perspective, and form a nesting doll structure by setting multiple perspectives: like the triple narrative perspective of the lighting engineer, director, and Ip Man in the dance drama "Wing Chun", which constitute a complex nested relationship with each other, Ip Man's perspective is opened through the shooting lens of the film studio, that is, the perspective of contemporary filmmakers (director team), and at the same time, Ip Man and the director are both placed under the perspective of the lighting engineer. Different emotional levels and different time and space conditions not only bring rich emotional experiences, but also unexpected narrative effects. Another example is the "parallelism and interweaving" of physical space-time. The ballet "Dream of Red Mansions" sets up three levels of time and space around the three treasures, the Shenying waiter in the past life, the treasure jade in the present world and the treasure jade after birth, the nested relationship between the three treasures and the formation of multiple time and space layouts, intertwined and arranged, the mutual gaze between "treasure jade", forming an interesting intertextuality between this moment and that moment, the audience needs to constantly switch the understanding mechanism, and experience the reality in the illusion and the illusion in reality through rich time and space changes. Then there is the construction of interpenetrating narrative logic. The ballet "The Legend of the White Snake" cites the narrative rules of script killing and game NPC (non-gamer characters), Fahai and Xu Xian got different scripts (or task cards), were in their respective "information cocoons", saw different white snakes, believed in their respective "beliefs", pulled the story into the virtual narrative framework, and reversed the narrative logic of the original text at the beginning: whether the characters are the people in the play or the actors, and whether their motives for action are difficult to distinguish between in and out of the play, is the truth about the dance drama that the dance drama intends to unfoldThe discussion of bias precedes a new narrative logic and rules. Of course, the innovation and change of the narrative method is the means, and the purpose is to explore the connotation of the spirit of the times behind it, and find a structural method that efficiently fits the content and form, so as to achieve the accurate cracking of the traditional theme. Through the in-depth exploration of narrative methods, more and more dance drama creations continue to break the traditional dance drama experience such as "the more complex the drama structure, the paler the dance, the simpler the drama structure, the richer the dance", "the clues are intertwined, the roles are also intertwined, and it is not desirable", strengthen the creativity of the text itself, pursue the innovation of narrative perspective, narrative structure and narrative rules, and devote itself to the spiritual height, cultural connotation and historical depth of the content of the work to reach the high level of the new era.
Stills from the dance drama "Wing Chun" provided by Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theater
In terms of scenery, space, and scheduling
Create a new form of "visual kei" stage
The narrative technique of "three-dimensional interweaving" will inevitably lead to the linkage of new expressions in the stage space, after all, no matter how exquisite the "desk book" is, it must rely on the concrete embodiment of the real stage. Stage performance art is not only audio-visual art, but also time and space art, visual and auditory information reading and assembly and stage spatio-temporal structure layout is closely related, how to provide the audience with a fresh understanding of the "story" mechanism through innovative spatio-temporal expression, is inseparable from today's endless stage technology means. The stage technology innovation emphasized here does not refer to all stage "science and art" means, but to participate in the use of stage technology that changes the form of dance drama and dance form, including the integration and innovation of mechanical technology, digital technology and artistic media. The stage space like the "box" of traditional drama is closed, integrated and limited, and the "movement" or "displacement" of all material media, such as the upper and lower stage of the characters, the opening and closing of the curtain, and the transformation of scenes, all require a time process, and the short "interruption" is the theatrical stage behavior that runs through the entire performance process. Today's dance drama relies on stage technology to increasingly present a visual principle and time-space logic that turns from drama to film and television, allowing the audience to obtain two kinds of visual experiences similar to "moving shots" and "space-time editing" on the stage, that is, strong visual continuity and strong fluidity, which undoubtedly depends on the practice in two technical directions: one is the moving scene, and the other is the moving stage. As we all know, the practice of creating one or more virtual and real spaces through scenes, lighting, sound effects, language and other means is not uncommon in traditional dance dramas, but it is rare to see such a rich layer, frequent change and complex scheduling as "Only This Green: Dance Painting 'A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains'". The double-layer rotating track and three moving arc-shaped screens on the stage form three movement trajectories of the table plane, the door plane and the axis plane, and the scenery, people and objects are cut and blocked in the continuous and three-dimensional interweaving operation, so as to generate different space quantities, shapes, relationships, attributes, and space reading sequences, so that the stage is in a state of flow, change, openness and delay, and produce a visual effect of "stage space disposition" similar to "image disposition". For example, the imaginary space of the curators, the emotional space of Wang Ximeng, the working space of the craftsmen, the viewers' space of the museum, the paper space of "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains", etc., the rich layers of time and space complete the tasks of multiple perspectives and multi-line narratives through the cutting, layout, combination, and connection of the physical space of the stage. Stage technology has actually changed the traditional stage scheduling method: the seamless connection between the flow of scenes, characters, and dance and composition not only produces a visual continuity effect similar to that of a movie, but more importantly, it expands the expressive capacity of dance drama and the richness of narrative techniques, and behind it is the narrative logic of visual culture. Just as the "butterfly effect" explores the expression of stage space, it is not only "external" to the technical level, but goes deep into the artistic level, constantly "internalizing" the creative experience of dance drama art, that is, putting forward new requirements for a high degree of integrity and synergy for all media elements involved in the expression of dance drama.
Stills from the dance poetry drama "Only This Green-Dance Painting "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" by Wang Xufeng
Figures, installations, props
Innovate a new form of dance of "media fusion".
Art history is essentially the history of technology, and when more and more new technologies and means are involved in dance art, the formal expression under the fusion of media will inevitably carry the characteristics of different media, bringing new technical conditions, aesthetic effects, visual experience and media attributes. Let's take digital technology, installation technology, props or form creativity as examples to talk about the new expression and new form of dance under the integration and innovation of media. First of all, digital technology, the core three elements of dance artistic expression, "time and space force" is based on the material conditions of the human body, a "big jump" dance posture, the explosive power, control, bounce power and other "quality conditions" + "technical level" of the actors on the stage, determines the spatial height and time length of the dance, but the blessing of digital technology can often change the original physiological and physical limitations, such as the "storm moment" in the variety show "Dance Storm", the classic dance segment in the traditional theme dance drama on the stage of the CCTV Spring Festival Gala, All of them bring visual "stunning" effects under the packaging of digital technologies such as time-lapse, storyboarding, directional cloning, holographic projection, and AR and lens technology. Secondly, on stage technology and installation technology. Rotating stage, zero-gravity stage, WIA, trampoline, ground pile, etc. are used in dance creation, which obviously changes the gravity, speed, amplitude, control, balance, quantity and other technical parameters of the human body under natural conditions, "enhanced technology" can change the natural form of dance on the one hand, and on the other hand, it provides a new technical threshold for performance, such as the "flying sky" image created by ground pile and WIA, because the device technology makes the dance form have transcendence, not only the image is realistic but also more expensive in the vividness, At the same time, the two different technical conditions not only bring a completely different aesthetic taste of "Feitian", but also put forward additional technical requirements for dance performances. On the one hand, the static shape is "moved" and produces a sense of delay and visual tension, resulting in an artistic effect like a "close-up", and on the other hand, it also puts forward higher requirements for the performance in "dancing", such as the balance and control of the actors, and the use of this technology not only brings a strong visual impact, but also produces unexpected "meaning" 。 At the same time, the creativity of props is also a very important innovative method. This does not refer to props in a general sense, but to the prop ideas that constitute the core artistic language, without which independent dance expression cannot constitute a "meaningful form", and the theme of the work cannot be established. For example, in the two works "Destiny" and "Snail" in the Chinese Dance "Lotus Award" Modern and Contemporary Dance Awards, the flashlight placed at the entrance of the stage hits the shadow of the dancer on the back curtain, and the actor and his shadow are isomorphic to the artistic image, the person and the shadow, "manipulation" and "being manipulated", and there is infinite meaning between the two images; The prop "cylinder" in "Snail" also has the same effect, the snail, the cylinder, and the down-and-out young man, three symbols form a rich metaphor: the snail and the snail, the shell and the mortgage, the car loan, and the Huabei, expressing the living state of the "drifting family". In addition to dance works, there are also many innovative methods in dance dramas, such as the 7-person dance passage of the green snake and the yoga ball in "The Legend of the White Snake", the formation of ingenious intertextuality between the Buddhist beads scattered all over the place and the dance segment of Fahai, the 7 yoga balls are a little bit long with slender jade hands, apricot face and peach cheeks, and graceful posture, 7 women are metaphors for the seven emotions and six desires, showing Fahai's demons to the fullest, and the use of yoga balls not only provides effective expression, fresh visual image, but also creates a technical threshold for performance. The integration and innovation of different media technologies provides a broad space for innovation in current dance creation, just like the 2024 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, the superposition of digital and installation technologies has created the beautiful "Koi". Today's dance "science and art" is deeply technical and artistic, and even to a certain extent, artistry is promoted by technology, and technical aesthetics have evolved into "technical artistic innovation".
Stills from the dance drama "Mulan" Courtesy of Tianqiao Arts Center
Stills from the ballet "The Legend of the White Snake" taken by Liu Haidong
In structure, conception, and rhetoric
Expand the new form of "quasi-language" stage art
In recent years, a new trend has emerged in the stage design of dance drama: it presents a strong aesthetic function, structural function, semantic function, and distinctive rhetorical characteristics, which acts as an important medium for the "image narrative" of dance drama. First of all, the aesthetic function of the current stage art is not simply to decorate, beautify, and explain the environment, but to pursue the innovation, style, coordination and integrity of "exclusive customization", whether traditional or modern, realistic or freehand, abstract or concrete, the stage art is highly harmonious and self-consistent in the concept, function and style positioning, dominating the visual aesthetic tone of the whole play, and presenting a clear aesthetic pursuit. The second is the structural function, and the stage design participates in the construction of the narrative framework of the dance drama, which has become an important structural technique. One of the more typical is the ballet "Dream of Red Mansions", a wall that can rotate clockwise or counterclockwise across the audience, one with two sides, one plain white, and the other with a gold background sprinkled red, which respectively echoes the original description of "the vast white earth is really clean" and "Jia does not fake white jade for the hall of gold as a horse", "empty" world and "color" world are intertwined, and the different life experiences and life realms of the son who entered the world and the born Baoyu are contrasted with each other...... The rotation of the wall is used for the change of narrative perspective, the derivation of the content plot, and plays an important structural role in the dance drama. The third is the meaning function, and the stage art constitutes an important idea of the dance drama. For example, in the national dance drama "Dream of Red Mansions", the layers of curtains have become an important stage art form, and in the original 80 episodes, the dance drama has selected three plots that can best reflect the prosperity and prosperity of Jiafu: Grandma Liu's entry into the Grand View Garden, Yuanchun Province, and Lantern Festival Night Banquet, with the repeated opening and closing of the curtain, forming a progressive structural level, strengthening life like a play, and all the floating world prosperity is like a dream bubble. Even more colorful is "Flower Burial" (epilogue), on the stage where the curtain is withdrawn, the twelve hairpins in the too illusory realm are buried in the flowers, and the removal of the curtain is a reminder to the audience: the illusory drama field is restored to the real stage, but the realistic stage is actually staged "too illusory", which is another kind of reminder: the play is illusory, and the dreams made by the people in the play (too illusory is Jia Baoyu's dream) are just illusory in the illusory, and the illusion of "negative and positive" may be the true one, putting the audience into the limit between reality and illusion. Profound and interesting, it goes straight to the profound philosophy behind the masterpiece. Finally, the choreography presents a strong metaphorical color. For example, on the stage of the dance poetry drama "Nine Songs", a cylinder that leads directly to the dome is shaped like a huge ascending channel, and the circle is the spiritual prototype of Chinese civilization, reflecting the oriental view of the universe, time and space, life and philosophy: time is repeated, life is cyclical, life is round and flexible, life is complete and free, and the "circle" is used as a metaphor for the relationship between heaven and earth, god and man, and mutual root...... The list goes on and on.
Stills from the dance drama "Dream of Red Mansions" taken by Zu Zhongren
Stills from the dance poetry drama "Nine Songs" taken by He Ming
Since the beginning of the new era, on the basis of the commonality of stage drama art, Chinese dance drama has continuously focused on the aesthetic characteristics of dance, and has carried out bold practice and achieved certain results in narrative techniques, stage technology, media integration, and stage art functions. The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China emphasized "deepening the reform of the cultural system and mechanism", "building and supporting the comprehensive innovation of the system and mechanism", and "stimulating the vitality of the whole nation's cultural innovation and creativity". In the face of the goals and tasks of literary and artistic innovation under the condition of new quality productivity in the context of high-quality development, Chinese dance drama still needs to persevere and make great efforts, and continue to practice the important speech emphasized by General Secretary Xi Jinping at the symposium on literary and artistic work: "Literary and artistic creation is a combination of concepts and means, a deep innovation of content and form, the integration of various artistic elements and technical elements, and the docking of mind and creativity." "It is necessary to run the spirit of innovation through the entire process of literary and artistic creation and production, and enhance the ability of literary and artistic originality. In particular, in the construction of the ontological form system of dance, we continue to summarize and refine the theories of creative technology and solve the core problems in the innovation of ontological language, in order to create a Chinese dance drama art masterpiece with profound thoughts, exquisite art and excellent production, so as to better show the style of the new era, lead the fashion of the new era, and bravely climb the new peak of Chinese dance drama art in the new era.
(The author, Zhang Ping, is the executive deputy director of the Dance Art Center of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles and the deputy editor-in-chief of Dance magazine)