The classic ballet "Red Detachment of Women" once again "floated red" on the Xi'an stage

The scene of the performance of "Red Detachment of Women" was photographed by reporter Shang Hongtao

As a landmark work in the history of Chinese ballet, "Red Detachment of Women" combines the techniques of Western ballet with the expressive techniques of Chinese folk dance, creating a heroic image of the Chinese girl scout army "wearing pointe shoes", which has swept China for more than half a century. On the evening of December 1, at the opening ceremony of the 7th Silk Road International Arts Festival, co-sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the People's Government of Shaanxi Province, and undertaken by the Department of Culture and Tourism of Shaanxi Province, the "Red Detachment of Women", which has appeared on the Xi'an stage for half a century, presented a classic opening performance. The scene was full, the older generation of audiences were full of feelings, and the young audience was also enthusiastic.

Blending femininity with toughness, wielding spears and knives swirling and jumping on stage... The dancers on the stage played freely and passionately, and the audience was mesmerized and immersed. Premiered in 1964, the Chinese ballet "The Red Detachment of Women" is the first large-scale ballet created by the National Ballet of China, telling the "battle story" of a tenacious "army of women" who heroically killed the enemy in order to resist oppression and win victory in the coconut grove of the island. Through collective creation, the artists of the older generation of the National Ballet of China have created the image of the girl scout army with "toes on their feet and military hats on their heads", and have achieved the achievement of reflecting Chinese culture in the form of Western ballet dance, which is a Chinese ballet classic that embodies the national spirit and temperament.

Xu Gang, assistant artistic director of the Central Ballet of China and a ballet master, said in an interview with reporters: "The Red Detachment of Women uses national ballet to praise the party and the people, which is a milestone in the history of Chinese ballet. This play is not only staged all over the country, but also traveled the world and toured countless times, she is not only a Chinese ballet, but also an excellent ballet in the world. ”

On the stage, classic passages such as "Bucket Dance" and "Big Knife Dance" set off the climax of the scene from time to time, and the actors' selfless interpretation won the applause of the audience again and again, and the classic melody of the popular population also injected the soul of music into the whole performance. At the end of the performance, the applause of the audience was endless, and it received a tidal wave of praise. Xu Gang said that for the actors of the National Ballet of China, the moves and styles of "Red Detachment of Women" are textbook-like existences and are compulsory courses for every "China Barba people". For more than half a century, "China Ballet people" have been writing about the artistic stories belonging to Chinese ballet. "From the first generation of 'Qionghua' teacher Bai Shuxiang to the teacher Xue Jinghua who later made a movie, until the sixth generation of 'Qionghua', our actors are taught from generation to generation, teaching hand in hand, and now the 'post-00s' actors have officially appeared on stage." Xu Gang revealed that after so many years, while respecting the classics and continuous inheritance, the crew has also made some small adjustments with the progress of the times, "for example, many props in the 60s of the last century were broken, so they were remade, and some have even been printed with 3D technology." For example, the narration we added between the scenes is not only to let young and unwatched audiences quickly understand the plot, but also to buy time for the stage to change scenes. ”

Xu Gang is very happy that "The Red Detachment of Women" can be used as the opening performance of the 7th Silk Road International Arts Festival: "Ballet is an international dance language, which is used to tell Chinese stories, and is a revolutionary story with red themes, which is itself a combination and exchange of Chinese and Western cultures." Just as the footprints of the Red Detachment of Women traveled to many parts of the world, the Silk Road connected several continents and oceans. It is a great honor and significance for us to come to the festival and perform for the audience in Xi'an and for the audience of the whole world. ”

Journalist Zhiyin Intern Li Zheyi

【Source: Xi'an Evening News】

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