According to legend, there is a sacred book called "Twelve Winds Dance History", which has been recorded in the most beautiful dance in the past five thousand years of Chinese civilization. Unfortunately, the dust of the years has clouded the beauty of these ancient rhymes that condense the essence of civilization, and the words in the "Twelve Winds Dance Chronicle" have gradually disappeared and become "wordless heavenly books". How can we salvage these pearls that have been left behind in the long river of history? In 2021, five dancers incarnate as recommended dancers, "traveling" to different historical periods, trying to find those beautiful dances...
The above is the main story line that runs through the variety show "Dance Millennium", which is eye-catching, because variety shows usually do not set such a specific storyline. Continue to watch, you will find that this variety show completely breaks the conventional mode of "stage performance + behind-the-scenes interview", and has always been driven by the story from the beginning.
Stills from the "Dance Millennium" program
For example, in the first episode, the five dance recommenders "traveled back" to the Eastern Han Dynasty, incarnating Cao Pi, Cao Zhi, Zhen Mi, Yang Xiu, and Sima Yi, competing to recommend dances to the "lord" Cao Cao, trying to win a place in the "Twelve Winds Dance Chronicle". And every dance, the dancers are not dancing on the stage, the dance is placed in the historical story of the real scene interpretation, more like a film and television dance drama.
No wonder many viewers marveled while watching: where is this variety show, it is clear that they are watching TV series and micro-movies.
"Dance Millennium" is jointly launched by Station B and Henan Satellite TV. Henan Satellite TV's previous dance "Tang Palace Night Banquet" is a novel form of expression that quickly goes out of the circle; Station B is a popular video platform for young people, gathering a large number of traditional culture lovers of the new generation, and "Ancient Style" is a particularly popular category on Station B. These two platforms have long been exploring the modern innovation of traditional culture, and this hand in hand has also firmly grasped the word "innovation".
Innovation is more than just breaking the norm in form. The most valuable core of "Dance Millennium" lies in its in-depth excavation of traditional culture. The first dance that appears in the show, "Xianghe Song", depicts a young girl in a light sarong skirt greeting harumi. A group of dancers danced on the drum, which was amazing. In fact, this is a form of dance in the Han Dynasty, called Pan Encouragement, and the dance is called "Seven Star Dance Pan". Pan Encouragement is now rare, and the dreamlike dance we see is a reproduction of Professor Sun Ying of the Northern Dance from the bricks and stones of the Han Dynasty portrait.
In the show, this dance is embedded in a scene of an ancient girl missing her lover, and the chant of "Qingqing Zi Yu Yu My Heart". But this kind of longing does not appear to be self-pity and resentment at all, but more of a joy of looking forward to a reunion. At the climax, a group of beautiful girls danced in the downtown area, the plate was the Big Dipper, the drum was the sun and the moon, and the dancers put the sun, moon and stars under their feet, flying and singing. And in the night sky overhead, the Big Dipper seven stars are shining. With the blessing of image technology, the girls shuttle through scenes such as street markets and palaces, adding a sense of dreaminess. The stars in the sky, the people on the earth, the weather of the Han culture with heaven and earth and the gentle and residing children's feelings are skillfully integrated, and the classical beauty is interpreted into rich layers and arouses a wider range of emotional resonance.
"Xianghe Song" can be regarded as an innovative practice of "learning from the ancients without mud, breaking the law without violating the law", on the basis of eating through the essence of classical dance, it is deduced with more familiar and closer expression methods of modern people, and the history sealed in the Han bricks suddenly "comes alive" and bursts out with new vitality.
Once traditional culture is reborn, its influence is often beyond imagination. "Dance Millennium" is not only regarded as a "treasure" by the youth of Station B, but also gained a large number of fans overseas. On some overseas social platforms, netizens have praised this Chinese variety show, although they may not be able to quickly understand the historical background and philosophical background conveyed by each dance.
This attraction is essentially derived from the inclusive characteristics of traditional Chinese culture, and the overall creative idea of "Dance Millennium" has a good grasp of this characteristic. There is a Dunhuang-themed dance in the program, with dancers dressed in the sky, and the dance steps under the feet combine a large number of ballet techniques and elements, but there is no violation, and the core of Classical Chinese Beauty has not deviated from it in the slightest. In the works showing Li Bai and Du Fu Zhiyin meeting, there are many guests in the restaurant scene who have faces from the Western Regions and Hu people, which accurately restores the social outlook of the Tang Dynasty, which can be described as "full score". There is actually a cultural self-consciousness and cultural self-confidence behind this: where does our culture come from and where will it go? What are the spirits in traditional culture that transcend time and space, transcend countries, are full of eternal charm and have contemporary value? What kind of cultural responsibility should people shoulder today? It can be seen that "Dance Millennium" has some thoughts about these profound questions. Some people praised "Dance Millennium" for completing a wave of "cultural output", I think this variety show must not deliberately want to "output" anything, but the open creative pattern has bred a "great beauty", which naturally exudes the attraction of crossing national borders.
How can the treasures of five thousand years of civilization be excavated? "Dancing Millennium" gives a model.