Dancer Gao Jian: Dancing in the traditional cultural mood

"His peripheral nerves all reveal a temperament, a temperament to enjoy loneliness." Some people have commented on Gao Jian, who played a crane in the dance work "Ink Lone Crane". After becoming famous for "Ink Lone Crane", Gao Jian continued to explore in his dance career. He insists on retracing from traditional culture and Chinese philosophy how to gradually achieve a state of unity of body and mind, movement and realm expression. At the same time, he is not afraid of the future, he said that he will continue to cherish his dance career and dance out of life.

Starting from "Ink Lone Crane", the aesthetic mood is opened

When he was a student at the Beijing Dance Academy, Gao Jian, like many of his classmates in the classical dance department, lived a life of practicing exercises and rehearsing dances. Until I met the dance of "Ink Lone Crane". In Gao Jian's view, this is a kind of luck. "Meeting a dance that suits you well may be unattainable for a dancer."

Gao Jian revealed that the training path of each dancer is full of hardships, but the cumulative effect of these hardships does not necessarily point to achievement. Before meeting "Ink Lone crane", he had also been exposed to no less than ten dances, but none of those dances gave Gao Jian a sense of "fit". "Either the work didn't make me play well, or I didn't embody it in place."

Behind this is also inseparable from the teaching of mentors and directors of works. At the age of eighteen or nineteen, Gao Jian said that he did not have such a deep understanding ability, but the mentor captured the traits that fit him into the "Lone Crane" and developed this trait from high fitness. "This work is where all the coincidences come together, including the way my teachers communicate with me, and it makes me understand the work faster." Combined with the aesthetic conception of this traditional Chinese culture, when simulating a crane walking at the beginning of "Ink Lone crane", Gao Jian felt that walking was not a simple walk.

"The opening action of 'Ink Lone Crane' is very simple, that is, 'walking', but this 'walking' is also exquisite. Ink painting and lone crane also integrate some of the artistic conceptions in traditional poetry. I realized that dancing wasn't about just recognizing a few eight beats and digging into a few moves, but about using the imagination. The first thing that comes to mind in "Ink Lone Crane" is ink painting, and the painter can outline the mountain peak or river with a few strokes. It's not like Western oil painting, painting a vase, the water droplets on the vase are clearly visible. Ink painting is still about the artistic conception. This realization was taught to me by the instructors at that time, who wanted me not to 'work hard' in performing this dance, but to be light and 'four or two strokes'. ”

The aesthetic mood that began to open from "Ink Lone Crane" has always influenced Gao Jian and continues to leave traces in his future dance creations. "Ink Lone Crane", "Sunrise", "Willing to be a lotus in the world", "Yellow River"... From traditional culture and Chinese philosophy, Gao Jian traces how to gradually achieve a state of unity of body and mind, movement and realm expression.

Cherish your dance career "No Age Anxiety"

Gao Jian's association with dance is also coincidental. When he was a child, his family expected Gao Jian to grow up healthily, and seeing that he was lively and active, he thought about it and sent the 5-year-old to a dance school not far from home to contact dance. In the dance school, Gao Jian spent two months to solve the "soft opening" project. When he was 10 years old, Gao Jian finally decided to go on with dance as his career.

In this way, Gao Jian has been living with dance for more than 27 years. As a dancer, Gao Jian said that his biggest feeling is that his dance career is "fleeting". "Dancers must cherish their youth, cherish the best time for their bodies, and must protect themselves, dancers half rely on themselves, half rely on God to appreciate food." Some people are very hardworking, but they may change careers after being plagued by injuries, which makes me very emotional, and I am more and more reminded to cherish my dance career. ”

After graduating from the Beijing Dance Academy, Gao Jian came to Guangzhou and is now the specially invited chief dancer of the Guangdong Provincial Song and Dance Theatre. In addition to daily training, Gao Jian sometimes acts as a teacher, taking students to practice and dance. The experience of acting as a "teacher" has brought more inspiration to his dance creation, which he believes is a kind of "teaching and learning".

"When I'm only a dancer, practicing on my own, it's boring. When I became a teacher and went to give everyone a lesson, I found that I would integrate more. For example, in the classroom, we practice the basic skills, which is different from my usual practice. When you teach everyone, you will see one of their reactions, which in turn will remind yourself. Including communicating with the actors during this period, there is also feedback. ”

For the future dance career, Gao Jian said that there is no age anxiety. "I think it's the opposite, we all have a very thick skin, and the more you say I can't do this industry, the more I want to do it." It is certain that the latecomers are on top, and the back wave of the Yangtze River pushes the front wave, but the expression of art is the embodiment of the comprehensive strength of all aspects. ”

Biography

Gao Jian

Graduated from the Department of Chinese Classical Dance of Beijing Dance Academy, he is now the invited principal of Guangdong Provincial Song and Dance Theatre. Because of the "Tao Li Cup" work "Ink Lone Crane", he became famous in one fell swoop, and won the gold medal of the Chinese dance "Lotus Award" performance, and the first prize of the individual performance of the All-Army Literary and Art Association... Representative works include "Ink Lone Crane", "Sunrise", "Blue Helmet Action", etc., and dance drama works include "Lingnan Autumn Rain", "Yellow River", "Sanjia Lane", "Powder Ink", "Haihe Red Sail" and so on. After participating in the CBDF Vienna Chinese New Year Ball as a guest performer, he was a solo dancer at the Dance Special Evening of the Central National Song and Dance Troupe, and served as the lead dancer at the dance "Soldier Style" at the Hung Hom Stadium on the 15th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland. He has gone to Canada to participate in the solo dance of "Five Continents and One Spring", and led the dance of "Chasing Dreams" at the Spring Festival Gala of CCTV.

"Star of the New Century" Q&A on the same topic

Reporter: As a former winner, what do you think of the selection of the "New Century Star"?

Gao Jian: When I got this award, I was actually very dissatisfied with my level. I was thinking, I have won this award, how can my level still be like this? I don't think I've been able to relax since then, but this award makes me feel that I should be more strict with myself.

Reporter: Do you have any words or suggestions to say to this year's winners?

Gao Jian: The road to art is very long, and we must always remember that art is endless.

Written by: Nandu reporter Lin Wenqi