On April 24, after the last performance of the dance poetry drama "Only This Green" was performed in Beijing, an audience enthusiastically shouted from the stage: "Meng Meng, happy birthday!" That day happened to be the 30th birthday of Meng Qingyang, the young dancer of China Oriental Performing Arts Group, who led the dance of "Only This Green". As she was closing the curtain, tears swirled in her eyes. It is said that thirty years old, she is towards the age of 30, harvested applause and flowers, but also gained growth and transformation.
Looking at Meng Qingyang's resume, you will feel that she has been very smooth all the way. When she was a child, she loved dance, and at the age of 9, she told her family that she was going to study in Beijing, and then she was admitted to the Beijing Dance Academy, where she repeatedly won the "Tao Li Cup" and the Beijing Dance Competition Awards, and after graduation, she was admitted to the China Oriental Performing Arts Group, and later attended the Spring Festival Gala many times. In 2021, she received a brand new play - "Only This Green".
This time, the role played by Meng Qingyang is different from the past, and the "green green" in the play is not a character at all, or even a physical object, but a materialized image condensed from the green landscape. Under the careful guidance of directors Zhou Liya and Han Zhen, she tried to understand the emotional level of "Qinglu" and learn the expression of Song Dynasty aesthetics. Of course, there are many technical difficulties in "Only This Green", such as the "green waist" that was later imitated and worshiped by the majority of netizens, although it also takes energy to train, but compared with the image, technical problems are not difficult for Meng Qingyang.
In August 2021, "Only This Green" premiered in Beijing, and then began the first round of touring. Although "Green Green" has been praised at this time, Meng Qingyang feels that she can also be more deeply integrated into this role. Before each performance began, Meng Qingyang put on makeup and shut himself in the dressing room to let his heart sink and sit quietly for a while. Suddenly one day, she found a feeling in an incomparably quiet environment, and suddenly entered the state of "green", which is both the detachment of the soul of the "Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" and the subtle state of human emotions, "This role and the audience should have a sense of alienation, when she is on the stage, there is no need to pay attention to how many audiences there are under the stage, today's audience is not enthusiastic, just need to enjoy the 'green'." Meng Qingyang said that at that moment, she understood Qinglu, read why she was lonely for a thousand years, and still had that persistence.
Looking back on it today, Meng Qingyang was able to have a flash of inspiration at that moment, and there were countless preparations and accumulations behind him. From the beginning of the rehearsal, Meng Qingyang began to learn the green landscape she did not understand before, and every time she took the stage, the director would also feedback to her, "When I stood on the stage the next day, and then repeatedly thought about yesterday's problem, I suddenly understood." Meng Qingyang said that art lies in the accumulation of time, "it is like water in a cup, to a certain extent, the container suddenly becomes full, and people's emotions become full." ”
This year's Spring Festival, "Only This Green" appeared on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala, and spread throughout the north and south of the river through live broadcast signals, becoming popular overnight. At this time, Meng Qingyang was very calm, "The changes brought to me by this role have made my state of mind a lot calmer, which may be the power of traditional culture." Although it may be busy at work every day, I see things as going to become peaceful, and I can say that I am walking well and full of strength. ”
The change in mood also changed Meng Qingyang's view of dance art. Before that, dance was her profession and hobby, and her love for dance had reached the level of obsession, and she didn't have to say that she got up early every day and practiced in the dark, and she tried her best to persevere when she was hurt. She is reluctant to tell the media how hard she has worked, and she has never taken the initiative to say how many injuries she has suffered, "I don't think it makes any sense to say this, any dancer has injuries on them, these things are reserved for themselves, as long as you stand on the stage, you must show everyone the best side of yourself." It is with this persistence that she has come to the present step by step.
With the popularity of "Green", Meng Qingyang saw a lot of viewers because of her, because this drama liked the green landscape and the aesthetics of the Song Dynasty. Immersed in traditional culture, her mood has also changed. "In the past, dance was an inseparable part of my life, but now the meaning I carry is different, I have an extra responsibility and mission on my shoulders, and no matter what I do in the future, I must start from me and spread the strength to everyone." 」
Thirty and standing, Meng Qingyang stood more firmly on the stage in this year.
【Biography】
Meng Qingyang graduated from the Classical Dance Department of Beijing Dance Academy. In 2009, he won the gold medal of the 9th "Tao Li Cup" Dance Competition with his personal dance "Lanling King Entry Song". In 2012, he entered the China Oriental Performing Arts Group and participated in the CCTV Spring Festival Gala many times since 2015.