......This year marks the 60th anniversary of the premiere of China's original ballet "The White-Haired Girl", and on April 13, the "heirloom" of Shanghai Ballet, under the youthful interpretation of the "Generation Z" actors, crossed a jiazi and once again appeared on the stage of "Shanghai Spring". Just a few days ago, the original new work "Light of the Earth", written and directed by Wu Husheng and less than 2 years old, also shined here for the first time.
One is a national classic that tells the story of China in the world language, and the other is a new contemporary work that focuses on real life and conveys hope, and the two works dance together in the "Shanghai Spring", which not only allows the audience to see the youthful power of Shanghai Ballet, but also witnesses the inheritance of the old and new Shanghai Ballet behind the equal emphasis on classics and originality.
"Heirloom" is also a "touchstone"
The "post-00s" raised the ninth-generation baton
In 1964, "The White-Haired Girl" was born on the stage of the 5th "Shanghai Spring", marking the breakthrough of Chinese ballet from scratch. Because of the use of foreign ballet vocabulary at the same time, "The White-Haired Girl" draws on a large number of ethnic and folk dances, traditional opera and martial arts and other materials, and at the same time perfectly combines reality and romance, and musically retains the original opera in the "North Wind Blowing" and "Tie the Red Head Rope" and other repertoire, and combines orchestral music with national instruments, this ballet with distinctive national characteristics and a strong sense of life is still full of vigorous vitality today.
In the past 60 years, the total number of performances of "The White-Haired Girl" at home and abroad has exceeded 2,000, and this dance drama has become a veritable "heirloom" and "family drama" of Shanghai Ballet, and it is also the "touchstone" of generations of young ballet people. In this youth version of "The White-Haired Girl", the three protagonists Xu Jingkun, Feng Zichun and Guo Wenjian, who play a leading role on the stage, are the ninth generation of the play. In their early 20s, it is not easy for them to take over the baton from the older generation of artists and give new life to classic works.
Xin Lili is guiding the ninth generation of "Xi'er" Feng Zichun. Photography by Labor Daily reporter Yan Xiaoyi
Xu Jingkun, a post-00s "big spring", began to explore in the second year of joining the troupe, "At the beginning, it was a group performance, and four years later he jumped to the leading role. So even though I've watched the video countless times, I feel like I still haven't learned the essence and needs the guidance of the teachers. ”
The ninth-generation "white-haired girl" Guo Wenjin also feels the same way, since she danced this work at the age of 19, she has been associated with "The White-Haired Girl" for 4 years. What impressed Guo Wenjin the most was the scene where the white-haired girl and Da Chun met in the play, she had to complete 32 difficult one-legged turns in a row in a solo dance, "Although I have practiced since I was a child, I completed 32 in one breath, which is a very big challenge, and it is a comprehensive improvement in physical strength, technique and performance for me." ”
Stills from the youth version of "The White-Haired Girl". Photography by Labor Daily reporter Yan Xiaoyi
Oral transmission of the heart makes the character stand up
The first generation of "Da Chun" and the second generation of "white-haired girls" helped out
Xin Lili, director of Shanghai Ballet, told reporters that the inheritance of "The White-Haired Girl" is not only the dance drama itself, but also a persistence of the original intention and a continuation of the spirit. The principal and main actors of each generation of Shangba began their artistic careers by playing the roles of "Wang Dachun", "Xi'er" and "White-Haired Girl". It has become a fine tradition of Shanghai Ballet to inherit the most classic works with the best performers, and then to cultivate and edify each generation of new performers with the most classic works.
Ling Guiming, the first generation of "Da Chun", remembered that he was only in his early 20s when he danced "The White-Haired Girl". In order to enter the role, all the leading actors at that time were arranged to the Fengxian Farm Brigade to experience life in the "Rolling Dragon" built by the reed mat shed. "By picking cotton, cutting wheat, and listening to the farmers chatter about their lives, I slowly understood the role of Da Chun and the play "The White-Haired Girl". ”
In Xin Lili's view, today's Xu Jingkun and Feng Zichun, these young people are more superb in dance skills than the actors of the year, but at the same time, because they are far away from the era and life at that time, they also bring more difficulties in performance. "As a theatrical ballet, the most important thing in "The White-Haired Girl" is not to move, but to create the characters, and to make the characters stand up on the stage. ”
The first generation of "Da Chun" Ling Guiming and the ninth generation of "Da Chun" Xu Jingkun. Photography by Labor Daily reporter Yan Xiaoyi
Before the performance, Shangba specially invited Ling Guiming, who is 80 years old, and Xin Lili, who is the second generation of "white-haired girl" actors, also went into battle together. In the rehearsal hall, in the scene where "Da Chun" and "White-Haired Girl" met, Ling Guiming and Xin Lili demonstrated and corrected from their respective roles, and guided the two young actors to rehearse more than a dozen times, from gestures, eyes to character distance, not letting go of any detail.
Walk on two legs
"Classic + original" helps the inheritance of the old and the new
A few days ago, another original work of Shanghai Ballet, "Light of the Earth", also appeared on the stage of "Shanghai Spring". "Light of the Earth" was born in 2022, choreographed and directed by Wu Husheng, the principal principal actor of the company, who is a "new star" who is not yet 2 years old, and 70% of the cast is also newcomers to the company, such as the ninth generation of "Da Chun" Xu Jingkun who plays the "light chaser" in the play.
"It's a tradition of our ballet troupe, and it's not only reflected in family dramas like The White-Haired Girl, but also in new creations like The Light of the Earth. In Xin Lili's view, the generation of young actors who are now active on the stage not only have high artistic quality, but also rich creativity and a more open way of thinking.
"Light of the Earth" has witnessed the transformation of the star dancer Wu Husheng and the director of Youze, and also brought newcomers like Xu Jingkun into the field of vision of more audiences. Xin Lili is very pleased, "Over the years, Shangba has always insisted on walking on two legs, not only inheriting the classics, but also bravely innovating, not only to lead the old with the new, but also to lead people with drama, not only to dance classical masterpieces such as "Swan Lake" and "Giselle", but also to let "The White-Haired Girl" and "Shining Red Star" and other folk dance dramas from generation to generation, as well as "The Light of the Earth" and "A Dream of Floating Life" and other contemporary explorations continue to emerge. ”
"The White-Haired Girl" and "The Light of the Earth" shine on the same stage, from the past to the present, from absorption to creation, just like the epitome of Shanghai-style ballet all the way. "Only by attaching equal importance to classics and originality can we train and cultivate more outstanding talents for the company, and the works that can truly stand the test of time and a healthy and perfect talent echelon are the solid foundation for the inheritance of Shanghai ballet from generation to generation. Xin Lili said.
The header picture shows stills from the 60th anniversary celebration of the ballet "The White-Haired Girl". Photography by Labor Daily reporter Yan Xiaoyi