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On the evening of June 23rd, the 70th anniversary of the founding of Beijing Dance Academy's original dance drama "Majestic Zhengyang" ushered in the premiere of the school's dance theater.
Zhengyangmen is a cultural symbol of the capital Beijing, and the dance drama "Towering Zhengyang" depicts the story of a family living under Zhengyangmen, telling the suffering and glory of a great nation. The play spans from the late Qing Dynasty to the current new era, showing the changes of the times spanning a hundred years and the historical memory of the central axis of the capital, telling the cultural connotation of Beijing with the "living" cultural relics and buildings, and telling the inner spirit of Beijing with the changes of the times in Zhengyangmen.
The time span of the play is huge, and each scene of the plot unfolds in cross-sectional sections of different eras. The dance begins with a group dance showing the decline of the Qing Dynasty, with female dancers dancing in red flag costumes, and suddenly, the sound of artillery fire and the dancers use body language full of fragmentation to express the withering of mountains and rivers.
The dance vocabulary of the play is diverse and distinctive, echoing with the stage scenery and props with unique Beijing characteristics, such as paper kites, rickshaws, pigeon whistles, and bird's nests, bringing the audience into the city of Beijing under the background of different eras.
"Towering Zhengyang" connects the fates of five generations through Zhengyangmen, constructing a miniature modern Chinese history. On the basis of respecting history, we will give full play to the characteristics of each era and present it on the stage. Shuai Xiaojun, the chief director of the play and associate professor of the School of Creativity of Beijing Dance Academy, said that this is a main theme work, and it is also a work that can show the aesthetic fashion of different eras.
In addition to Peng Yibo, Zeng Ming, Zhu Wangbo, Guo Ge, there are also well-known actors of the Beijing Dance Youth Dance Troupe such as Su Hailu and Wang Silong. The group of dancers in the play are freshmen at the Beijing Dance Academy, and they have been rehearsing since the end of last year. Under the guidance of the teacher, the students first learned about the history of Zhengyangmen and became familiar with the stories of the times before entering the formal dance training. "Dance is a highly abstract art, and students must be able to experience first-hand how to create, how to adjust themselves, and how to shape themselves." Peng Yibo said that as a teacher, he has seen the rapid growth of his students.
"Towering Zhengyang" is a large-scale stage play and work creation funding project of the National Arts Fund in 2020, and has also received special funds for literary and artistic creation support from the Beijing Federation of Literary and Art Circles. From June 27th to 29th, the play will open the first round of public performances at the Poly Theater.