Xinjiang's major historical theme dance drama "Zhang Qian" was recently staged at the Urumqi Grand Theater, inviting young dancers Zhao Jiayi, Luo Wenbo, Li Songlin and Sun Qiuyue to join forces to play the male protagonist Zhang Qian and the female protagonist Princess Xiongnu respectively. How do they grasp and perform? What do you feel? Let's hear what they think.
"The action of walking, every scene is different"
Zhang Qian, played by young dancer Zhao Jiayi:
"On the stage, I am Zhang Qian." Zhao Jiayi, a young dancer and actor who plays Zhang Qian in the dance drama "Zhang Qian", said that during several months of rehearsals and auditions, every time he integrated into the role, he was touched by Zhang Qian's loyalty to the country, his perseverance to complete his mission, and his broad and broad feelings, and completely forgot himself.
In the dance drama "Zhang Qian", Zhang Qian is played by Zhao Jiayi, a young dancer
Zhao Jiayi, who is sitting in front of the author, has a slender figure, a thin sword eyebrow, no makeup, and naturally looks like an ancient man's fresh and handsome, jade tree windy temperament.
"Zhang Qian in the play has a theme action, that is, walking, because he has been walking, walking all his life, the Silk Road is through. Just this action, every scene is different. Zhao Jiayi plays Zhang Qian in the first act of "Teaching Festivals", the second act of "Shou Jie" and the fourth act of "Envoys", and the role is relatively heavy. Talking about this theme action, he was very emotional.
In the first act, the young Zhang Qian, accepting the task granted by Emperor Wu of Han, is full of confidence in his heart, and his steps are cheerful and jumping. In the second act, Zhang Qian walked into the Western Regions, was caught by the Xiongnu, was not moved by various inducements, and still thought about how to complete his mission, this process, he encountered a lot of difficulties, thought a lot, and his steps became calm. In the fourth act, he was old and weak, his back was slightly hunched, and he kept walking forward, but his legs were trembling and his steps were heavy. Zhao Jiayi said. The before and after changes in this action gave him a better and better grasp of Zhang Qian's difficult experience of walking and the spirit of perseverance.
More importantly, Zhang Qian's inner world was very rich, and the Xiongnu king could not lure him with all kinds of inducements, breaking his staff, and he felt pain, humiliation and indomitability in his heart. He saved the Hun princess, fell in love with each other, and finally the Hun princess was killed by an arrow in order to protect him, and he was very sad and guilty in his heart, but he still moved forward with determination. Zhao Jiayi said that every time he performed these important episodes, his body trembled, his tears blurred, and he completely forgot himself. When he performed as hard as he could, he heard the warm applause from the audience and felt that he was also remarkable.
But he's still not satisfied, saying that many of the details need to be further carefully pondered and practiced to play the role better.
"An action, to be accurate"
Zhang Qian is played by Li Songlin, a young actor of the former Haizheng Cultural and Labor Troupe:
After the rehearsal of the dance drama "Zhang Qian" began, Li Songlin tried various roles such as the 7-member mission, and finally, he was appointed as Zhang Qian in the third act of "Chuanjie".
In this scene, it is mainly about Zhang Qian who traveled through various city-states and saw various customs and customs. In the kingdom of Xia Ma, he used Chinese medicine acupuncture to cure the little prince's serious illness. Although Zhang Qian's dance moves in this scene are not too many, and the performance is not heavy, Zhang Qian shoulders the national mission entrusted to him by Emperor Wu of Han, and his heart is loaded with the deep friendship of the brothers of the mission, and his heart is not relaxed. Li Songlin said.
In the dance drama "Zhang Qian", Zhang Qian is played by Li Songlin, a young dancer of the former Haizheng Cultural and Labor Troupe
There is a performance in this scene that makes him feel more difficult to grasp, that is, Zhang Qian gave the little prince chinese medicine acupuncture to treat the disease.
"Before, I didn't know much about TCM acupuncture. In the play, how Zhang Qian took acupuncture, how to tie it down on the little prince's wrist and back, how to twist it, and then pull it out, a series of actions, all performed according to the steps of Chinese medicine acupuncture, I began to feel that the movements were easy to do, but which kind of feeling was quite difficult to grasp. Later, the choreographer repeatedly told me that I experienced it over and over again, practiced it many times, and slowly, I found the feeling. Li Songlin said: "In fact, this string of actions must grasp one word: accurate!" It is a raised hand, a hand, the position of the needle should be accurate, the action should be accurate, and the eyes and body sensations can be performed well. ”
Through the rehearsal of the 7-member mission, Li Songlin got along well with the Xinjiang actors. "In the play, we are brothers in distress, hand in hand and shoulder to shoulder. Outside of the play, we became good friends. ”
Speaking of Xinjiang actors, Li Songlin said: "They are very motivated and willing to participate in this drama, because before they mostly danced ethnic dances, this kind of dance drama that shows shaping characters and expressing the emotions of characters, they feel a little fresh and curious, and they are also very hard, they want to dance well, we often learn from each other together." ”
"I'm the same, after this round of acting, I will learn the Zhang Qian movements in the first, second and fourth acts again." Li Songlin, who graduated from the People's Liberation Army Academy of Arts, was later a young dancer of the Haizheng Cultural and Labor Troupe, with a solid foundation in dance, and hoped that he would work hard to shape Zhang Qian's stage image better.
"She is a woman with great love"
Xiongnu princess actor and young dancer Luo Wenbo:
"In my heart, this Xiongnu princess has lived in the steppe for a long time, is a straightforward and fierce woman, but at the same time a woman with great love." In recent years, she has starred in many dance dramas and dance poems such as "Norma Ami", "Dayu", "Wanghai", "Wind in heaven", "Peach Blossom Jellyfish", etc., and Luo Wenbo, who became popular with a solo dance "Cocoto Sea Shepherd" at the Spring Festival Gala of the Central Radio and Television General Station in 2021, talked about her understanding of the Xiongnu princess in the play, which made the author feel that her stage performance art foundation was solid.
Luo Wenbo, a young dancer and a Xiongnu princess in the dance drama "Zhang Qian"
But in fact, she is still a sadistic person, she obviously knows that Zhang Qian is a Han emissary from the Central Plains, and she loves so deeply, more intensely than ordinary people, when she is separated from life and death, her emotions are very entangled, but she still understands Zhang Qian and helps him complete his mission, which is the power of love. Therefore, when I express the Xiongnu princess on stage, my inner emotions are layered. Luo Wenbo said.
For example, in the second act of "Shou Jie", the Xiongnu princess and Zhang Qian met for 10 years, passionately loved him, and directly expressed their love, and in the dance movements, more Xiongnu women took the initiative to express. Zhang Qian also loves her, but his love is mixed with factors such as region and ethnicity. In fact, the Xiongnu princess vaguely felt that Zhang Qian would leave her one day, so she cherished the time with him very much. When she knew that Zhang Qian was holding the map and preparing to leave her, love and hate were intertwined, painful and entangled, and finally understood Zhang Qian, and sent the scepter to Zhang Qian's hand and let him go. Luo Wenbo said.
Every time this section is performed, the Xiongnu princess lies on the ground and cries uncontrollably. When I asked Luo Wenbo why he acted so emotionally, she said that this is a complete release of emotions such as love and hate, pain and reluctance.
Luo Wenbo told the author that after graduating from the Beijing Dance Academy, he studied film performance at the Beijing Film Academy, skipped more than 20 dance dramas and dance poems before and after, and accumulated a certain amount of experience in the performance of dance characters, but he did not analyze the inner feelings of the characters as carefully as this time, and completed the dancers' inner experience from the heart to the embodiment. Therefore, by playing the Xiongnu princess, I also gained a lot.
"In front of Zhang Qian, she is a small woman, but in front of the broad grassland and the national mission, she is a big woman, a woman who can hold up a piece of the sky." Luo Wenbo finally said.
"She was a martyr"
Sun Qiuyue, played by the Xiongnu princess and former chief actor of the Guangzhou Military Region's Warriors' Literary troupe:
"From a professional point of view, after I received this character role, I must have to prepare lessons in advance, such as finding relevant historical materials, understanding the experience of the character, etc., but the character of the Xiongnu princess, in the historical record, only mentioned one stroke, nothing else, then playing this role well, for me, is also a new learning." Sun Qiuyue said to this writer.
In the play, the most touching thing is that in the fourth act of "Envoy", the Xiongnu princess was killed by an arrow in order to save Zhang Qian. Before dying, she held a red scarf and recalled the romantic process of her and Zhang Qian falling in love with each other, and her heart was in love. In desperation, she longs to have a complete Chinese-style wedding with Zhang Qian, hoping that she will always be Zhang Qian's wife.
Sun Qiuyue, the xiongnu princess in the dance drama "Zhang Qian" and the chief actor of the former Guangzhou Military Region Warriors' Literary and Labor Troupe
Sun Qiuyue said that in this section, all her dance moves revolve around the red scarf. Among them, the Xiongnu princess has an action, that is, to lift the red scarf, from top to bottom, and squeeze it hard, indicating that she will compare the red scarf to a knotweed, hoping that Zhang Qian will take the knotweed and continue to walk forward. "This is the love of a grassland nomadic woman for Zhang Qian, and at the last moment of her life, she still supports Zhang Qian to complete her mission." Sun Qiuyue said.
Especially in the end, when the Xiongnu princess fell in the red hijab, she was very weak, and Zhang Qian was in pain, crawling forward on her knees, crying in the sky.
"I understand that the emotions of this period of The Hun princess are complex, the joy in sorrow, the reluctance in joy. However, this reluctance is that she helped Zhang Qian complete her mission, and finally left this world with good wishes. Sun Qiuyue said.
Sun Qiuyue believes that the character of the Xiongnu princess is fierce and brave, but in the face of great right and wrong, she chose great love, sacrificed herself, and fulfilled the Zhang Qian she loved deeply in her heart, and she was happy. To describe her as selfless, somewhat superficial. It should be said. Her love was intense, had transcended life, and she was a martyr.
Sun Qiuyue frankly said that he was a major in Classical Chinese Dance, and he was the former chief actor of the Guangzhou Military Region Soldiers' Literary troupe, and he liked the gentle and feminine dance style. Previously, she had played the heroine of the dance drama "Red Sorghum", Jiu'er, with a spicy and brave personality, which was somewhat similar to the personality of the Xiongnu princess in the play, but the emotional level was more. This time playing the Xiongnu princess, the same fierce and brave character, need to come out of the femininity of classical dance, break the original dance style, so that the body movements become clear and frustrated, which is a re-shaping for her.
Author: Zhang Yingchun