Accompanied by bright Mongolian music, the Mongolian dancer Schenta Riha of the Inner Mongolia National Art Theater, who is nearly ninety years old, dances briskly on the stage: broken steps like clouds and flowing water, hand movements like willows in the wind... Her dance is full of emotion, simple and bold, strong and powerful, and the unique charm of Mongolian dance is vividly exerted.
Szczentariha on stage
"Contributing to the Victory of the War of Liberation" kicked off the prelude to the life of dance art
Schentazhiha was born in 1932 to a traditional Mongolian family in Zhazhet Banner, Xing'an League, Inner Mongolia. The influence of the family sowed a seed that needed to blossom for the first major choice in Szczenthha's life— to leave his hometown and study in the wider world.
Szczentariha with his brother (1950s)
In 1947, in order to follow his cousin who grew up with him to study in Ulanhot, Szentariha asked his parents to go out to study. However, due to the social instability at that time, her parents worried that she was young and unsafe to go out, so they blocked her. Seeing that her cousin was about to leave, Szentariha could not convince her parents, so she protested with a hunger strike, did not eat or drink for two consecutive days, and finally her parents finally gave in. Whenever he recalls this past, Szczentariha is always glad of the choice he made: "If I hadn't insisted on going to school at that time, my life might have been a different way of 'circling the pot'." ”
Leaving his hometown, Schentazhiha began to receive a revolutionary education at the Solun Youth School (later merged into the Inner Mongolia Military and Political University), but when he graduated, he was assigned to the Inner Mongolia Military and Political University Cultural and Labor Corps because he was not yet 18 years old and could not participate in the work. Szczentariha, who loved dancing since childhood, became an active member of the cultural troupe, "It was the period of the Liberation War, and everyone wanted to contribute to the victory of the Liberation War, and I had such a simple idea in my heart. Szcentariha said. As a result, the prelude to the dance art life that has been more than 70 years has begun.
"I'm just a drop of water" witnessed the founding of New China with dance
In the early days, Szentariha was successively enlightened by the famous dancers Jia Zuoguang and Wu Xiaobang. In 1949, with superb dancing skills, Szczentazh and Wuyun performed the duo dance "Hope" (scientific name "Mongolian Dance") into the Chinese delegation and participated in the "Second Hungarian World Youth Festival". The wonderful performance not only showed the unique charm of Mongolian dance to the world, but also made Szentazhá experience a moment of a lifetime: when he returned to China, he stopped in Moscow on the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China. At that time, Soviet friends and all the members of the Chinese delegation remaining in Moscow sang Chinese songs all night to greet the first round of sunrise after the founding of New China. "Everyone was in tears, especially some old comrades who participated in the War of Resistance Against Japan. It was one of the most memorable scenes of my life, and in retrospect, I still remember it vividly. Szcentariha said.
Having experienced such a great historic moment, Szczentariha has a different understanding of the homeland: "A man is only a drop of water, a drop of water falls on the desert, and the wind blows and disappears; a drop of water falls in the ocean, adding a drop of water to the ocean's capacity." I am only a drop of water, thousands of Chinese dance art practitioners have converged into the ocean of dance art in our country, and I cannot do without my country and nation. ”
Szczentariha in his youth
With this understanding, Szczentariha strengthened his belief in using the art of dance to serve the people, the country, and the nation: "Everything must be done well, and only in this way can we win glory for the country." ”
"I can't go far away and fly high when my wings are hardened" returned to the grassland for the cause of national dance
In 1951, Schentazhiha was selected to study in the dance workshop of the world-class Korean dancer Choe Seung-hee, and began to systematically study ballet, Korean dance, Chinese classical dance, modern dance, etc. Two years later, Szcentariha graduated with honors and was admitted to the newly established Beijing Dance School (now the Beijing Dance Academy) for further study. Here, she has more opportunities to watch the performances of foreign literary and art groups and broaden her horizons: "For dance art, I did not understand it from the beginning, and then I slowly understood that dance is a culture, and culture is a symbol of a nation and a country's civilization. The longer I studied, the more I thought, the more I understood, the more I developed a genuine love for the art of dance. Szczentariha called it "familiarity and affection" and was determined to continue on the path of dance art.
Ordos Dance (1960s)
It was the belief in winning glory for the country and the love for the art of dance that sustained Szcentariha through one of the most difficult years. During Choi Seung-hee's dance workshop, there was a problem with the meniscus in her two legs, and the doctor recommended surgery to remove it. After a short one-month recovery period after using his summer vacation for surgery, Szczenthha returned to class at the beginning of the school year. "The exercise lasted from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., when the legs were unconscious. Lying on the bed during rest, the feeling of hot knees is not strong anywhere. Szczentariha recalled. She endured the pain like that, gritted her teeth and persevered, and completed her studies.
When he graduated from the Beijing Dance School, because of his excellent performance, the leaders of the Central National Song and Dance Troupe very much hoped that Schenta Riha could stay in the troupe, but the superior conditions of "learning more, watching more, good conditions, and better development" in Beijing did not make Schenta Riha waver. Schentazhiha said that his idea was very simple: "At that time, the Inner Mongolia Song and Dance Troupe sent me to study, and I couldn't get my wings hard, so I flew away." And I'm Mongolian and contribute to the dance career of my own people, which is right, so I have to go back. ”
From young dancers to "Grandma Siqin" devoted themselves to education to make national dance go global
In the 1980s, Szcintazhiha was given the opportunity to write Mongolian dance teaching materials, and at the same time began his own other life path - dance teaching. In 1986, the book "Basic Training Course for Mongolian Dance" was officially published, which filled the gap in Mongolian dance teaching and attracted the attention of the Central University for Nationalities, the People's Liberation Army Art College, and art academies in Hong Kong and Taiwan. They quickly used this teaching material to carry out teaching, so that Mongolian dance was widely spread at home and abroad. This is one of the things that makes Szentariha particularly accomplished: "Teaching materials can be passed on from generation to generation, so that we can cultivate generations of young dancers and inject fresh blood into China's dance art cause." She believes that the use of teaching materials to train people is the foundation of education, without theoretical research and theoretical guidance, without standardized, systematic, scientific teaching materials, it is impossible to cultivate artistic talents.
Szczentariha teaches students "Top Bowl Dance"
Today, Szcintarzhiha is eighty-eight years old, but she still dedicates herself to the field of dance teaching. "I think we elderly people should not always sit at home, but should go to life and go to society." If I can still do something and others need me to do it, I will keep doing it. Szczentariha bluntly said that this kind of life is meaningful. She mentioned that she was now going to school, and the students of the art school affectionately called her "Grandma Sichen", and she felt very happy to be respected and loved.
For the younger generation, Szentariha wants to say: "Money, honors, titles, etc., are very vain things, we must really treat the works we create or perform, so that the masses can recognize, accept, and like, this is the most important." ”
Looking back on the path of dance art he has traveled, Szentariha proudly said: "I don't think I have wasted my life. As the first generation of dancers in New China, she participated in and witnessed the dance art of some nationalities from scratch and from weak to strong. She is proud of the international place that Chinese dance has placed.
Prairie culture and art "peak" character series report - Szentariha
Szcentarija
SichentaZhiha was born in 1932 in Zhazhete Banner of xing'an league in Inner Mongolia. Famous Mongolian female dancer, ethnic dance educator, national first-class actor. He once served as the vice chairman of the China Dancers Association, the vice chairman of the Inner Mongolia Federation of Literature and Literature, and the chairman of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Dancers Association. He has visited and performed abroad with the art troupe many times. He has performed the duo dance "Hope" and "Tartar"; the group dance "Ordos", "Haku Dream", etc.; the dance drama "Hunter and the Golden Bird", "Ulanbao", etc.; the solo dance "Turbat", "Bowl Solo Dance" and so on. He has won the 9th Plastic Performing Arts Achievement Award of the China Federation of Literary and Performing Arts, the 2nd Lifetime Achievement Award of Chinese Dance Art and other awards.
He has also made great achievements in the teaching of Mongolian dance. He has presided over the compilation of "Mongolian Dance Basic Training Course", "Mongolian Dance Basic Course", etc., and written papers such as "National Dance Teaching" and "Protection and Development of Folk Dance Art". He has been invited to give lectures in various leagues and central and local song and dance groups, art academies, hong Kong and Taiwan, and has trained a number of outstanding dance talents.
Source: China Net Grassland Channel
Author: Zhao Mingxia, a reporter of China Net
Images courtesy of interviewees
Editor: Artis
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > [Grassland Culture and Art "Peak" Character Series Report].</h1>
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