Because of the creation of the dance drama "White Snake", Zhang Xiaoding, general manager of Shanghai Grand Theater , specially set up a creative group, named "Gods and Immortals Group". "The creative process of the main creators is like a process of cultivating immortals."
The dance drama "White Snake", jointly created by the "Gods and Immortals Group", will be premiered in the Shanghai Grand Theater in early November. This is also another new exploration of the Shanghai Grand Theater in the creation of the "Oriental Stage Aesthetics" series after 2019 Kunqu "Six Records of Floating Life" and 2022 Kunqu 's "Reunion of the Peony Pavilion".
On October 25, the main creative team of the dance drama and the main actors of the two sets of cast members "Mirror Flower" and "Shuiyue" appeared on the stage, face to face with the media, telling the behind-the-scenes stories, and jointly interpreting this "transformed version" that interprets the thousand-year legend from the perspective of contemporary women.
group photo
main creator talks
dancer Tan Yuanyuan always active on the international ballet stage, but deep down, he always retains his love for Chinese culture. She has liked the stories of the White Snake since she was a child, but the perspective of the stories is somewhat different. In her eyes, the white snake has the beauty of traditional Chinese women, but also has all kinds of unwillingness.
In 2020, Tan Yuanyuan and Zhang Xiaoding hit it off and decided to bring the story of the White Snake to the stage: use dance to express emotions, showing the truth, goodness and beauty of traditional Chinese women in Bai Suzhen; use dance to indulge in romance, let Bai Suzhen dare to love, hate, and be willful and free and easy "live" once.
"The white snake and the green snake are actually one person. They finally find themselves, awaken their hearts, transform and rebirth." Tan Yuanyuan said.
In February this year, the rehearsal plan was put on the agenda. As the artistic director, Tan Yuanyuan quickly sent a creative invitation to his old friend and choreographer Edwaard Liang. After 20 years of knowing each other, Tan Yuanyuan skipped 9 of his works, trusted each other and cooperated with each other.
"He has been avoiding me: there is no music, no script, only concept, why do you ask me to do it? In May, we decided to do it. Although the music and scripts are not perfect, he still agreed to me." The creative team originally planned to start the creation and rehearsal in Shanghai in May. Due to the epidemic, he had to switch to Melbourne for rehearsals of the main actors. Tan Yuanyuan remembers, "There were only two pieces of music at that time, and he finished it in one morning. He called Xu Zhong every day to urge music."
After many difficulties, Edwaard Liang completed the choreography of the main role in Melbourne. After coming to Shanghai, he spent another 10 days to complete the choreography of the group dance , completing the impossible task. Faced with various challenges, Edwaard Liang has always been calm. "Any great art is born through various struggles. Difficulties are like practice, and they are also gifts that can make artists make great progress."
"I have caused a lot of trouble for choreographers." Director Zhou Kexiu said that general dance drama stories are relatively simple. "White Snake" has real space and consciousness space, as well as ancient and modern times. The story is very complex. How to express it clearly in dance vocabulary so that the audience can see it clearly? For this reason, the two have had many artistic quarrels, "I am a drama-born and a dance drama. I often ask 'why can't it work'. He completely changed me from his sense of dance." After working with the dancers,
, also understood that all technologies must serve the dancers: for example, they have special feelings and special requirements for the lights on the stage; for example, building a home environment on the stage, the stage of drama is often very realistic. The stage of the dance drama must not only shape the environment, but also leave enough space for dancers to dance, not to bump or stretch.
"Scheduling dramas, the actors are of different heights, fat and thin. dance dramas are all handsome men and beautiful women, long arms and long legs, which is so pleasing to the eye!" In Melbourne, Zhou Ke and Tan Yuanyuan, Song Jie , Guo Chengwu , Cao Chi and other main actors of the "Mirror Flower" group ate, lived, went in and out. After close contact, they admired the dancers group, "Practice every day and focus on rehearsals. They are very simple and very self-disciplined." This kind of long-lost simple artistic creation also made Zhou Ke feel like he was back in his student days.
"The director directed out the feelings in the dancer's heart, the play was in the heart, the fingertips, and the eyebrows."After the rehearsal every day, although exhausted, Tan Yuanyuan was still sincerely happy because he felt that he was improving every day. "My dance career has three important nodes - at the age of 19, at the age of 23, and at the age of 35, the dance drama "White Snake" was another rebirth and another transformation for me, which made me realize who I am. "
"Mirror Flower" Wife·Bai Suzhen Tan Yuanyuan, Xiaoqing Song Jie
"Shuiyue" Wife·Bai Suzhen Ao Dingwen , Xiaoqing Tan Yimei
Starring
Hang
Dance drama "White Snake" is divided into two scenes, which have both traditional storylines and contemporary symbolic meanings: White Snake, Xu Xian , Fahai corresponds to contemporary wives, husbands and psychologists respectively, while Green Snake symbolizes the indelible consciousness of women's hearts and pursuit of independence. Character integration Combining ancient and modern times, echoing each other, and contrasting virtual and real. The two sets of casts of
have dreamy and echoing names: "Mirror Flower" and "Shui Yue", which are the interpretation and concepts of Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing. Overseas Chinese dancers and popular young dancers in China have formed the "Dream Team".
In the "Mirror Flower" group, Guo Chengwu, the chief of the Australian National Ballet, played her husband. He has loved costume films since he was a child and was eager to play complex roles. He was very excited after receiving the invitation from Tan Yuanyuan. "Xu Xian is relatively weak in everyone's impression, and the husband in the play is responsible, responsible and powerful. "The lively and lively Guo Chengwu is like a pistachio in the crew, "It is my dream to be able to dance with Yuanyuan. "
Former Hong Kong Ballet Chief Li Jiabo plays Xu Xian. "The ballet is full of princes and nobles, and I have always looked forward to seeing an oriental character. "A oil-paper umbrella paired with flowing Hanfu, Xu Xian's appearance is full of Chinese elements. Li Jiabo and Tan Yuanyuan have two important double dance . A happy meeting with a broken bridge, and a relatively sadness. There is a big change in emotions.
Cao Chi, former chief of the Royal Ballet in the UK, played the role of a psychiatrist/Fahai. In 2018, 40-year-old Cao Chi chose to retire. This is his first time returning to the stage in four years. After receiving the invitation, he went to class as soon as possible to test his physical fitness. He agreed only when he was in good condition. "At the beginning, he said that I didn't have much dance, but when I arrived in Melbourne, I found that there were variations everywhere and I kept adding scenes to me. Isn't this lie to me? ! "Cao Chi said with a smile.
"Mirror Flower" husband Guo Chengwu
"Mirror Flower" Xu Xian Li Jiabo
"Mirror Flower" Psychologist·Fahai Cao Chi
"'Shuiyue' group is very young and full of vitality. "When the "Shuiyue" group was rehearsed, Tan Yuanyuan from the "Mirror Flower" group would also watch and find that they grew up quickly.
" Since elementary school ballet, Sister Yuanyuan is the character in the information, the goddess sister in our hearts. I dreamed that her legs were so beautiful! ", Liaoning Ballet troupe chief actor Ao Dingwen also plays his wife/Bai Suzhen. She likes this role from the bottom of her heart and practices tirelessly. "The choreographer gives us a lot of space, and the director will also tell us the opera: You are not dancing stupidly, you have to jump out of a living person. "
Wang Zhanfeng , who has been partnering with Ao Dingwen for many years, plays husband/Xu Xian. He plays two roles at the same time, constantly changing his identities, which brings challenges to him. "One is a weak scholar in ancient times, very quiet, and the other is a successful modern person, very proud. "When it's also playing the role of husband, what is the difference between Wang Zhanfeng and Guo Chengwu's portrayal? "He is happy, I am low-key. "
" Xiaoqing is the voice in her sister's heart. She didn't know my existence, so at the beginning, I kept following my sister and told her, "Let me follow me." "Tan Yimei, the main actor of the Shanghai Opera Dance Troupe, plays Xiaoqing. In the play, she has a group dance with fish. Her costume draws on the water sleeve in Kunqu opera, which is extremely beautiful. She plays Xiaoqing with Song Jie, and Tan Yimei repeatedly sighs that the other party's performance was vivid, "But the actors cannot just imitate, I still have to have my own personality. "
Song Yu, the main actor of the Shanghai Opera Dance Troupe, plays the psychiatrist/Fahai, "I have played many heroes, and the characters are very similar.Fahai is so fun. He is not a single symbol, but a multi-faceted person. "
" choreographers vary from person to person and will discover different potentials from different dancers. Song Yu and Cao Chi's dance style are different. One is classical folk dance and the other is Western ballet , so it will bring two different Fahais. "Tan Yuanyuan added.
"Shuiyue" husband·Xu Xianwang Zhanfeng
"Shuiyue" psychologist·Fahai Songyu
