As the summer performing season unfolds, Beijing is greeting top-flight artists from around the world. And home-grown productions are also claiming their place. In Today's Spotlight, we will review a bit of Chinese history in the award-winning dance drama Farewell, My Concubine.
The tragic love between General Xiang Xu and his concubine Yu Ji has been a recurring image in Chinese literature for over two thousand years. While interpreting the story through exquisite choreography, the dance drama Farewell, My Concubine adopts an innovative approach in its narration. The lovers are portrayed through dual plots of historical changes and romance.
Choreography
The dance drama relies solely on body language in telling a story. Farewell, My Concubine has received high critical acclaim for its choreography. Modern elements are blended in the group dance typical of Chinese style, to create the dazzling production.
Besides group dances and solos, Farewell, My Concubine has beauty in several classic sequences, like the departure scene and the segment in which the two lovers bid farewell beside the steed.
Music
For its audio element, dancing uses music to create the atmosphere. A sense of history permeates the production, thanks to the accompaniment of traditional Chinese instruments. Pipa master Liu Dehai establishes the dominant theme with his rendition of several classical pieces. The unique texture of pipa music adds to the tragedy of the doomed lovers.
Farewell, My Concubine also adopts instruments from western tradition. The sense of foreboding is enhanced by low-pitched instruments like the cello. And the production's finale by noted composer Zhang Qianyi rounds out the show.
Stage Design
For the production of such a historical epic, original stage design is essential. Several first-rate Chinese stage art directors brainstormed to create visual effects like the far-flung battle field, the towering ancient palaces, and the hundreds of bronze lanterns. Falling crimson leaves herald the appearance of the heroine; a Chinese chess board signifies the legendary warfare; and peach blossoms rain down while the hero takes his own life.
The love tragedy Farewell, My Concubine, is an ageless story filled with blood and thunder. The latest interpretation through dance presents the legend in a new perspective.
(CCTV.com April 26, 2004)
