Instead of Dongpo a thousand years ago, Shen Wei's new work "Memories of Dongpo in Poetry" premiered in Shanghai: Seeing Dongpo Su Dongpo in 2023 | Chinese | New Works
Su Dongpo is one of the most beloved poets of the Chinese people, and his timeless poems have been passed down to this day. His optimism and magnanimity have also influenced the world. On July 22nd and 23rd, the modern dance drama "Poetry Remembers the East" produced by China Oriental Performing Arts Group and the Propaganda Department of the Meishan Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China premiered globally at the Shanghai Cultural Square. The work extracts 15 poems from over 3000 poems by Su Dongpo, using poetry as the clue, dance as the language, supplemented by excellent traditional Chinese cultural elements such as traditional Chinese painting, calligraphy, seal carving, guqin, opera, and martial arts. Through freehand brushwork, it traces back thousands of years and opens up a dialogue that transcends time and space.
"It is currently one of my most difficult works," said Shen Wei, the chief director of "Memories of Dongpo". He comes from a family of traditional Chinese opera, Hunan Opera, and has been studying ink painting since childhood. After winning the Lifetime Achievement Award at the American Dance Festival last year, he was invited to create this work, serving as a choreographer, screenwriter, visual director, stage designer, costume designer, and styling designer. "The Song Dynasty was a period of relatively complete development of traditional Chinese culture, as well as a period of extreme aesthetic pursuit. 'Let's try new tea with new fire', hoping to use this work to make the audience feel that traditional culture is very modern and beautiful. Linking traditional culture with today's culture and world culture, and taking them to a larger stage, is something I have been striving to do."
Music, dance, poetry, and painting showcase multiple aspects of Dongpo
How to present Dongpo's poetry on stage? For Shen Wei, this is a difficult problem. "A sentence like 'When will the moon shine? Ask the blue sky for wine', everyone has their own imagination, which is difficult to present. I try to understand Su Dongpo's soul and spirit through his poetry, and then explore whether dance can also produce a sense of homogeneity with poetry. I integrate dance with other art forms, hoping to find a higher point of artistic expression."
In the eyes of screenwriter Guo Changhong, Su Dongpo is a "hexagonal warrior" of excellent traditional Chinese culture, with a full range of abilities. He can easily use flying flowers, picking leaves, plants, bamboo, and stones to enter the realm of culture. "Faced with Su Dongpo, it's like taking a mirror and reflecting on the unattainable self." Guo Changhong initially felt "at a loss," but later I felt that after going through so many things, to find a connection with modern people, he might have found the key to entering people's hearts. "
There is a scene in the drama that uses 14 seal carvings, all of which are the characters and titles of Dongpo: Zizhan, Hezhong, Dongpo Jushi, Iron Crown Taoist... Shen Wei said that Dongpo gives himself different names at each stage, just like a sketch of his soul, indicating that he is a multifaceted person. Yang Tao introduced the calligraphy and seal carving design of "Memories of Dongpo in Poetry". All the poems in the play are presented in the form of calligraphy and seal carving, which not only vaguely shows the style of Dongpo but also reflects the overall charm of Song Dynasty calligraphy. "The so-called 'my book's meaning cannot be created' is not only a manifestation of personality, but also the aspiration of the literati of that era."
In the poem "Memories of Dongpo", many works by composer Chen Qigang are utilized. In addition, five ancient qin pieces are added, including "Memories of Old Friends", "Drunk Madness", "Three Stacks of Yangguan", "Autumn Water", and "Divine Man Flowing". Guqin performer Zhao Xiaoxia said, "Dongpo is good at playing the qin but unable to understand it. However, it expresses the longing of Chinese culture that has been passed down to this day: to hear the sound of heaven and become virtuous. Just like us today, we are all searching for a cultural spirit that can pass on for thousands of years."
From "The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting Here" to "Poems on the East Slope"
Before "Poetry Remembers Dongpo", Oriental Performing Arts Group had launched the "Best Buy" dance drama "The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting", which has been performed more than 300 times so far. Jing Xiaoyong, chairman of the Oriental Performing Arts Group, believes that "Poems Remembering Dongpo" is very different from "The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting". "The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting" tells Chinese stories in Chinese language, while "Poems Remembering Dongpo" tells Chinese stories in international language.
"Dongpo is a Chinese cultural IP with international influence. This is an international and modern Chinese stage art work, which is a creative transformation and innovative development of China's excellent traditional culture. Director Shen Wei has a deep foundation in Chinese culture and also understands the appreciation habits of Western audiences. We hope he can become a bridge to explore the exchange and integration of Chinese and Western culture and art." Jing Xiaoyong said.
Since it is exploration, there will definitely be difficulties and risks. Jing Xiaoyong understands that the threshold for appreciation of "Poetry Remembers Dongpo" is higher, and it may not be as popular as "The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting". But without taking risks and blindly repeating oneself, artistic innovation cannot be achieved. "We are willing to be experimenters, explorers, and stepping stones for artistic exchange and mutual learning." Poetry Memories of Dongpo "has taken a new step in the integration and innovation of art, and it requires the audience and time to test. With the passage of time and the continuous polishing of the work, its value will definitely be revealed. We hope that one day," Poetry Memories of Dongpo "can go abroad and tour the world stage, allowing audiences from all over the world to understand Su Dongpo, Chinese culture, ideology, and philosophy through this work."
Watching "Memories of Dongpo in Poetry", Shen Wei suggests that the audience should not use books and articles they have read before to imitate, but instead open their ears to listen to every sound, open their eyes to see every movement, and embrace the birth of a new life. He said, "We want to create a new culture of our current era and civilization, rather than repeating or replicating it. We have the value, vitality, and creativity of modern people. I hope everyone will see Dongpo in 2023, not Dongpo 1000 years ago."
