Let Chinese calligraphy dance spread to the world, and the original dance drama "Yonghe Nine Years" will appear at the Shanghai International Art Festival in China

The original dance drama "Yonghe Nine Years" by Shanghai Opera House - Preface to the Lanting Collection - Dance Biography will premiere from November 10th to 12th at the Shanghai Grand Theatre, adding a touch of Eastern charm to the 22nd Shanghai International Art Festival in China. The inspiration for "The Nine Years of Yonghe" comes from one of the most dazzling pearls in Chinese excellent traditional culture - Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection". The original dance drama will use dance as a medium to lead the audience to a humanistic retrospective and outlook using calligraphy as a carrier.

"We hope to explore the new era significance of ancient classic works in the extraordinary process of presenting the 'Number One Running Script in the World' from birth to passing down in a panoramic view. Zhao Lei, Secretary of the Party Committee and Executive Vice President of the Shanghai Opera House, hopes that 'Yonghe Nine Years' can leverage the platform of the Shanghai International Art Festival in China to make' Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Collection 'dance to the world.". "After the premiere, we will embark on a national tour and plan to perform overseas in the future, showcasing the long-standing and profound traditional Chinese culture to the world through high-level and high-quality artistic expression."

Multimedia rendering of "Nine Years of Yonghe"

Not separated from calligraphy, nor stopped at calligraphy

As one of the major cultural and artistic creation projects in Shanghai, the dance drama "Yonghe Nine Years" was created by the Shanghai Opera House and jointly produced by the Shanghai Opera House and Shanghai Jiushi Cultural Communication Co., Ltd. It invited artistic director Wang Ge, director Wang Yabin, script consultant Cao Lusheng, screenwriter Fengtan Studio, composer Lv Liang, choreographer Zhong Shi, Zhang Yapeng, Zhang Fan, stage design Shen Li, lighting design Ren Dongsheng, multimedia design Hu Tianji, costume design Wu Lei, and styling design Jia Lei and other creative teams to gather in Shanghai to express the millennium old story of "Lanting Preface" from a modern perspective.

Wang Ge, the artistic director and director of the drama, said, "The Nine Years of Yonghe cannot be separated from calligraphy, nor can it stop at calligraphy. It cannot be separated from the era of 'Yonghe Nine Years', nor can it be limited to that era. Wang Xizhi's life fragments, life insights, the humanistic character of Wei and Jin literati, and the cultural inheritance of future generations and present people all require us to express it through this calligraphy work and dance dramas. In the historical review, we can observe the humanistic consciousness and attitude in traditional Chinese culture." Wang Ge hopes that the traditional theme, modern expression, and international perspective intertwined "The Nine Years of Yonghe" can win a place on the international stage.

Since July, director Wang Yabin has rehearsed with actors from the Shanghai Opera House Dance Troupe. In her view, calligraphy and dance are both carriers of cultural inheritance, with many similarities. "The Wei and Jin dynasties were a very important period in the history of Chinese literature and art development. The great integration of various ethnic cultures and arts at home and abroad also led to significant development in dance during this period, and a trend of transformation emerged where literature and dance were intertwined and poetry and dance were integrated." The Nine Years of Yonghe "will showcase emotional emotions from different eras, moods, and perspectives through a rich, three-dimensional, and diverse dance design, inspiring more resonance among the audience."

Artistic Director Wang Ge, Director Wang Yabin, and Deputy Dean Ji Pingping of Shanghai Opera House for "Nine Years of Yonghe"

Utilizing technology to travel back thousands of years to the unparalleled collection of elegant works

In the main creative team, Shen Li, Ren Dongsheng, and Hu Tianji integrated dance, lighting, and multimedia concepts, hoping to create natural beauty, highlight humanistic beauty, and showcase artistic beauty on stage. They will use cutting-edge stage art techniques to make the stage of "Yonghe Nine Years" both romantic and beautiful, as well as novel and unique, and to innovate the expression of traditional Chinese culture.

In terms of clothing and styling, Wu Lei and Jia Lei incorporate multi-level color gradients and the most popular dopamine color scheme in the ink wash style, showcasing the beauty of classicism and the style of Wei and Jin dynasties. Through the clever combination of orchestras with traditional instruments such as the guzheng, pipa, bamboo flute, and guqin, Lv Liang has enriched the musical level of dance dramas, creating both poetic and picturesque elements while maintaining a majestic atmosphere.

Fashion Design Draft for the Ninth Year of Yonghe

The chief actors of the Shanghai Opera House Dance Troupe, including Song Yu, are rehearsing intensively. The stage setting, costume production, and music recording are also being carried out simultaneously. In October, the main creators and actors will go to Qidong for a total synthesis. Ji Pingping, Vice President of Shanghai Opera House, said, "The creation of" Nine Years of Yonghe "has chosen to showcase the beauty of Chinese calligraphy and the spirit of Chinese culture in the form of dance dramas. We hope to use dance as an art style that transcends national borders to better showcase the charm of Chinese culture to the world. We look forward to the audience following us in dance, 'crossing' back to the timeless collection of thousands of years ago, and experiencing the continuous and never-ending cultural inheritance of the Chinese nation."