We must be honest students of the people. Chen Weiya: To create good dance works
"Since ancient times, there has been a saying in China that 'articles are written in unison, songs and poetry are written in unison'. This indicates that literary and artistic creation should follow the movement of the times, grasp the pulse of the times, and express the emotions of the times. Chen Weiya, Chairman of the Beijing Dancers Association and famous director, said today at the sub forum of the 2023 Beijing Cultural Forum on 'Cultural People: Literary and Artistic Values and Social Life'.".
Dance is one of the oldest forms of human art, and compared to other art genres, dance expressions are more intuitive and direct. Chen Weiya believes that dancers should have full confidence in using dance language to interpret our history, depict our lives, express our pursuits, and make Chinese stories "dance".
At the end of August, Chen Weiya went to Heilongjiang for wind harvesting. During the process of collecting wind, he realized that the earth will not age, and the tree of life will remain evergreen. "Therefore, in order to create good works, we must be honest students of the people. Only when it becomes a conscious action to deeply immerse ourselves in life and root ourselves in the people, can our works have good creativity and high realm."
Chen Weiya said that for current young dance creators, there are many choices and temptations. The more so, the less utilitarian they need to be, and the more sincere they need to be. They should step down and walk into people's lives, regain their respect for the people and dance, take real life as the blueprint, use a high sense of responsibility and keen observation, and use down-to-earth creative techniques to explore the true meaning with great enthusiasm, and devote their entire lives to practicing such creative concepts.
Currently, with the increasing demand for aesthetic appreciation from the public, Chen Weiya believes that young creators should not be complacent and have high or low standards. They should start from the needs of the current audience when creating. "Whether it's from selecting materials to creating ideas, to outputting the value of a work, to enhancing its visibility and interpretability, creation must start from the true needs of the current audience, rather than simply immersing oneself in one's own world."
In recent years, with the popularity of dance dramas such as "Never Die Wave", "Crested Ibis" and "The Journey of a Legendary Landscape Painting", a series of dance creations centered on dance art noumenon have become more and more prosperous in China. Chen Weiya believes that this is the result of Chinese dancers' long-term unremitting efforts to ensure the artistic quality of their works. "If the quality is high, there will naturally be an audience."
Chen Weiya suggests that creators should persist in being attentive and dedicated, pouring their talents and efforts into their works. Only in this way can they absorb the nutrients of life, appreciate real emotions, move with the times, dance for the people, strive to climb the peak of art, and realize the creative ideas of dancers.