Bai Shuxiang
Bai Shuxiang, female, Han nationality, from Xinbin, Liaoning. Born on November 18, 1939 in Leiyang, Hunan Province. In 1952, he joined the Children's Theater Troupe of the Northeast People's Art Theater. In 1954, he was selected to study ballet at the Beijing Dance School. In the Chinese ballet "Red Detachment of Women", she successfully created the image of the heroine Qionghua. He once served as deputy director of the National Ballet of China, member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, and director of the Chinese Dancers Association. He is currently the Vice Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Chairman of the Chinese Dance Association, and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference. Honorary member of the 10th session of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
Chinese name: Bai Shuxiang
Nationality: Chinese
Ethnicity: Han
Birthplace: Leiyang, Hunan Province
< p>Date of birth: November 18, 1939Occupation: Dancer
Graduation school: Beijing Dance School
Representative work: "Swan Lake" , "Red Detachment of Women", "Sea Heroes", "Giselle", etc.
Main achievements: Deputy Director of the National Ballet of China
Member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles
>Director of the Chinese Dancers Association
Character Profile
Bai Shuxiang, female, chairman of the Chinese Dancers Association and vice chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. ballet dancer. National first-class actor. Born on November 18, 1939 in Leiyang, Hunan Province. In 1952, he joined the Children's Theater Troupe of the Northeast People's Art Theater. In 1954, he was selected to study ballet at the Beijing Dance School. Bai Shuxiang's physical condition is not very good, but she studied hard and practiced hard, and mastered the difficult ballet skills and unique rhythms with perseverance. With only 4 years of education, she successfully played the role of Bai Shuxiang in "Swan Lake" Swan and Black Swan, are popular among the dance community and audiences. In the Chinese ballet "Red Detachment of Women", she successfully created the image of the heroine Qionghua. She has played major roles in more than 10 classical ballet repertoires, including "Aquamarine", "Giselle", "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", "The Fountain of Tears" and "Sylvia" . Her performance is sincere, her movements precise and standard, and her style bright. At the Philippine International Ballet Festival in 1980, she collaborated with other Chinese actors and won the first prize for collective performance. In the same year, she was specially invited to participate in the first national dance competition, performing "The Death of the Swan" and won the Outstanding Performance Award. Award: In 1981, he won the first prize for performance in the observation competition of art units directly under the Ministry of Culture. She has also been rated as an advanced worker many times and attended the National Meeting of Heroes. Bai Shuxiang has also visited and performed in many countries such as North Korea, Myanmar, the United States, France, and Japan. Bai Shuxiang once served as deputy director of the National Ballet of China and a member of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. He is currently the Vice Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles, Chairman of the Chinese Dance Association, and a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.
Bai Shuxiang started dancing at the age of 10. Graduated from Beijing Dance School in 1959 and was the first graduate of the school. From 1952 to 1954, he served as a student and actor of the Northeast People's Art Children's Theater Troupe. From 1959 to 1980, he served as a dancer at the National Ballet of China. After 1980, he served as vice president of the Chinese Ballet Society, deputy director of the Beijing Ballet, and member of the All-China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. In January 1992, he was elected as the Chairman of the Sixth Chinese Dancers Association. In December 1996, he was elected vice chairman of the Sixth National Committee of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. He is a member of the 5th to 7th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a member of the 8th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (Literary and Arts), a member of the Motherland Reunification Friendship Committee, and a member of the 9th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.
Excellent in world classical ballet performance art, he served as the protagonist of the ballet "Swan Lake" in 1958. In 1964, she served as the heroine of the first modern ballet "The Red Detachment of Women" in New China. In August 1980, she performed the pas de deux of "Don Quixote" with the Canadian dancer Mr. Martin on the same stage. In the same year, she also starred in the French ballet "Sylvia".
Won the Outstanding Performance Award in the First National Dance Competition in 1980 and the First Prize in Performance by the Ministry of Culture in 1981. In 1981, he participated in the Philippine International Ballet Performance Festival and won the first prize in the group.
Bai Shuxiang, ballet dancer, national first-class actor. Chairman of the Chinese Dancers Association, Vice Chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. His ancestral home is Xinbin, Liaoning, and he was born in Leiyang, Hunan. Started dancing at the age of 10. Graduated from Beijing Dance School in 1959 and was the first graduate of the school. From 1952 to 1954, he served as a student and actor of the Northeast People's Art Children's Theater Troupe. From 1959 to 1980, he served as a dancer at the National Ballet of China.
After 1980, he served as vice president of the Chinese Ballet Society, deputy director of the Beijing Ballet, and member of the All-China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. In January 1992, he was elected as the chairman of the 6th Chinese Dancers Association. In December 1996, he was elected as the vice chairman of the Sixth National Committee of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles. He is a member of the 5th to 7th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, a member of the 8th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (Literary and Arts), a member of the Motherland Reunification Friendship Committee, and a member of the 9th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. He specializes in world classical ballet performance art. In 1958, he played the lead role in the ballet "Swan Lake". In 1964, she served as the heroine of the first modern ballet "The Red Detachment of Women" in New China. In August 1980, she performed the pas de deux of "Don Quixote" with the Canadian dancer Mr. Martin on the same stage. In the same year, she also starred in the French ballet "Sylvia". He won the Outstanding Performance Award in the First National Dance Competition in 1980 and the First Prize in Performance by the Ministry of Culture in 1981. In 1981, he participated in the Philippine International Ballet Performance Festival and won the first prize in the group.
Biography
Bai Shuxiang has loved art since childhood and started dancing at the age of 10. She speaks Mandarin very well and has participated in many recitations with her third sister and won the first or second place. When she was studying in Shenyang, she often went to the Northeast People's Art Theater to watch performances, hoping that she would also be admitted to the literary and art troupe. In 1952, she finally realized her wish and joined the Northeastern Art Troupe. From then on, she studied and worked hard, performing while taking classes, and learned various basic dance skills and cultural courses. The troupe also arranged for members to choreograph musicals, choruses, dances, and perform dramas. These experiences enabled Bai Shuxiang to absorb nutrients from various artistic categories.
In 1954, the Chinese Dance School was established, and Bai Shuxiang was lucky enough to be admitted to this first school in the Chinese dance world. Although the conditions were very poor at the time, the teacher taught very seriously. She eagerly learned Chinese classical dance, folk dance, foreign ballet, court dance, historical life dance and cultural classes, and her level in all aspects continued to improve. In 1958, former Soviet ballet expert Gurew came to China to help rehearse "Swan Lake". Bai Shuxiang played the leading role. Her successful performance was recognized by Soviet experts. Premier Zhou Enlai, Vice Premier Chen Yi and leading comrades from the Ministry of Culture went to watch the first performance. After the performance, Premier Zhou went to the stage to congratulate everyone on the success of the performance and said cordially: "To engage in ballet art, you must constantly improve your skills, strive for excellence, and become an expert in this field." The following year, the National Ballet of China was established, and Bai Shuxiang accompanied the company. Went to perform in Southeast Asian countries, Premier Zhou Enlai and Vice Premier Chen Yi watched the performance again, and the British "Times" reported on the performance.
From the late 1950s to 1964, Bai Shuxiang experienced the golden stage of her ballet career. Her performances are emotional and lifelike, and her characters are lifelike. She has played the main role in nearly 10 classical ballet repertoires. At that time, China's first generation of leaders had seen her performance, and she also received widespread attention from the audience.
After rehearsing the five major foreign dance dramas, Premier Zhou directed a Chinese ballet with its own national characteristics. After repeated research and consultation among experts, they finally decided to rehearse "The Red Detachment of Women." The successful rehearsal of this dance drama became a turning point in the career of Chinese ballet. In this drama, Bai Shuxiang successfully portrayed the image of Wu Qionghua, and she became the protagonist of China's first national ballet, "The Red Detachment of Women."
In 1965, she was slandered as a typical example of the Bai Zhuo path and was persecuted by Jiang Qing and his gang. She was forced to leave the stage and was forced to work. During that gloomy period, she did all kinds of work, including defecating, planting rice, cleaning toilets, digging holes, and digging wells. At night, she had to confess her problems, be criticized, and write a confession. Due to Premier Zhou's intervention, Bai Shuxiang was recalled from the countryside in 1974, resumed her practice, and returned to the stage. At that time, she had been away from the stage for nearly 10 years. Therefore, she cherished this opportunity, practiced hard, and redoubled her efforts to make up for the lost time. The losses and shortcomings caused to her in art.
In 1978, the Chinese Art Troupe went to the United States to perform, and the National Ballet of China brought "The Red Detachment of Women", which created a sensation. From then on, China's modern ballet established its position in the world. The world-famous dance artist Marsha Graeme was very surprised after watching the performance. She believed that Chinese ballet is very powerful and the phenomenon of red classics is worth pondering. This has aroused the interest of foreign colleagues in studying and exploring Chinese modern ballet art.
With the process of China's reform and opening up, Bai Shuxiang's artistic life is also constantly extending.
In 1980, she collaborated with Chinese actors at the International Art Festival and won the first prize for collective performance. In the same year, he was specially invited to participate in the first national dance competition, performed "The Death of the Swan", and won the Outstanding Performance Award; he won the first prize for performance in the observation competition of art units directly under the Ministry of Culture. During her tenure as deputy director of the National Ballet of China, she led the troupe to visit and perform in many countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom, making efforts for cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries.
Main works
Bai Shuxiang's white swan and black swan in "Swan Lake" were welcomed by the dance community and the audience. In the Chinese ballet "Red Detachment of Women", she successfully created the image of the heroine Qionghua. She has played major roles in more than 10 classical ballet repertoires, including "Aquamarine", "Giselle", "The Hunchback of Notre Dame", "The Fountain of Tears" and "Sylvia" .
Art Legend
Speaking of the impression of ballet art in the hearts of Chinese people, almost everyone will answer that ballet is "Swan Lake"; when it comes to "Swan Lake", it will never be the same. One protagonist that cannot be avoided is Bai Shuxiang. It was she who released China's first "white swan". It was she who, after "Swan Lake", made the image of "Qionghua" in the Chinese ballet "Red Detachment of Women" deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Although she is now in her seventies, her elegant movements and cordial conversation all show the noble temperament of a ballet artist.
The infant art of ballet in China
Ballet art was born in Western Europe, but most Chinese people’s impression of it comes from the Soviet Union. Chinese ballet artists, represented by Dai Ailian, a Chinese ballet pioneer who studied ballet art in the UK, proposed that while inheriting national traditions, they should learn from the training methods of other countries and nations, especially the training experience of Soviet ballet.
In 1952, to celebrate the first anniversary of the signing of the Sino-Soviet Friendship Treaty, a Soviet art delegation came to China to perform. Due to limited stage conditions, the Soviet Ballet Queen Ulanova, one of the delegation members, only performed the Waltz and the Nocturne in the sketch "Sylphide" arranged to the music of Chopin and Schumann in China, but it was already breathtaking. . In 1954, the Moscow Musical Theater visited Beijing and brought six programs including the ballet "Swan Lake", the opera "Into the Storm", and "Eugene Onegin", which were performed at Beijing Tianqiao Theater and other venues. In that sensational performance, Tchaikovsky's classic music and the nearly perfect dance postures of the "Swans" made the repertoire "Swan Lake" leave a very deep impression on the audience, and the art of ballet became even more popular. has widely entered the eyes of ordinary people. It was also from that year that China began its own ballet education path with the help of Soviet ballet experts.
Shortly after that performance, China quickly established a ballet dance teacher training class, and Soviet ballet expert O. A. Irina came to teach here. On this basis, at the end of 1954, Beijing Dance School, the first cradle of professional dancers in New China, was established. This year, Bai Shuxiang, a young actor from the Children's Theater Troupe of the Northeast People's Art Theater, was lucky enough to enter this top school in the Chinese dance world. Although the conditions were poor at that time, the teacher taught as seriously as ever. She eagerly studied Chinese classical dance, folk dance, foreign ballet, court dance, historical life dance and cultural classes, hoping to one day play the lead role in the ballet in her mind. Today's young people probably would not have imagined that the first batch of teachers at the dance school were actually trained in a courtyard house in Beijing. In Xiangyi Hutong, students drawn from various dance groups miraculously completed the syllabus for grades 1 to 6 of the Soviet Dance School within half a year, and all passed the rigorous examination. Many students spend all day in the classroom except sleeping and eating. Their strong thirst for knowledge and selfless learning energy are very valuable. Irina is also worthy of being a strict and experienced teacher. She teaches by words and deeds, so that students can maintain a strong enthusiasm for learning and work from beginning to end.
In addition to Irina, many Soviet ballet dance experts such as V. I. Chapurin and P. An. Gusev came to China successively and were invited to teach here. They have high artistic accomplishments. , master systematic professional knowledge and have rich practical experience. Both teachers and students have benefited deeply from them. They found that some students were lacking in dance movements during their internship creations, so they tried every means to add a variety of dance classes for the students.
Under the guidance of Soviet teachers, dance schools and some performance groups created dozens of small and medium-sized dance works.
Comrade Xiao Shen, the head teacher of the two-term editing class, and comrades Zhu Liren and Wang Zuyu who served as translators, have made outstanding contributions to the teaching work for more than four years. Life was tense and enjoyable. Everyone was close, helping each other and learning from each other. The eager learning spirit and the diligent study energy still make people excited and inspired when I recall it.
The take-off of China's first "White Swan"
Soon after arriving at Beijing Dance School, Gusev began to guide China's first batch of ballet dancers to rehearse large-scale dance dramas. It's "Swan Lake". Gusev, who has a keen eye for the role, chose Bai Shuxiang from six or seven candidates for the lead role. In fact, in terms of physical condition, Bai Shuxiang's waist and legs are not soft enough, and her figure is relatively tall, which makes it difficult for her to complete ballet movements. However, she overcame these shortcomings with sheer perseverance. After class every day, she would practice for a while and was always the last one to walk out of the practice room. During holidays, she gave up resting and monotonously repeated the same movements all day long in the practice room. The only thing that accompanied her was the big mirror for practicing.
There is a difficult move in "Swan Lake" that requires the actor to use one "main leg" to rise and fall on the spot with the toes and soles of the feet, swing the other "power leg", and rotate the body 360 degrees, and must After 32 consecutive rotations, Bai Shuxiang surrounded herself with four chairs in order to achieve a position where she could rotate in place without moving. She kept spinning in the circle. She fell down many times and got up to practice again. Her legs were injured in countless places by the chairs. , one piece of blue, one piece of purple, and full of scars. In order to perform 32 turns on the stage, Bai Shuxiang had to practice turning more than 70 turns in one breath off the stage. I don’t know how many times my toenails have been worn off. When I take off my dancing shoes after practice, they are often covered in blood. Bai Shuxiang used this extraordinary tenacity to finally practice 32 consecutive turns steadily.
On June 30, 1958, Beijing Dance Academy's "Swan Lake" was premiered at the Tianqiao Theater. The curtain opened, and the "White Swan" Odette played by Bai Shuxiang on the stage won endless applause from the audience with her perfect and accurate movements, skillful and elegant dance posture, bright rhythm and strong figure. 18-year-old Bai Shuxiang succeeded! China now has its own "white swan"! The excited audience rushed to the stage and presented flowers to the actors. Comrades Zhou Enlai and Chen Yi, leaders of the central government who watched the performance, walked onto the stage and expressed warm congratulations and encouragement to her. Premier Zhou said kindly: "To engage in ballet art, you must constantly improve your skills, strive for excellence, and become an expert in this field." This sentence continued to inspire Bai Shuxiang throughout his life.
The version of this performance is quite complicated. The second and fourth acts belong to the version and style of Russian choreographers Ivanov and Petipa in 1895. The prologue, first and third acts and the epilogue are Burmesteer's version. Some parts have been given new treatment by Gusev. . In order to distinguish the style from other countries and to cultivate Chinese choreographers and teachers, Gusev specially organized Li Chengxiang, Wang Shiqi, Li Chenglian, Zhang Xu and Wu Fukang to participate in the choreography and rehearsal of the dance segments of the play. Regardless of the artistic level, difficulty of ballet skills, or the scale of the performance, the performance of this work can be regarded as a "take-off" for the art of ballet in New China. Moreover, the take-off of China's "White Swan" only took four springs, starting from the opening of the dance teacher training class. After "Swan Lake", Chinese and Soviet ballet artists struck while the iron was hot and rehearsed two traditional ballets "Sea Heroes" and "Giselle" in succession. Both dance dramas were completed quickly, and Bai Shuxiang naturally took on the role again. .
At the end of 1959, with the approval of the Ministry of Culture, the first professional ballet company in New China, the Beijing Dance School Experimental Ballet Company, was officially established. The task of developing actors.
The emergence of the Chinese ballet "Red Detachment of Women"
From the late 1950s to 1964, Bai Shuxiang experienced the golden stage of her ballet career. After "Swan Lake", China began to rehearse classic ballet repertoire in large numbers. Bai Shuxiang has played major roles in nearly 10 classical ballet repertoires. As early as 1950, the Dance Troupe of the Central Academy of Drama staged the large-scale ballet "Peace Dove". This is an attempt by the first generation of ballet artists in New China to reflect Chinese social life in the form of ballet. Although it is not mature enough, it has a positive significance.
Later, with the help of Soviet experts, Chinese ballet began to practice traditional dance drama based on the literature-based creative method of Soviet drama and ballet. For example, "The Fish Mermaid" directed by Li Chengxiang and others "wanted to do some experiments for the development of Chinese dance drama through the creation of "The Fish Mermaid" and explore the establishment of a new dance drama system - a system in which Chinese classical dance and Western ballet complement each other." . However, the most successful and influential Chinese ballet is "The Red Detachment of Women," which can be called a symbol of the "Chineseization" of ballet.
In 1962, in order to portray the image in "The Red Detachment of Women", the Central Opera and Dance Theater Ballet Company composed of 6 choreographers and 5 starring actors and went to a certain unit of the People's Liberation Army in Tunchang, Hainan. Serve as a soldier for a month and a half and experience life. Unexpectedly, after the completion of "Red Detachment of Women", when the relevant leaders were asked to review it, one leader said after seeing it: "The temperament is not enough. There are no 'troops' in the 'ladies' all over the stage, and they are holding 'fire sticks' in their hands!" All actors and performers More than 100 people served in the army for another month and a half. When I came back to perform again, my temperament changed significantly.
At the Guangzhou Autumn Export Commodity Fair held in October 1962, the ballet "Red Detachment of Women" was performed. The dancers of the Cuban Ballet Company, which was performing in Guangzhou at the time, ran onto the stage excitedly after watching the performance and hugged the Chinese actors. At a later symposium, the famous Cuban ballet dancer Alicia Alonso could not restrain her inner excitement and praised repeatedly: "For the first time in the history of ballet, pointe dancing with swords and guns appeared. It was wonderful. , you are amazing!" This Alonso has already met Bai Shuxiang. She led the Cuban National Ballet to visit China twice in 1961 and 1964. At that time, she was almost blind, so she insisted on going on stage and had her daughter whisper directions from the side stage before she could perform. Alonso later said that what she could not forget the most was her Chinese counterpart Bai Shuxiang. "We have lost contact for many years, and we especially hope to meet our old friends."
The appearance of "Red Detachment of Women" made Chinese ballet famous from then on. Habitually called "red swan". Before the performance of "The Red Detachment of Women," ballet was just an "exotic" art in the minds of Chinese audiences, while "The Red Detachment of Detachments" shows the grand scenes of the Chinese revolution in the form of a ballet. As soon as it was staged, it caused a sensation in the society at that time. The transition from the aristocratic "white ballet" to the revolutionary "red ballet" is not only a practical need, but also a pursuit of faith. The touching artistic image of "Wu Qionghua", a Chinese working woman and female Red Army commander, created by Bai Shuxiang, is so dazzling and deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. To this day, the unique artistic expression technique of "Red Detachment of Women" that combines Western ballet and Chinese folk dance techniques can still arouse the excitement of many people.
Anecdotes
Love leads the flower drum lantern
The flower drum lantern is known as the ballet of the Han nation. Bai Shuxiang talked about her first encounter with the flower drum lantern dance art. I still remember that in the late 1950s, Huagudeng became a required course for learning folk dance at the Beijing Dance School. In 1958, Huagudeng participated in the first international exchange after the founding of the People's Republic of China and became the representative of national dance that attracted worldwide attention. As a member of the Chinese dance performance delegation, Bai Shuxiang was deeply shocked by the passion and artistic charm of Huagudeng. At the same time, she was proud that New China has such a dance that is very popular among international friends.
On December 29, 2008, the Anhui Huagu Lantern Art Research Association was established, and Bai Shuxiang once again came to Fengtai, the hometown of Huagu Lantern art. Flower drum lantern elements are not used in Bai Shuxiang's ballet. However, she spared no effort in the inheritance, protection and development of Huagu Lantern, a national intangible cultural heritage. She spoke directly from her heart: "Academically speaking, the history of Huagu Deng is the history of Han nationality culture in the Huaihe River Basin, the history of mankind, and the history of social development. Huagu Deng is not just about dancing, it is culture. For dancers It is said that traditional things give us wings to fly high, so that we can fly higher. We need to calm down and keep a low profile. We must express traditional things exquisitely and maintain the characteristics and elements of various genres. Keep it in place. Let Huagu Deng serve as a banner for the traditional national culture and pass it on from generation to generation." Bai Shuxiang also expressed her gratitude to Chen Jingzhi, a 90-year-old veteran artist of Huagu Deng, who said "Huagu Deng should carry out singing and dancing to serve the countryside. Peasants, you can’t just dance and not sing” agreed. She also pointed out that Huagu Lantern uses storyline to impress people, inheriting tradition, innovating and developing new things.
The Anhui Huagu Deng Art Research Association was established in Fengtai, which proves the strength, ability and motivation of this treasure land.
Character evaluation
Bai Shuxiang, a ballet artist who has devoted his life's efforts and energy to the cause of Chinese ballet and enjoys a high reputation at home and abroad, still maintains a peaceful and peaceful attitude. Humility of mind. She rarely talks about her career achievements, but looks at the history and prospects of China's ballet career from a macro perspective. She said: "Before the Cultural Revolution, China's ballet industry was at its first climax, after the Cultural Revolution it was the second climax, and now it is the third climax. The newcomers currently active on the Chinese ballet stage are outstanding, and they are unique in their business. Decades have passed, and many repertoires have been performed for a long time and are still popular with audiences." She has high hopes for young actors and believes that China's ballet career will continue to move towards new glory.