Still photo of Shandong Bangzi Chiping Scholar（ Shandong Bangzi Troupe, Chiping District, Liaocheng, Shandong)

Still photo of dance drama "Silk Road Flower Rain"（ Gansu Song and Dance Theater)

Performance scene of Dongcang Drum Club's stage play Drum (People's Day Photographed by reporter Yuan Taoxiong)

Since this year, the performance market has been warming up. According to the data released by the China Performance Industry Association, 193300 commercial performances were held nationwide in the first half of the year, an increase of 400.86% year on year, and the number of audiences was 62.2366 million, an increase of more than 10 times year on year.

The 14th Five Year Plan for Cultural Development puts forward: "Deepen the reform of state-owned art troupes with performance as the central link, strengthen classified guidance, and stimulate the vitality of the troupes." With the growing cultural needs of people, as an important force for the prosperity and development of socialist literature and art, local art troupes are playing an increasingly important role. This edition launched a plan to observe the continuous exploration of literary and art troupes in terms of high-quality creation, talent training, and communication paths from the practice cases of three local troupes.

——Editor

Gansu Song and Dance Theater——

Silk Road Flower Rain Performs Always New

Not long ago, the dance drama "Flower Rain on the Silk Road" was staged in the theater of the Beijing Exhibition Hall, two performances in a row, and the venue was full.

Since its debut in 1979, "Silk Road Flower Rain" has been performed frequently for 44 years. This dance drama, based on the murals of Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, takes the Silk Road as the theme and draws on the artistic characteristics of countries and regions along the "Belt and Road". As of June this year, 3899 performances have been performed in more than 40 countries and regions, with an audience of more than 5.3148 million, making it the most popular dance drama in China in terms of the number of performances, audience and performance countries and regions, It is known as "the model of Chinese national dance drama".

In order to bring Dunhuang art onto the stage and turn the static murals into smooth dances, Gansu Song and Dance Theater has sent seven groups of creators to Dunhuang to learn and experience life. The editors, directors and actors went to the cave to learn, listened to the experts, and constantly adjusted their creative ideas. One by one, the typical images of Magic Brush Zhang, Yingniang, and Inus emerged from the murals and literature, and were vivid and full of flesh and blood.

There are 492 caves in the south area of Mogao Grottoes, almost all of which have dancing images. "On the murals, the dancers' postures, gestures and eyes are all our material." Li Jinjiang, president of the Gansu Song and Dance Theater, said that when we asked researchers which dance movement was the most typical in Dunhuang Jiyue, the answer was that the bounce pipa dance in Cave 112 was the most representative.

"The image of the rebound pipa in Cave 112 comes from the middle Tang Dynasty, and its dance forms and combination forms are more abundant." Li Jinjiang said, but it is almost impossible to connect the static movements of the rebound pipa in the way of that time. "The mural dance posture emphasizes curves. Through repeated practice, everyone gradually found out that the bending of the head, shoulder and crotch forms the dance movement." Li Jinjiang said that in this way, the classic bounce pipa shape in the dance drama was born.

At the same time, with the deepening of innovation and platoon, more cultural elements have been absorbed. The men's dance was slightly weak, so they joined Wuwei in Gansu to attack drums; When Indian dance and Persian dance were not good at, the actors went to Beijing to learn from the Oriental Song and Dance Troupe; In order to restore the rhythm of Tang Opera, the ancient lute music "Moon is High" was chosen as the keynote after repeated consideration.

The swaying posture, elegant train, graceful dance... "Flower Rain" has "flown out" from the Dunhuang murals, and has been revised several times with the changes of the times. In order to better meet the aesthetic taste of contemporary audiences and meet the needs of touring, Gansu Song and Dance Theater not only launched two official performance versions, the 2008 version and the 2016 version, on the basis of the 1979 version, but also created an 80 minute "tourism version". "The Silk Road Flower Rain, which keeps pace with the times, is deeply loved by young audiences." Chen Qiyin, secretary of the Party Committee and chairman of Gansu Performing Arts Group, said that after the wonderful clips of the Silk Road Flower Rain were broadcast on the video website, the "circle fans" exceeded 100 million viewers.

"The reason why" Silk Road Flower Rain "has become a famous overseas cultural blockbuster, to a large extent, stems from its excavation and presentation of the world elements of Chinese culture, focusing on the lasting friendship of exchanges and exchanges between countries along the Silk Road." Chen Qiyin believes that this is the key "password" for the long-term performance of "Silk Road Flower Rain".

Shandong Bangzi Troupe, Chiping District, Liaocheng, Shandong——

Retain talents and increase vitality

"The bright red lanterns are bright, and you can hear the laughter in the new house again..." The music starts, and the allegro is "clattering". The main actor stands on the stage, with his feet in a T-step, and his eyes are bright; On one side, the singers and dancers, holding red lanterns in their hands, took small steps and suddenly flipped sideways, which attracted a lot of applause from the audience.

This is the small Bangzi play "Happy Red Lantern" performed by Shandong Bangzi Troupe in Chiping District, Liaocheng City, Shandong Province. On closer inspection, most of the actors have childish faces, and some of them look only about 20 years old. "You guessed it!" Zhou Kequan, the head of the group, said with a smile, "There are three leading actors in the play, two of whom are post-90s, and six singing and dancing players are all post-00s."

Since its establishment in 1950, Chiping District Shandong Bangzi Opera Troupe has a history of more than 70 years, but this time-honored troupe has a young cast. There are 48 people in the whole group, about 70% of them are post-90s and post-00s.

In fact, the troupe was short of people many years ago. "There is a serious brain drain in the grassroots art troupes, and the team is short of talent. At the worst, there are not enough actors in every play." Zhou Kequan frowned. "In 2006, there was a drama party in the county. If we wanted the troupe to give a show, we were late to gather people. There was no way to do it. We had to go across the province to Henan to find actors and perform a temporary performance." The troupe was short of funds, and the actors were poorly paid, Zhou Kequan said that the lack of prospects is an important reason for brain drain.

It is urgent to expand the team and introduce talents. Since 2008, Chiping District has deepened the reform of the "financial security+market operation" model, and the finance is responsible for a certain proportion of the business funds. The insufficient part can be obtained through performances and other business activities. At the same time, the government has increased the purchase of public cultural services, increased the subsidy for sending plays to the countryside from 750 yuan to 10000 yuan per show, and has given special approval to the theatrical troupe year by year, so that the actors have a sense of belonging.

"The reform cannot rely on the government alone, and the troupe itself should also make efforts." Zhou Kequan said that since 2013, the troupe has begun to recruit performers openly to the public, saying goodbye to the "big pot" of the past, and paying salaries according to roles, performances and other work, focusing on the business backbone and outstanding talents, "Properly opening the income gap can effectively boost the vitality of actors and stimulate the vitality of the team."

With a multi pronged approach, a number of young people have joined in over the years. How to retain talents and maintain sufficient "fresh blood" for a long time? "It is necessary to give young people a broad stage, so that they can fully exercise and display, constantly gain a sense of achievement on the stage, and see the prospect and hope of their careers." Zhou Kequan said that with the gradual growth of the team, the troupe has improved its internal management mechanism, optimized the evaluation system of attendance, practice, performance, etc., and regularly organized actors to go out to practice, compete in the arena, and compete in business. In recent years, A group of young people have changed from apprentices to leading actors. If you have outstanding achievements and both ability and integrity, you will have the opportunity to make an exception when evaluating professional titles.

The results are remarkable. Chiping District Shandong Bangzi Opera Troupe was not only rated as the sixth national advanced collective in serving farmers and grass-roots cultural construction, but also successfully entered the 17th China Drama Festival and won the Outstanding Drama Award. "The career is promising, the actors have expectations, and the troupe will always maintain the vitality of benign competition," said Zhou Kequan.

While speaking, the performance ended with applause. "In the past, when we sent plays to the countryside, the troupe was short of actors and works, and several plays were performed over and over again. Everyone was tired of watching them and left without hearing a few words. Now it is different. Every year, there are more than 400 performances, and the venues are full, as lively as going to the market," Zhou Kequan said, "When the team becomes stronger, the troupe will devote itself to literary and artistic creation with a fuller spirit in the future and launch works that more and more people like to see and hear."

Shaanxi Xi'an Dongcang Drum Music Club——

Innovation and communication of Elegant Music Ride "Cloud"

Bells and drums, chimes and generals, red lacquer railings, gilded screens, men's Fu head round necked gowns, women's floral dresses, etc. Xi'an drum music, which has been passed down for thousands of years, is played every night in the live broadcast room of Dongcang Drum Music Club, attracting many audiences.

Xi'an drum music, which originated from the court Yan music of the Tang Dynasty, is a wind and percussion ensemble played by many traditional Chinese instruments, such as flute, sheng, pipe, drum, cymbal, cymbal, gong, and so on. It has been included in the UNESCO Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

There are few Xi'an Drum Music Centennial Societies left today, and Dongcang Drum Music Society is one of them. Every afternoon, musicians from Dongcang Drum Music Club perform 5 offline performances in the Tang Paradise Scenic Area in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. After eating in a hurry, the musicians dressed up again nervously. At 7:30 p.m., the live broadcast started on time.

In the live broadcast room, Qi Xingfeng, dressed as the administrator of the imperial pear garden of the Tang Dynasty, is the director of Dongcang Drum Club. He has a book in his hand, the footer of which is curled and tattered, and there are more than 100 tracks on the catalog. "There are not only traditional tracks such as Bawangbian, but also innovative tracks adapted from film and television plays, games, and so on."

"May 15, the length of work, the length of work..." Qi Xingfeng said with interest after shaking his head. "Just now I sang the length of work, which is the unique traditional music recording method in China, and also the basis of Xi'an drum music inheritance." In Qi Xingfeng's view, we should not only attract audiences with familiar songs, but also spread the drum music culture.

As the camera turns, Zhang Weikang, the musician, holds a double hammer in his hand and starts to beat in front of a big drum. His posture stretches and he seems to hear thousands of troops in the drum. He said: "I am very proud that the drumbeat that has been circulating for thousands of years has been knocked out in my hands and has been heard by so many people through live broadcast."

In fact, the live broadcast of Dongcang Drum Club started in April last year, and it has only been more than one year. At that time, with the idea of giving it a try, Qi Xingfeng had the idea of broadcasting live on the short video platform, "to increase people's income, and also to make Xi'an Drum Music" reach the net "."

The popularity of the live broadcast exceeded Qi Xingfeng's imagination. In just three months, the number of fans of their Tiao Yin account has increased to 420000, and the number of searches throughout the network has reached 160 million. In the past year, the live broadcast works of Dongcang Drum Club reached 420 million on the whole network, which has attracted more than 700000 fans. "In order to make the live broadcast better, we have successively added lights, professional tuning equipment and other equipment to bring better audio-visual enjoyment to the audience," Qi Xingfeng said.

Not long ago, Fan Yuanjian, who lives in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, came to Xi'an to meet the musicians of Dongcang Drum Music Club. Enthusiastic musicians also pulled him to the camera to broadcast live. Shortly after the Dongcang Drum Music Club opened, Fan Yuanjian became a fan. "After listening to one song, I was immediately attracted. The heroic and grand music made me seem to travel through time and space. Since then, I have often interacted with musicians online and become friends once and for all."

Like Fan Yuanjian, many "cloud based" fans came from all over the country, hoping to have a good time on the spot. Liu Yahong, who has studied drum music for 19 years, sighed that "after the live broadcast, I found that so many people like Xi'an drum music, and we are more energetic. We should pass on the cultural treasure."