专访杨丽萍 |《春之祭》将中国传统文化融入西方现代舞

一百多年前，俄罗斯的作曲家斯特拉文斯基创作了芭蕾舞剧音乐《春之祭》，描绘了人类祭祀苍天、对原始自然的崇拜的祭祀活动。这部作品也被认为是现代舞的开山之作，在这一百年中被世界各国顶级舞蹈家改编成上百种版本。

如今，杨丽萍用东方的文化、东方的生命哲学带来了全新的解读。

“西方表现女人献祭肯定是一种恐惧、矛盾、彷徨的心情，”杨丽萍说道，“但在我们云南的少数民族里面，会更多地有一种牺牲自我、救赎大家的思想。这就是东西方对生命的不同的意识。”

在现代舞蹈的基础之上，她也融入了大量的藏文化元素。狮子、女人、祭司成为了舞台上的主角。而杨丽萍被众人所知的形象——孔雀，也被融入到舞台当中，象征着涅槃重生。

用东方文化视角重新解构这部经典巨作，让这部西方经典有了截然不同的韵味。

Since hitting the theater in 1913, Russian composer Igor Stravinsky's orchestral ballet The Rite of Spring has been a beacon in the world of dance and classical music.

Besides for the outstanding music and choreography, the work also depicts a shocking story: A tribe's sacrificial virgin dances herself to death to please the god of nature.

In the past century years, artists from around the world have adapted it into hundreds of versions and Yang Liping's is a brand new creation, as she uses her understanding of Chinese tradition, especially the relationship between human and nature in Tibetan culture to interpret the story from a completely new angle. 

A scene from Yang Liping's version of The Rite of Spring. / VCG Photo

Oriental philosophy

Yang, who was born in 1958, is one of China's most iconic modern dancers and choreographers, and is known for her famous “peacock dance” and her work, “Dynamic Yunan.”

She has spent her career integrating her own Bai ethnic culture, as well as other unique Chinese cultural elements, into modern dance.

”Every ethnic group has their own rituals and ancient traditions, I feel very connected to this culture,” Yang told CGTN in an interview on Saturday during the 20th Shanghai International Arts Festival (SIAF).

“Using our most precious things to exchange our best wishes to the whole village, even that means sacrificing our own lives, that kind of ritual existed in ancient oriental culture,” Yang explained.

Yang Liping /CGTN Photo

However, the concepts of sacrifice are different in oriental and Western cultures.

In most Western adaptions, creators tend to depict the fear and struggle of the sacrificial women. But she believes that, for some ethnic groups in China, people believe it's an act of self-sacrifice for the salvation of everybody else.

Moreover, Yang brings the concept of reincarnation into The Rite of Spring. The aim of life for her is not death, but rebirth. The girl is not forced to sacrifice herself, she volunteers to be the sacrifice.

Yang also gives her choreography a personal dimension by adding her signature “peacock dance” moves into the adaption, where they act as the symbol for rebirth. 

Editor: Xu Haoming, Liangsi

Filmed by: Xu Haoming

Image designer: Du Chenxin

Article written by: Li Jingjing