The Silk Road and Huayu's European Tour

1979 The large-scale national dance drama "Rain on Silk Road" was born in the northwest desert. The creators sought inspiration from more than 2,000 colorful sculptures and more than 40,000 square meters of murals in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, weaving isolated and still pictures into touching human stories and colorful historical scrolls.

Silk road rain "revived" Dunhuang, which had been sleeping for thousands of years, and also opened the way for the spread of Chinese culture. Thirty-two years ago, Silk Road Storm was first performed in Italy and France, which won the appreciation of European audiences. 65438+1October 8-24, with the support of caeg's "Charm of China" brand activity, Silk Road Huayu traveled from London to Paris, then to Frankfurt, and returned to the European stage after a 32-year absence. Have a good time

Tell about "an open and inclusive China, an unknown China"

"What you still have seems far away from your eyes; Things that have passed away become lifelike. " The poet Goethe wrote the immortal poem Faust in his hometown Frankfurt. He never imagined that more than 200 years later, the oriental country he was fascinated with vividly "revived" the ancient Dunhuang with music and dance and put it on the stage in Frankfurt.

This is the first performance of Silk Road Rain in Germany and the last stop of the European tour. Just as Goethe had countless close friends in China, the Silk Road was also very attractive to the Germans. For two consecutive days, the 1800-seat Century Hall Theater was brightly lit and lively. The German audience was deeply moved by the scenes of joys and sorrows on the stage and constantly expressed their cultural identity and feelings with warm applause. The unique flower rain on the Silk Road surprised Christina, the German president of the Confucius Institute in Frankfurt: "It is not like the traditional China arts such as Peking Opera and Kunqu Opera that we often see. The expression of Rain on Silk Road is very modern and poetic. Without language, artists used dance to show the audience a China with modern consciousness such as openness and tolerance, and a China that did not attract enough understanding and attention from Westerners. " The largest daily newspaper in Germany, Pictorial, commented in the report: "The actors' physical performances on the stage are amazing. They combined the dance art vocabulary of classical ballet and acrobatics, and infected all the audience through meticulous movements and rich expressions. "

In France, Rain on the Silk Road was warmly welcomed. Li Shaoping, Cultural Counselor of the Chinese Embassy in France, remembers that he first lived in France in 1985, and his first performance in China was Rain on Silk Road, which was told by French friends. "The first performance of Silk Road Rain in France is regarded as a grand event of Sino-French cultural exchange. On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and France this year, we revisit the Silk Road storm and once again stage this classic in Paris, which has a deeper significance for Sino-French cultural exchanges. "

In Paris, Silk Road Storm not only made old friends, but also made many new friends. The theater of Silk Road Rain was built in the18th century, and the theater wrapped in red velvet and bright lights is full of taste. French audiences dressed in costumes packed the whole theater. At the curtain call, the applause lasted for 8 minutes, "Bravo! (Great) "Great! The cheers of "greatness" resounded through my ears. After the performance, the reluctant audience surrounded several main actors, shaking hands, hugging, taking photos and signing autographs, which seemed endless. When the actors left the theater by car, they still received many waves from the audience along the way. Elegant, poetic, visual feast has become the unanimous evaluation of French media such as le figaro, Entertainment and Parisian Cultural Life.

At the first stop of this tour, the West End of London Peacock Theatre, which performed three times in a row, became a topic of cultural life in London. Saddler Wells Art Center in London, which belongs to Peacock Theatre, has a large number of loyal theater audiences. The China performing arts group staged in the center is "Cloud Gate Dance Collection" in Taiwan Province Province.

China's Ambassador to Britain Liu Xiaoming, Lord Bates, Deputy Speaker of the British House of Lords, Lord Sassoon, Chairman of the China-Britain Business Council, Sir Nass, Chairman of the Royal Society, and mr. carson, Foreign Secretary of the British Prime Minister, attended the first performance and gave positive comments. The Art Guide of British Drama commented: Rain on Silk Road is full of dizzying jumps and incredible sense of balance. Its overall tone and pattern, as well as fabulous costumes, have brought endless aesthetic feeling to the audience. Refreshing

"If cultural communication excludes the market, it will lose its mainstream audience and influence."

In Shakespeare's hometown, West End of London has gathered more than 40 theaters of all kinds, which is called the world drama center; In France, which has a profound artistic tradition, there are hundreds of commercial and cultural activities in Paris only on weekends; In Germany, Germans who advocate music and philosophy have always lacked the nourishment and shock of art. Why does a dance drama "Silk Road Rain" from China have the courage and ability to embark on a commercial journey?

Zhang Shuxin, deputy general manager of caeg, has a deep understanding. "In the past, acrobatics and martial arts were China's most popular performances in overseas markets. The rich and varied China stage art missed the mainstream market and blurred the understanding of China culture by foreign audiences. " Zhang Shuxin believes that the original intention of establishing the "Charm of China" brand activity is to integrate domestic repertoire resources and foreign performance channels, connect China's classic repertoire with the international mainstream communication platform, and spread diverse China culture to more foreign audiences.

"In the end, the charm of a work of art depends on the market." Lu Jinlong, president of Gansu Song and Dance Theatre, said: "The creation of Silk Road Rain is neither a political theme nor a commercial appeal, but a beautiful artistic pursuit." 1979, the artist collectively created Rain on the Silk Road, and seven drafts were finally completed. In 2008, on the basis of respecting the original edition, it was upgraded with an open cultural attitude. Joining the "Charm of China", they "slimmed down" according to the appreciation habits of the European and American markets and the needs of the tour:/kloc-the crew of 0/00 people was reduced to 68, the duration was shortened, some plots were cut, and the story rhythm was accelerated. With the performance of Rain on Silk Road in dozens of countries and hundreds of cities, Lu Jinlong has a profound understanding of China's "cultural going out": "Cultural communication is not exclusive, and exclusiveness can only be reduced to a kind of self-entertainment culture" karaoke ". Cultural creation should be open and inclusive, not only to express individuality but also to seek * * *. The effect of cultural communication will eventually be reflected in the transaction. If the market is excluded, cultural communication will lose its mainstream audience and influence. "

Box office is perhaps the most intuitive indicator to measure market value. In London, all three Silk Road Flowers and Rain are sold out, and more than 90% of them are foreign audiences. After the premiere in Paris, there was a scene where the audience queued up to buy tickets, and the queue was tens of meters long. Under the premise that there is no shortage of good plays in the European performance market, "the fragrance of wine is more afraid of the depth of the alley." "If a brand-new work of art wants to enter the field of vision of the local mainstream audience, it must understand the audience and the market, and its promotion must be grounded." Zhang Shuxin said that although the tour lasted only half a month, the organizer "China Theatre" cooperated with three companies, namely Britain, France and Germany, and started market research and ticket promotion one year in advance.

The performance promotion activities in the three places also have their own characteristics. In London, where the theater art is mature and the audience's tastes are picky, Silk Road Flowers and Rain held an information conference with a strong academic atmosphere at the Asia House Art Center. Scholars from the British Museum, University of London, Dunhuang Research Institute and other institutions gave academic speeches on the theme of China traditional culture and Dunhuang art, and the main character of the play showed the iconic dance movements such as playing the pipa and dancing in clothes, which attracted the interest of dozens of local media. In Paris, where square art is popular, the organizer finally got the opportunity to perform in front of the Arc de Triomphe, a landmark cultural building in France, after applying for 1.5 months. On the day of the performance, tourists and citizens surrounded the actors, and the constantly pressing shutter formed a wonderful match with the beautiful Chinese folk music and graceful dance. A group of reporters from French national television recorded and interviewed the troupe. Reporter Jean Laurent Saha said: "The ancient Silk Road brought China's exquisite culture to France, and the French have benefited a lot so far. This year, China and France celebrated the 50 th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, hoping that Sino-French cultural exchanges will bear new fruits. " In Frankfurt, the premiere of Rain on the Silk Road was included in the annual Spring Festival reception, as the most sincere New Year wishes of China people, dedicated to the citizens of Frankfurt.

16 days of reunion, "Rain on Silk Road" is full of applause and praise. But unlike 32 years ago, today's China is welcoming a new spring. No matter which city or performance, foreign audiences feel that behind the Silk Road, which runs across the east and west, there is an open and inclusive Datang and a prosperous world. And today's China, isn't it expecting the next "However, when China holds our friendship, heaven is still our neighbor" to cooperate with other countries and win?

China, which has created an economic miracle, may usher in an era of cultural rise. And this is destined to be a unique "China story".