This year’s Spring Festival Gala original dance program "Koi" uses the agile posture of koi to create an elegant and beautiful underwater picture.
The original dance program "Koi" at this year's China Central Radio and Television Spring Festival Gala left a deep impression on many viewers. "Koi" was presented by Hua Xiaoyi, a teacher and actor from the Youth Dance Company of Beijing Dance Academy, and 10 students from the 2023 class of the Chinese Classical Dance Department of Beijing Dance Academy. The dancers use the agile posture of koi fish to interpret an elegant and beautiful underwater painting. Recently, lead dancer Hua Xiaoyi was interviewed by the media. In her opinion, the "fish leaping over the dragon's gate" conveyed in the dance of "Koi" is a state that every individual in life will experience. "In different stages of life, sometimes we will sink into At the bottom of the valley, there are also moments when the fish leaps over the dragon's gate, and the distance in between is created by us bit by bit."
[Rehearsal]
Hanging on the wire 8 to 12 hours a day
The entire stage of "Koi" The space is transformed into a fish pond, and the dancers transform into koi fish and swim in it. On the basis of relying on wires to move straight up and down, the creative team innovatively connected a section of elastic rope to wire ropes, making the dancers' movements more dynamic and rippling.
"Koi" entered the formal rehearsal stage in November last year. During the three-month rehearsal process, the dancers had to hang on wires during 8 to 12 hours of training every day. Hua Xiao recalled that as long as Wia was hoisted up, it would basically not come down for three hours. And during rehearsals, everyone is not allowed to drink water and go to the toilet casually. If you drink too much water, you will have to go to the toilet all the time, which will affect everyone's rehearsal. Once the wire is hung up, small actions such as wiping sweat will not work. "So we discussed drinking water and going to the toilet together." In addition, the rehearsal venue was still very cold, and the dancers had to wear an extra pair of pants during rehearsals. Put on a cotton vest and neck scarf, because the wire rope is abrasive to your hands, and you also need to wear gloves when practicing spinning movements.
What the audience saw in the dance were beautiful koi fish, but in fact the dancers had a lot of things hidden in their waists. According to Hua Xiaoyi, for the sake of safety and balance of movements, the wire pants worn by dancers must be tightened very tightly. The tighter they are, the more trouble they will suffer. There are also trackers on their waists. “These things (tied) to our The core area (of the body) actually affects our strength very much, but there is no way. We can only overcome it and practice continuously."
[Challenge]
Characters and dance cannot be overwhelmed by technological means
and the common hanging on both sides of the crotch The two wires used in "Koi" are different. The wire used in "Koi" is the one hanging on the lower back. The whole person has no way to control the left, right and direction in the air. Hua Xiaoyi revealed that like her opening moves, where she fell from mid-air and floated in the air, it was almost difficult to control that she would land on the same point every time. There was no way to use force when hanging in the air. Many moves could only be Slowly explore how to exert force, and everyone's height and weight are different, and the force exerted is also different, which invisibly increases the workload of rehearsal.
Hua Xiaoyi is rehearsing "Koi" in Diaowei Ya.
In Hua Xiaoyi’s view, Diaowia is a big challenge for him. After returning home from rehearsal every day and lying on the bed, Hua Xiao felt like she was still wearing wire pants, and her lumbar vertebrae seemed to be broken. Regarding the use of wire technology in dance, Hua Xiaoyi said frankly that this is not a new design. The most important thing is how wire can be integrated with the role of the dancer. The role and dance cannot be overwhelmed by technology or installation means. Instead, they can better complement each other. If the dance itself is not solid enough, what kind of technology is just passing by. "Technology is integrated into artistic works, interpreting and expressing the beauty of another dimension of dance. Good works are They complement each other and add points to each other, rather than stealing the show from each other."
In addition to carefully crafting the dance moves, the costumes and stage effects of "Koi" also cost a lot of thought. The long skirts worn by the dancers are almost three meters long. Hua Xiaoyi said frankly that the dancers are actually worried that this kind of clothing will be a hindrance during the dance movements, "Because sometimes we will trip and fall. If you step on a skirt, sometimes your legs are wrapped in the skirt and cannot be stretched out, which will affect your movement and running forward.But as a 'fish', it needs to be very elegant in the air, and it needs to look like a real fish tail and fins, so it must be blessed with such costumes to complete the role. "
[Review]
At that moment, you must show your best performance
As a dancer on stage, Hua Xiaoyi said frankly that every time the rehearsal ends, she actually doesn't know what the performance will look like in the camera. The effect, or whether it looks good or not. After the New Year’s Eve live broadcast and came off the stage, everyone’s first words were, “How was it, did it look good, was it beautiful? Regarding the performance of the live broadcast, Hua Xiaoyi is still very excited when thinking about it, and also feels a little sad at the same time, "It feels like this journey is over like this. It feels like it happened yesterday, but it passed in a flash." Everyone was very reluctant to part with each other and cherished the days of working together. Although it was bitter, the fruit was sweet, so (after the live broadcast) everyone hugged each other and shed tears. "Seeing the audience's praise, Hua Xiaoyi felt that everyone's efforts in the past few months were not in vain, "There are 11 of us on the stage, but in fact there may be hundreds of people's efforts behind it, so this achievement cannot be achieved by just one outstanding person. of. "
In Hua Xiaoyi's view, from the moment you stand on the stage, you must show your best.
In Hua Xiaoyi's view, from the selection, rehearsal to performance, the whole journey of "Koi" It is also the process of transforming into a koi, "We also know that from the moment you stand on the stage, no one will know how difficult it is for you, and no one will give you a chance to explain. No matter you are comfortable or uncomfortable, this dress How does it affect the action? At that moment, you have to put your best foot forward. Stage art and dance are so real. There can be no falsehoods or shortcuts.
Hua Xiaoyi said frankly that after many years of dancing, she sometimes feels hard, lonely, and lonely. Thinking of how far she can go in this career and how long she can persist, "I have shed tears silently many times, but Fortunately, so many people along the way have seen my efforts and my works. I seem to have motivation again. ”
Hua Xiaoyi’s fitness habits
I like sports and fitness very much. I have different exercise methods every day, and I also practice Qigong. I think the body is a big factory. When you are consuming it, you also need to go Replenish energy to it. From my professional point of view, dancing actually wears out the body, so I will use scientific methods, such as Zen, Pilates, yoga, etc. to strengthen the body's muscles, bones, blood oxygen, and ligaments. Get scientific rehabilitation training, as well as the enhancement and maintenance of functions.
Exercise will make people happy, exercise will also make the blood flow, and it will be better for the skin. I will focus more on some strength training such as Pilates, and of course sometimes I know how to run to improve my endurance. I am a person who loves to eat. Sometimes when I don’t have a particularly heavy workload, I need exercise to help me burn off excess calories. I also have the same troubles as everyone else. Worried that eating too much will make you fat.
Beijing News reporter Liu Wei
Editor Huang Jialing
Proofreader Liu Yue
