Dance show embodies classics of Chinese cursive calligraphy – Xinhua

Generations of calligraphers copied Wang

by Xinhua authors Long Jingyi and Liu Yinglun

HONG KONG, Oct. 14 (Xinhua) — Dancers trained in Tai Chi give their movements the physical expression of the brushstrokes of China’s best-known calligrapher Wang Xizhi in “After Snowfall,” a new dance poem on display at Hong Kong’s Xiqu Center Cultural District until Monday West Kowloon.

The show, performed by the Hong Kong Dance Company, is inspired by the titular 28-character letter that Wang wrote to wish his friend well at the first sight of sunlight after heavy snowfall. It is considered a masterpiece of Chinese cursive calligraphy alongside Wang’s Lantingji Xu or “The Preface to the Poems Written in the Orchid Pavilion.”

“The letter was written during the war, but it showed that Wang still cared about his friends and managed to find joy in life,” said Yang Yuntao, the show’s director and choreographer.

Generations of calligraphers copied Wang’s hand with their own brushstrokes, while Yang and the dancers interpreted it with energy and feelings coursing through their bodies – an approach based on oriental aesthetics and inherent in other cultural traditions, including tai chi.

To prepare for the show, Yang had a Tai Chi master come and train the dancers for six months. The company’s lead dancer, Ong Tze Shen, initially felt that his movements “lacked strength despite proper posture,” but later gained confidence by refining his concentration through practice.

“The key, said the master, was to rely more on my willpower than on my physical strength to reach the state of a lotus flower floating on water,” said Ong, who spends nine hours each day performing solo dance numbers had trained in the world show.

An oriental approach to deciphering oriental calligraphy, tai chi has been depicted beneath the surface of the show – the trained eyes will spot, instead of square tai chi, a deep-rooted tree, a nimble cat and fish weaving here and there through the water moves.

“The purpose of the martial arts exercises is to allow dancers to refocus on their own bodies and put aside the thought of performing for the time being so that their work can have more impact,” said Yang, who gained something from the exercises hopes a training routine for Chinese dancers.

Since 2018, the dance company has been working on a project to explore the connection between Chinese dance and Chinese martial arts.

The scenic design by new media artist Chris Cheung, however, tickled the audience’s visual nerves. He projected motion-captured brushstrokes onto the semi-transparent black background, which overlapped with the dancers’ pulsating brain waves.

Calligraphy lovers, curious to see how the dance of ink brushes became the dance of human forms, were in awe. “It was as if it had really snowed on the stage and the first ray of sunlight created a feeling of infinite brightness,” said one audience member.

The show is part of the dance company’s ongoing efforts to continue and innovate traditional Chinese culture, Yang said, adding that the company will tour abroad.■