STORY: Dance maestro unveiling Eastern culture through Chinese ethnic dance
SHOOTING TIME: Dec. 5 and 8, 2023
DATELINE: Dec. 12, 2023
LENGTH: 00:02:39
LOCATION: HONG KONG, China
CATEGORY: CULTURE

SHOTLIST:
1. various of rehearsal of "The Rite of Spring"
2. footage of Hong Kong (file)
3. SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YANG LIPING, Chinese Dancer
4. various of scenery of Hong Kong
5. SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): TAN DUN, Composer
6. various of rehearsal of "The Rite of Spring"
7. SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): YANG LIPING, Chinese Dancer
8. footage "The Spirit of the Peacock" (file)
9. footage of Yang's film
10. SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): YANG LIPING, Chinese Dancer
11. SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): YANG LIPING, Chinese Dancer

STORYLINE:

The "Tan Dun WE-Festival" commenced last Wednesday, with renowned Chinese dancer Yang Liping's choreographed drama dance, "Rite of Spring," taking center stage as the grand finale of the first performance.

Coming once more to the culturally diverse city of Hong Kong, Yang said her connection with Hong Kong dates back to 1979 when, in her early 20s, she first visited the city to perform the Chinese ethnic dance drama "Peacock Princess."

SOUNDBITE 1 (Chinese): YANG LIPING, Chinese Dancer
"The first time I came to Hong Kong, a modern city like this, it felt like a glamorous world, but one that also values culture."

Over the past four decades, Yang has graced the stages of Hong Kong multiple times.

Learning about the city's development as an East-meets-West center for international cultural exchange, she nurtured a desire to showcase the rich tapestry of Chinese culture to the world through her artistic creations in this vibrant place.

Coincidentally, this aspiration resonated with the internationally acclaimed composer Tan Dun, who serves as Hong Kong's ambassador for cultural promotion.

SOUNDBITE 2 (Chinese): TAN DUN, Composer
"We invited a very interesting dancer who has a similar background to mine. Being a woman from Yunnan and a boy from Hunan, our experiences are quite similar. We both were born in rural areas of the Chinese mainland trying to carve our paths in the realm of modern art and searching for the elements of mainstream classical music and classical art from primitive villages."

Driven by their shared vision, the two artists recreated the dance drama "Rite of Spring."

As a classic work in Western music history, there are hundreds of different interpretations of "The Rite of Spring" worldwide.

However, Yang Liping's version of "The Rite of Spring" provides her own interpretation by incorporating a significant amount of Eastern elements into modern dance.

SOUNDBITE 3 (Chinese): YANG LIPING, Chinese Dancer
"I hope for the fusion of Eastern and Western cultures, using dance to showcase the shared aspirations of humanity."

For decades, Yang has affectionately been known to audiences as the "Peacock Princess" due to her efforts to embody the image of the peacock on stage.

SOUNDBITE 4 (Chinese): YANG LIPING, Chinese Dancer
"In 1986, I created this dance, which is my debut work 'The Spirit of the Peacock'. The peacock is very beautiful. In the West, there are swans, and in the East, there are peacocks. Peacocks embody everyone's appreciation and expectations of beauty, as well as being a spiritual symbol."

In addition to the peacock, Yang's works are imbued with Chinese ethnic elements and traditional culture.

Of the Bai ethnic minority in Yunnan, Yang often danced in fields and by the riverside during her childhood.
"Through dancing, we expressed the joy of the harvest and gratitude for the sun," she reminisced.

For decades, she has dedicated herself to exploring and preserving ethnic culture, bringing to life the labor and life scenes of ethnic groups on the stage.

Simultaneously, her artistic exploration knows no boundaries. She blends elements of Peking Opera, martial arts, and contemporary dance, creating a dance drama "Under Siege," enriching a well-known traditional story.

SOUNDBITE 5 (Chinese): YANG LIPING, Chinese Dancer
I came into this world with a talent for dancing, using dance to express my emotions, to express my admiration for the world, for life, for nature, and for the heavens and the earth.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hong Kong, China.
(XHTV)