DOI: 10.36871/hon.202104011
Authors
Chen Xinheng
Glinka Nizhny Novgorod State Conservatory, Nizhny Novgorod, Russian Federation
Abstract
The article is devoted to the history of the creation of the ballet "The White-Haired Girl",
which was included among the "exemplary productions" during the Chinese Cultural Revolution.
The plot of the ballet, based on class contradictions between landowners and peasants,
has folklore origins: first it appeared in the novel, then the first national Chinese opera was
created, later adapted for cinema and became the basis for the ballet.
The ballet "The White-Haired Girl" was commissioned by Chinese leadership. It includes
the historical facts of the class struggle and shows the formation of a personality ready to
resist exploitation and fight for freedom for all. The ballet's music, composed by Yan Jinxuan,
also includes revolutionary folk songs and numbers taken from the opera of the same name.
Compared to the opera, the ballet enhances revolutionary features in the characters. The choreography
harmoniously combines classical ballet pas with the characteristics of Chinese folk
dance and martial arts. The ballet "The White-Haired Girl" is performed with ongoing success
since its inception in XNUMX to the present day and is rightly considered a "red classic" with a
high ideology and artistry.
Keywords
the ballet "The White-Haired Girl", the opera "The White-Haired Girl", history, adaptation, Matsuyama Ballet
