• 關於我們
    演出
    走近神韻
    神韻九大特點
    中國古典舞
    神韻交響樂團
    Factsheet
    藝術團
    我們的故事
    在神韻生活
    我們面臨的挑戰
  • 藝術家
  • 視頻
  • 最新消息
    最新消息
    新聞
    博客
    媒體報導
  • 新聞發佈
  • 常見問題
  • 觀眾反饋
  • 神韻百科 新聞通訊 搜索
    中文正體
  • English
  • 中文简体
  • 日本語
  • 한국어
  • Česky
  • Deutsch
  • Español
  • Français
  • Indonesia
  • Italiano
  • Nederlands
  • Polski
  • Português
  • Latviski
  • Pусский
  • Română
  • Svenska
  • Việt
  • Melayu
  • עברית
  • Norsk
  • 訂票信息
    選單
    Shen Yun Logo
    訂票
    最新消息
    選單
    • 關於我們
      • 走近神韻 神韻九大特點 我們的故事 在神韻生活 關於神韻的基本事實 我們面臨的挑戰 中國古典舞 神韻交響樂團
    • 藝術家
    • 視頻
    • 最新消息
      • 最新消息 新聞 博客 媒體報導
    • 新聞發佈
    • 常見問題
    • 觀眾反饋
    Shen Yun 9 Characteristics Link Image

    神韻的高超之處?

    9大特點
    • 神韻百科
    • 訂閱
    • 搜索
    語言
    • English
    • 中文简体
    • 日本語
    • 한국어
    • Česky
    • Deutsch
    • Español
    • Français
    • Indonesia
    • Italiano
    • Nederlands
    • Polski
    • Português
    • Latviski
    • Pусский
    • Română
    • Svenska
    • Việt
    • Melayu
    • עברית
    • Norsk
      博客
      上一頁 博客 > The Old Man and the Beard (part 2)

    The Old Man and the Beard (part 2)

    Read part 1

    In last year’s program I had two character roles. One was Xiao He—top adviser to the first Han dynasty emperor and tutor of the never-defeated general Han Xin around 200 B.C.; another was Liu Yanchang—a scholar whom a goddess fell in love with and married on earth. Both these roles involved duet parts, so you could say I was unofficially a lead dancer who just didn’t happen to appear in the program book, though I didn’t mind that at all. This year, my main character role is an old abbot who appears for about 30 seconds to banish the drunk monk Lu Zhishen from the monastery.

    Actually, for me, it doesn’t really matter what role I play, or where I am on stage. That’s for the choreographer to decide anyways. Even if I were placed in a far-back dark corner of the stage, I would still try to play my part, whatever it may be, to the best of my abilities. I think all my fellow dancers in the company feel about the same. This year I feel content, and yet still determined to be just as good a group dancer as a principal dancer. Besides, playing an old man with a beard is proving to be really cool!

    Even though I only appear so briefly on stage in this role, I have to admit that for me these are the most enjoyable 30 seconds of the entire program. Why? Because I just get so much out of these 30 seconds. First, it’s a role that prompts me to really think about the character of the old abbot—the reactions and emotions he might be experiencing as he, the master of a well-disciplined monastery, sees one of his disciples come home utterly inebriated. The challenge is taking his mental script and miming it out in his every move.

    I’ve gotten into the habit of thinking, before I walk onto stage every time, about how to make my movements and poses as clear as possible so as to concisely express what I want to say to the audience. Even a slight difference in the angle of the head would disturb the subtle flavor of the emotions being articulated and affect the precision of the dance narration. Maybe it doesn’t seem all that complicated to the audience watching (it’s only a few seconds, after all), but that’s what I muse over in the wings before the dance each day.

    What I also enjoy about this role is the needlessness of having to break a sweat. But to be honest, what I enjoy most of all is the infinite pleasure of wearing a fake beard.

    So, you ask, what’s so special about a fake beard? To you, it may just look like a piece of old flesh-colored mesh with strands of fuzzy black and white hairs sticking out, but to me this beard has a history—this is the very beard I wore for the ancient tutor Xiao He last year and it has stuck with me (literally) for some 100 shows.

    After all of the performances we have been through together, man and beard, I’ve come to develop a kind of affection for it, and its lavender hairspray scent. With a silvery beard wrapped around my face, I feel like my mental age has more than quadrupled, and I’m transformed into a Chinese Gandalf the Grey. Without it, I find it harder to get into character and simply don’t feel as sagacious anymore.

    Unexpectedly, the roles of Xiao He and the old abbot are shockingly similar. Both characters are old and wise. Both make an entrance from upstage left on the riser observing the drama happening center-stage. Both make a sudden interjection of surprise accompanied by a change of mood in the music, followed by an interaction with the main character—the great general Han Xin and drunk monk Lu Zhishen. And of course, both characters wear the same beard.

    Instead of four little bullies who tease Han Xin, this story has four young monks who tackle and block Lu Zhishen from entering the temple. Instead of being impressed by Han Xin’s great humility and tolerance, this year I am shocked and disappointed at my disciple’s drunkenness. Instead of a square hat and a wide-sleeved purple robe typical of the Han era, this year I wear a “shaved head” and a brown monk robe from the Song dynasty.

    Most ironic of all, my fellow dancer and friend Rocky Liao played both Han Xin last year and Lu Zhishen this year.

    So as you can see, there are new things to be learned and fun to be had whichever role you are dancing—especially when it involves facial hair!

    (to be continued…)

    • Artist Perspectives
    • 中國古典舞
    • 幕後花絮
    • Historical Anecdotes
    • Shen Yun Dances
    • Humor
    • Great Generals
    • Crazy Monks
    Benchen Profile

    Ben Chen

    Dancer

    顯示所有文章

    2011年3月4日

    評論
    verification

    上一頁

    Performing in My Hometown

    下一頁

    Yolks and Whites
    最近
    • 藝術和修煉隨想
      Lianxu Header
    • 我的選擇,我的責任
      Xianglai Liu Thumb
    • 用生命換來的禮物
      Deru Blog Thumb
    • 你要的是什麼?
      Alan Thumb
    • 尼亞加拉瀑布遊記
      NiagaraFalls Landscape P1010670
    最多點擊
    • 全部
    • 新聞
    • 博客
  • 1 DC肯尼迪中心收到针对神韵的炸弹威胁
  • 2 林肯中心觀眾稱神韻「純粹的完美」
  • 顯示更多
  • 1 林肯中心觀眾稱神韻「純粹的完美」
  • 顯示更多
    顯示更多

    標簽

    • Artist Perspectives
    • 中國古典舞
    • 幕後花絮
    • Historical Anecdotes
    • Shen Yun Dances
    • Humor
    • Great Generals
    • Crazy Monks
    Shen Yun logo golden
    Shen Yun logo golden

    神韻藝術團是全球頂級中國古典舞與傳統音樂藝術團。神韻藝術團成立於紐約,通過中國古典舞、民族民間舞、舞劇、交響樂伴奏、樂器獨奏和美聲獨唱,復興與弘揚中國五千年正統神傳文化。

    關於神韻
  • 走近神韻
  • 神韻交響樂團
  • 在神韻生活
  • 關於神韻的基本事實
  • 我們面臨的挑戰
  • 藝術與靈性的啟迪
  • 藝術家
  • 觀賞禮儀
  • 視頻
  • 最新
  • 關於我們
  • 藝術家
  • 觀眾反饋
  • 媒體報導
  • 最新消息
  • 推薦
  • 新聞
  • 博客
  • 觀眾反饋
  • 媒體報導
  • 神韻百科
  • 中國古典舞
  • 神韻音樂
  • 神韻聲樂
  • 神韻服飾
  • 神韻天幕
  • 神韻道具
  • 神韻舞劇
  • 神韻與中國傳統文化
  • 與神韻互動:
    Follow Us on Gan Jing World
    請留言以作紀念
    神韻作品
    神韻的線上影音平台
    藝術考級中心
    神韻藝術品
    神韻藝術家
    神韻藝術團官方網站 ©2025 神韻藝術團,版權所有。
    聯繫我們 使用條款 隱私政策 網站地圖