It is a great honor for Peking University to invite Professor Cheng Shuji to share with us the evolution of Cloud Gate Dance Theater's classic work "The Legend". In this era, we will explore the historical images and interview records of the classic dance "The Legend". The evolution of the work "Biography" over the past 45 years, more stories of the times behind it, and invitations to dancers from past generations to share their experiences orally with the students. Why do we need to look back at works from 45 years ago? The screen shows a black-and-white video of Lin Huaimin and the dancers carrying stones on the Xindian creek bed in 1978 during the choreography of "The Legend" and experiencing the laboring postures of the ancestors; the dance "The Legend" was created by Lin Huaimin when he was 31 years old. Choreographed at that time for physical training for a new work in development, Lin Huaimin led the dancers to the bank of the Xindian River, and the dancers crouched down to lift stones from the river bed, throwing them to each other; a group of people formed a circle beside the stream The low hum reaches the resonance of the same frequency in the sound; and the scene of everyone shouting after being baptized by the strong wind. At that time, the first generation of Cloud Gate dancers who were exploring modern dance were intertwined with contradictory tensions in various aspects. The parents of the previous generation experienced the restrictions of the martial law system, the passive poverty after the war, and the chaos of art and economy. Teacher Shu Ji Under the circumstances at that time, it was not easy to choose to dance without hesitation and enjoy the dancing moment. Professor Shuji even played the video and shared with the students in the audience how to dance "The Legend" As times change, each generation has slight changes in different passages. From the bodies of different eras, you can see the pure originality that is rare in today's bodies. The slideshow reviews the field records of teacher Lin Hwai-min's guidance on the 20th anniversary of "The Legend". On a spiritual level, teacher Lin Hwai-min once said: "Do it with your whole body, and you will understand." 45 years later, a dance that belongs to Taiwan's story, In this generation, we can go into the theater to witness a moment in history, and then trace the roots of history through lectures. This is a perfect learning and experience for students. The times have created a new generation of students. They have not experienced the historical stories of their ancestors, but they can once again feel the power of art from the classic works of "The Legend"; immigration, struggle, death, and rebirth, in that specific time In the context of time and space, languageless dance transcends language and connects the performers on stage with the audience. "Legendary" gives the next generation of students full of emotion and hope. I would also like to thank Professor Zheng Shuji for coming. Beijing Municipal University brought such a wonderful special lecture.

Implemented by Department of Dance
Date: 2023/05/02