Brothers in arms
- Source: Global Times
- [10:46 March 09 2011]
- Comments
Cao Zhi (right) composing the Quatrain of Seven Step
ByJiang Yuxia
With a title like Shui Yue Luo Shen (Goddess on the Luo River), there is plenty of room for imagination when staging this particular dance drama.
Drawing on historical record and legend concerning the vying for power among Cao Zhi and Cao Pi, both sons of ancient chieftain Cao Cao, and the sacred yet pitiable love between Cao Zhi and Zhen Fu, Shui Yue Luo Shen has both an appealing storyline and a rich cultural background embedded within China's chaotic Three Kingdoms period (220-280).
More than just a myth
Performed by the Zhengzhou Song and Dance Theater of Henan Province, the production, staged at Beijing's Poly Theater from tonight to Friday, is another example of the company's exploration into diverse Chinese culture, with Henan the thousand-year-old center of the Middle Kingdom, following its modern staging of Shaolin in the Wind in 2005.
With some of China's top artists joining the production, it is also a confluence of creative choreography, expressive score, bold use of multimedia and glitzy stage design.
