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Martial arts and Martial arts: a performance about Bruce Lee's teacher was shown at the Bolshoi
The Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theater has arrived in Russia for the first time. For their debut on the main stage of the country, Chinese artists chose a large-scale production dedicated to the legendary Ip Man. The dance drama is called Wing Chun: The Legend of the Master of Kung Fu. On April 25 and 26, the play was shown on the Historical Stage of the Bolshoi Theater. And on April 30 and May 1, Wing Chun will be seen in St. Petersburg on the Mariinsky stage. Izvestia attended the Russian premiere at the GABT.
The Wing Chun Universe
Wing Chun is one of the first Chinese martial arts schools to achieve worldwide fame thanks to Ip Man. Who is it? For those who are interested in martial arts and Chinese cinema, this is a legend. After all, first there was Ip Man, and only then — Bruce Lee. In the world of Chinese martial arts, these two figures stand apart. Ip Man is the greatest master and popularizer of Wing Chun style, the first to teach it to everyone. And Bruce Lee is a Kung Fu legend. Both have revolutionized the minds of people who are interested in martial arts. The Chinese say that Ip Man is to them like Gagarin to us. In other words, the Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theater brought a play about a national treasure to Russia.
A bit of history. The Wing Chun fighting style has a history of more than 300 years, dating back to the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty.
Yip Man was born in Foshan, Guangdong Province, in 1893. He began studying Wing Chun at the age of seven. His technique was distinguished by speed, agility, and strength, which soon made him a key figure in the martial arts community. Yip Man was not only a master, but also an ardent advocate of fostering ethics and preserving the spirit of martial arts. In the 1950s, he moved to Hong Kong and actively taught there. Bruce Lee's fateful meeting with the master also took place there. The future movie legend got into Ip Man's classes at the age of 16. Under Sensei's guidance, Bruce Lee not only mastered the essence of Wing Chun, but also created a new martial arts system known as Jeet Kune Do. And then he brought this art to Hollywood and made it world famous.
Like in the movies
Yip Man passed away in 1972, but he is incredibly popular in popular culture. Dozens of films and TV series have been made about him. Among the best paintings about him is "The Great Master" by Wong Kar-Wai. True, most of the events there are fiction, and there aren't many actual fights, but the majestic image of the teacher was created with the aristocratic elegance inherent in this director.
The performance "Wing Chun" by the Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theater is also more reminiscent of the legend of Ip Man. The plot revolves around shooting a movie about the master. After retiring, lighting designer Da Chun, a big fan of cinema, becomes the administrator of the film archive. The dusty film, which had lain in the archive for many years, brings him back to unforgettable memories of the filming of the film Wing Chun, where his work in the film industry began ... The film pavilion fulfills Da Chun's dreams. And the audience in the hall is transported to the "dream factory".
A film about Ip Man is being shot here. A group of cinematographers, cameramen, director, lighting designers, scene by scene compose a narrative about the legendary martial artist. Da Chun joins the film crew as a simple lighting technician. During the filming, he learns Wing Chun himself, repeating the movements after the on-screen hero. In an effort to get closer to the mastery and the ideals that the master embodied, the illuminator is trying to change his life.
The production designer of the Chinese play, Hu Yanjun, concentrated on the path of the legendary sensei. On the stage, the audience is presented with a dynamic scenery, which changes its configuration and purpose with each turn of the circle. This is a street of small houses in Ip Man's homeland in the town of Foshan, then the alleys of Hong Kong, then the walls of the monastery. Plywood structures are easily moved around the stage by the artists themselves. The stage of the Bolshoi Theatre is too big for the company from Shenzhen. In order to feel comfortable, the decorators reduced the stage space with black grates. And so that the gilding and red velvet of the orchestra pit would not be in discord with the production, it was covered with a black shield.
Barefoot at Large
Preparing to enter the famous Bolshoi stage, the troupe's actors walked around the theater in socks, not even wearing shoes.
"This is to get a better feel for the place where we will have to play our play," Wang Yuanlin, who plays the director of the film studio, admitted to Izvestia. — And all the artists will come on stage in socks too.
The girl is a real martial artist in real life. The rest of the troupe took martial arts lessons in preparation for the performance. Even Xu Tianhu, who played the role of Yip Man's wife, also worked hard preparing for the performance.
— None of us studied before the rehearsal. And when it became clear that we were facing a responsible mission, we spent a year and a half studying various martial arts techniques with the masters," Xu Tianhu said. — In the performance, we created a symbiosis of modern dance and martial arts. Choreographers Han Zhen and Zhou Liya let our artists train. This is an opportunity for us to promote Chinese culture on the world stage.
The main role of Yip Man in the play was played by Chang Hongji. He is slender, handsome, plastic, and masterfully masters various combat techniques.
— Bruce Lee does not appear in the production, — the actor explained. — But there is a reflection of the master's relationship with the students. I play this role with respect not only for Ip Man and Bruce Lee, but also for all martial arts sensei. They are the bearers and representatives of our culture. As young people, we continue to popularize our traditional culture by presenting it in the language of dance.
As Chang Hongji says, in the blood of every Chinese is the desire to study and practice martial arts. But he himself did not practice martial arts before performing in the theater.
The character of Chang Hongji Yip Man in the play dreams of his own martial arts school. It even has a sign that says "Wing Chun Academy." A black board with three hieroglyphs. And at the end of the performance, under this sign, Sensei gathers fifty people.
The premiere of the play "Wing Chun: the Legend of the Master of Kung Fu" took place in 2022. The Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theatre has already shown it in the UK, France, Singapore. And now I have reached Russia. As the artists say, Moscow made a stunning impression on them. They liked not only the architecture and the people, but even the air. They say it's especially clean here.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
