This weekend, the Guangzhou Song and Dance Theater's latest dance drama, "Odes to Heroes," premiered at the Guangzhou Opera House, drawing a global audience from Beijing, Shanghai, Chinese Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, and other parts of the world. The impassioned group dancemet with thunderous applause.

"Odes to Heroes" unfolds through three overseas letters and Chaoshan dialect recitations, exploring themes of "Arrival," "Choice," and "Return to Chaoshan." The story is nurtured by the younger generation's quest for their family's "roots" and "path."It tells the story of young Chaoshan man Chen Xinyuan, who seeks to understand his father's disappearance to Southeast Asia in the 1940s.

In a mystical encounter with his father's Yingge drum, Chen Xinyuan gains insight into his father's patriotism and fulfills his mother's wishes. This narrative of home and nation resonates deeply with the diaspora's spirit.

Many Chaoshan audience members attended the performance. Ms. Lin from Shantou was moved to tears by the Chaoshan rap, saying, "It was the sound of my hometown, and at that moment, it reminded me of my parents and the sound of home."

Folklore scholar, Ms. Huang praised "Odes to Heroes" for its stage portrayal of folk beliefs, noting its commitment to preserving Chaoshan's intangible cultural heritage. The drama's use of the "Red-Headed Boat" symbolizes the spirit of Chaoshan's seafaring past.

Chief choreographers Qian Xin and Wang Sisi emphasized their efforts to innovate traditional Yingge dance. The dance drama not only inherits the traditional Yingge performance through physical movements but more importantly, it carries forward the spirit of Yingge and the spirit of Yingge in the new era, aligning with contemporary perceptions and understandings of traditional culture.

The use of digital technology in the dance drama deeply impressed the audience. During the intermission, Mr. Huang, still engrossed, said, "I really enjoyed how the dance drama combined Chaozhou puppetry with holographic projection. The idea of using modern digital technology to expand the performance forms of traditional folklore is very innovative, especially for someone in the cultural communication industry like me."

Since 2018, the Guangzhou Song and Dance Theater has been exploring and innovating in works like "Awakening Lion," "Loong," and now "Odes to Heroes," drawing on the essence of Lingnan and Greater Bay Area cultures. According to the organizers, 80% of the audience at the performance were young people.

"Odes to Heroes" is set to tour in China in 2025, performing over 60 shows in cities such as Dongguan, Foshan, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Quanzhou, Fuzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Wuhan.

Source: Lingnan On the Cloud

大动人心！舞剧《英歌》公演首秀

本周末（12月14日-15日），由广州歌舞剧院创排演出的大型民族舞剧《英歌》在广州大剧院公演亮相。来自北京、上海、台湾、马来西亚、泰国等海内外的观众齐聚剧院。一支激昂澎湃的群舞过后，席间掌声雷动。

舞剧《英歌》以三封侨批作为线索，配合潮语朗诵，串联起“入境”“抉择”“归潮”三个主题。故事孕育于年轻一代对家族“根”与“路”的追寻。当代潮汕青年陈心远的父亲陈文耀在上世纪40年代初前往南洋，杳无音讯。

陈心远在敲击父亲留下的英歌槌时误入幻境，理解了父亲的家国大义，也在此过程中帮助母亲了却心愿。这种对家的向往，对国之热爱，在无数日夜支撑起游子们的精神世界。

不少来自潮汕的观众走进剧场。来自汕头的林女士告诉记者：“开头篇章潮语说唱响起，我眼泪就掉下来了！是乡音，那一刻我想起了父母。”

“我很感谢《英歌》，能够将民间信仰中进行舞台演绎，这本身就是对民俗的一种继承。”学民俗学出身的黄女士表示，她特别留意到舞剧《英歌》对潮汕非遗民俗的传承。《英歌》将“红头船”从博物馆搬上舞台，让潮汕人的过番精神凝成一个鲜明的符号。

“如何将英歌舞的传统的语汇提炼加工创造，是舞剧创排中我们一直努力在做的一件事。”总编导钱鑫、王思思告诉记者，舞剧除了以肢体动作继承传统英歌表演，更多的是继承英歌的精神以及在新时代的英歌精神，符合当代人对传统文化的印象和理解。

舞剧中数字科技的运用，深深吸引了观众黄先生。中场休息时，他意犹未尽地说：“我很喜欢舞剧中将潮剧木偶与全息投影相结合的呈现方式。一部舞剧，居然能想到用现代数字科技来拓宽传统民俗的表演形式，这对本身做文化传播行业的我来说十分新颖。”

从2018年至今，广州歌舞剧院先后创作舞剧《醒·狮》《龙·舟》《英歌》，深入挖掘岭南文化、湾区文化背后的精神内核，不断创新。据主办方统计，演出现场的年轻观众占80%。

据了解，2025年舞剧《英歌》将开启全国巡演，在东莞、佛山、深圳、珠海、泉州、福州、苏州、杭州、武汉等城市上演60余场。

文丨记者 梁善茵 黄宙辉 实习生 熊安娜 通讯员 丁滢
图丨侯扬 梁善茵
翻译丨史洋溢
审校丨王枥焓