Retelling the journeys of the Hani in dance
Print Edition
THE Hani people of southwest China will arrive in Shanghai late this month — along with a huge holly tree and a large rice terrace — as the original dance theater “Nuo Ma A Mei” is to be staged at Shanghai International Dance Center Theater.
“Nuo Ma A Mei” — “the land of sun” in Hani language — represents the dream of paradise for the group just as Shangri-la does for Tibetans.
The dance theater, created by young Chinese choreographer Wang Ge, is based on the epic migration of Hani people forced to flee by and who fought their way to the land nuo ma a mei.
Apart from the natural scenery in southwest China, the life of the Hani people, represented by their costumes, music and body language, will be presented on stage, after careful study by the creative team of the people and their history.
Audiences will hear the intangible cultural heritage — “Hani’s Song of Production in Four Seasons” — based on the Hani’s own astronomical calendar, phonological observation and traditional rituals, as well as Hanihaba, a living fossil of storytelling and singing, and mysterious manggu dance, a ritual for festivals.
Interested in the terrace culture of the Hani group, Wang visited some Hani villages three times. He was astounded the moment the enormous colorful rice terraces came into view.
“I knew about the terraces long ago, yet still I couldn’t help but got shocked,” says Wang. “The magnificent sight just blew on my mind. It is a huge painting which generations of Hani people created over more than 1,000 years.”
There, he happened to learn more about the migration, based on an oral history passed down through generations.
According to his research, there were actually several minorities involved in the long migrations, escaping from wars, bad climates or man-made disasters.
The Hani people are just one of them. Yet, he was deeply attracted by the idea of the Hani burying their weapons and devoting themselves to building their home when they reached nuo ma a mei.
“It is peace that they were searching for eventually. The men fought so that their tribe could gain peace. Only by peace can the minorities survive and reproduce. This is what the migration taught the Hani, and it is also what I wanted to deliver to my audiences,” says Wang. “I hope that the audiences may find it epic.”
Loving the Hani culture, Wang felt much pity about it fading out even in local villages. When collecting information about Yiche branch of Hani group, he found most villages losing their cultural inheritors — the young.
“Almost all the young Hani people left their villages for work. And even among the elderly left in the villages, fewer people still wear their traditional costumes, play their folk music and can perform their traditional dances,” says Wang. “This is inevitable, but I hope that I can help make a record of the culture to some extent.”
The dance show “Nuo Ma A Mei” is just one of the 200 programs to be staged this year at the Shanghai International Dance Center Theater after it’s completed last year.
Apart from ballet and contemporary and Chinese dances, there will also be pioneering crossover works which innovatively combine dance with elements such as acrobatics, multimedia and animation.
“We hope that we can provide as rich a choice for audiences as possible, breaking their stereotype for dance programs, and thus attract more people entering the theater and appreciating the art,” says Zhang Bowen, general manager of the center theater.
Overseas troupes such as the SOL Dance Co, the Czech National Theater Ballet and the Sydney Dance Co will visit the Center in July, October and November.
“Nuo Ma A Mei”
Date: April 21-22, 7:30pm
Venue: Shanghai International Dance Center Theater, 1650 Hongqiao Rd
Tickets: 80-680 yuan
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