Using dance as a pen to forge the original aspiration and mission; using art to convey the resonance of the times. In 2019, Beijing Dance Academy embarked on the journey of creating the "Those Stories" series.

  The original small and medium-sized dance drama special "Those stories" are a collection of original excellent small dance drama works with the theme of praising heroes and characters of the times. The participants of the project are from the Youth Dance Troupe of Beijing Dance Academy, the Department of Chinese Classical Dance, the Department of Chinese Ethnic Folk Dance, the Department of Ballet, the Academy of Creative and the Affiliated High School. Through these moving chapters of the characters, the lofty spirit of Chen Wangdao, Xia Minghan, Zhao Yiman, Yuan Longping, Wang Jinxi, Huang Wenxiu and other characters are shown.

  The creation and arrangement of "those stories" are a new form of practical education and teaching that combines new ideological and political exploration of courses with the goal of cultivating morality and cultivating people, and a new form of practical education and teaching that combines learning and performance under the "three-dimensional education" system. As a new highlight of the ideological and political construction of school curriculum, creating and sorting out "those stories" is also a vivid practice for the people of Beidian to think and practice "how to keep their original aspirations and fulfill their mission in the new era". It is a new educational model of "art + ideological and political" and "dance + ideological and political" formed by innovative exploration. It is to guide teachers and students to consciously combine dance professional learning with artistic creation and create a batch of artistic works with muscles and warmth.

  Taking dance as a pen: Forging the original mission in red narrative

  In order to present the "those stories" to the audience in all aspects and in multiple angles, Beijing Dance Academy mobilized the forces of various majors. From topic planning to choreography and rehearsal, every link embodies the efforts of teachers and students. They consulted a large amount of information, studied the historical background in depth, and strived to restore the true face of the story in dance and show the connotation of the revolutionary spirit. In the rehearsal field, teachers and students repeatedly polished every movement and expression just to present the perfect performance to the audience.

Stills from "Half Quilt"  

  In 2024, the Beijing Dance Academy's original small and medium-sized dance drama "Those Stories" were awarded the Class A (Boutique Project) of "Original Cultural Products of Beijing University Campus" and was performed at the Tianqiao Art Center in Beijing on January 10, 2024. From July 16 to 18, it was also performed at the Beijing Dance Theater of the 15th National Ideological and Political Theory Course Teaching Seminar, which won wide praise and praise from all walks of life.

  Multimedia Resonance: Let the heroic spirit reach people's hearts through communication

  The influence of "those stories" transcends the boundaries of the stage and shows the spiritual temperament of heroes and characters of the times through three-dimensional communication. After watching the performance, Li Hui, founder of Xinzhiyuan Art Rehabilitation Service Center and Beijing role model in 2020, said: "I am a dancer graduated from Beijing Dance Academy and now a dancer sitting in a wheelchair. I hope that I can play the spirit inherited by Beijing Dance Academy among the disabled, lead more disabled friends to create revolutionary themes, praise our party and state's support and care for disabled people, and show the spirit of the new era of disabled people." On social media, the topic of "Heroic Stories in Dance Dramas" has aroused heated discussions, and netizens left messages: "It turns out that red education can be so 'ignited'!" This "artistic communication + emotional resonance" model allows the heroic spirit to move from campus to society, realizing the unity of ideological and ornamentality.

Stills of the Performance of "The Great Way"  

  Trinity: Write youth answers in practical education

  As a vivid practice of "three-dimensional education", "those stories" construct an education matrix of "practice classes + compulsory classes + open classes". Students participating in the creation and arrangement temper their professional abilities in practical classes, dancers understand the red spirit in role shaping, and art management students practice their responsibilities in performance production; the school Youth League Committee includes it in a compulsory course, organizes students to watch videos and communicate with the main creators, so that red culture can be penetrated into the minds and hearts; open classes for representatives of ideological and political course teachers in art colleges across the country become windows to showcase the "dance + ideological and political" model, and promotes educational experience to spread across the country.

  Hu Huaibei, director of "The Great Way", said that the kerosene lamps shaking on the stage and the spark projected by the electronic screen complement each other, and the Chinese classical dance body rhythm and modern choreography techniques blend together to build a spiritual community that transcends time and space. This work reveals us: the true revolutionary narrative always points to the future, just like the ever-extinguished spark on the stage, it will eventually bloom new light on the spiritual soil of generations.

  Tan Hao, director of "Mother Zhao Yiman", believes that the creation and performance of "those stories" have a far greater significance than the stage itself. It is an extension of education, the intersection of art and thought, and the dialogue between the times and history. In this process, we have seen the growth and transformation of young students, the depth and breadth of dance practice education, and the vigorous vitality of the red spirit in the new era.

  Yang Shunqi, the actor of the male protagonist Xia Minghan and a 2022 modern dance major at the Creative Academy, said when talking about the process of shaping the role: "Every rehearsal and every encounter with Xia Minghan is a soul shock. I began to understand that dance is not only a way of artistic expression, but also an important way to inherit thoughts. Through the warmth of the body, connect the letters full of faith and relive the choice of sacrificing life in that era - this is the cultural responsibility and mission that art college students should bear."

  This experience of combining personal artistic growth with spiritual inheritance is a microcosm of the teachers and students of Beidian. From stage to podium, from campus to society, "those stories" are not only an art exhibition, but also a walking ideological and political class. When art resonates with faith, when youth and mission walk together, every dance is a vivid interpretation of "keeping the original aspiration and fulfilling the mission".

  In the future, Beijing Dance Academy will continue to adhere to the people-centered creative orientation, strengthen cultural confidence, grasp the pulse of the times, listen to the voice of the times, undertake the mission of recording the new era, writing the new era, and sing praises to the new era, be brave enough to answer the questions of the times, discover the creative themes and capture creative inspiration from the great creation of contemporary China, portray the images of the times, establish biography for the times, and enlighten the virtues of the times.

[Editor in charge: Wang Qi]