探寻中国古典舞的原身体

An Exploration into the Metabody of Chinese Classical Dance

六十多年来,"中国古典舞"一直处在令人争论不休的状态,至今仍有较多疑问亟待解决。本文在刘青弋教授"返回身体原点"的理论基础上提出了"舞蹈原身体"的延伸概念,探寻中国古典舞的"原身体"。笔者认为:"舞蹈原身体"是以身体原点为动机的舞蹈本来、最初的身体,它是特定文化语境下未被异化的舞蹈身体,是经济、政治、文化、风俗及自然环境共同作用下的身体。"中国古典舞原身体"源于中国古代舞蹈,因此,发现中国古代舞蹈的"原身体"有助于探寻"中国古典舞"的"原身体",并可发现"中国古典舞原身体"是伴随着历史的变迁而不断变化的,在每个历史时期呈现出不同的身体形态。

This paper first explains the research motivation. It raise many doubts concerning 'Chinese classical dance.' While it is based on the ancient tradition and extracts elements from Chinese operas and martial arts, it uses a lot of body rhythms and forms of Western ballet. Then, is it still Chinese classical dance? Does Han-Tang Dance, which is developed on the basis of literature study, count as classical dance? Does Dunhuang Dance, which is based on the Mogao Grottoes mural which can be traced back to the 16 th century, count as Chinese classical dance? Do modern creations incorporating Chinese operas, martial arts, Tai Ji, and other traditional elements or only using classical props like fans and sleeves or opera finger gestures qualify as 'Chinese classical dance'? The concept of Chinese classical dance is still not clearly defined.What exactly is Chinese classical dance? This paper argues that dance is by nature an embodiment of the essence of life through body movements. Therefore, it is better to go back to the original representation of dance art and explore the 'metabody' of Chinese classical dance. This can address many questions and help promote its revival.Then, this paper analyzes concepts concerning the metabody of Chinese classical dance and their inter-relations. First of all, Chinese classical dance had different names in different periods of history to meet different needs, such as Chinese Classical Dance, New Chinese Classical Dance, Chinese Neo-classical Dance, Contemporary Chinese Classical Dance, Modern Classical Dance, and Post-classical Dance. The concept of classical dance also has different interpretations. Prof. LIU Qing-yi holds that classical dance is a traditional model dance which dates back to ancient times and has been recognized by later generations. This paper takes this definition as its basis. Second, the paper raises the concept of 'metabody of dance' based on the theory of 'returning to the origin of body' proposed in the book Body Representation: A Study of the Body Language of Modern Dance by Prof. LIU. 'Meta' means the beginning of everything. According to a traditional Chinese Dictionary, 'meta' in Chinese means the 'source.' Therefore, 'metabody' refers to the essence or intrinsic meaning of body and the 'metabody of dance' can be defined as the original purpose of dance which is not adapted to any specific cultural context;it is the body form jointly influenced by economy, politics, culture, folk custom, and the natural environment. The metabody of Chinese classical dance refers to the original body form in ancient Chinese dance, and Chinese classical dance today is a complete system of body language and cultural symbols and memories of China. Third, the paper analyzes the relationships among Chinese classical dance, metabody of Chinese classical dance, and ancient Chinese dance. Firstly, given the logic of Prof. LIU’s definition of the concept, Chinese classical dance is an ancient dance recognized by later generations and thus becoming a model for them. The metabody of Chinese classical dance refers to the body form in ancient Chinese dance that has been inherited and passed down so far. Secondly, in terms of inter-relationships, ancient Chinese dance is the model of Chinese classical dance, and the metabody of Chinese classical dance is part of the metabody of ancient Chinese dance. Thirdly, the continuity of any ancient Chinese dance so far is the key proof of whether it contains metabody of Chinese classical dance and qualifies as Chinese classical dance.Then, this paper discusses the approach to exploring the metabody of Chinese classical dance. This paper believes that Chinese classical dance is rooted in ancient Chinese dance, so the metabody lies in the national history. Since Chinese classical dance has continued so far, there must be historical remains that may offer us abundant clues. Looking back into history and surveying the contemporary reality by a comprehensive approach integrating archaeology, iconography, arts, history, culture, and other research methods is a good way for pinpointing the metabody of Chinese classical dance. First, any 'living' dance bearing the characteristics of Chinese classical dance is undoubtedly the most reliable and direct link to the metabody of Chinese classical dance. Second, historical images of ancient Chinese dance, like portrait bricks, rock paintings, murals, and similar cultural relics, can reproduce the dancing activities depicted and recorded. They are the static clues to the metabody of Chinese classical dance. Third, there are a lot of descriptions and records about dance in classical poetry, historical records, ancient choreography,illustrations, and music scores, and we should explore the metabody of Chinese classical dance via such existing literature. Fourth, Chinese cultural beliefs offer a cultural reference to the meta body of Chinese classical dance. As they provide the cultural soil for the growth and existence of Chinese classical dance, cultural thoughts create the basis for recognizing the identity of Chinese classical dance.In the end, this paper discusses the formal evolution of the metabody of Chinese classical dance throughout China’s history. As said above, Chinese classical dance is rooted in ancient Chinese dance, and the development of ancient Chinese dance was influenced by the economic, political, and cultural factors, as well as international exchanges. Each period either rejected or inherited the dancing practices of the previous period, repelled or absorbed foreign dance culture. This is how the metabody was formed in different periods. The metabody of Chinese classical dance has also evolved and changed from time to time, or in other words, different forms of body occurred in different periods, like the savage and mysterious body of the primitive society, the wild and sexy body of the Xia and Shang Dynasties, the serious and elegant body of the Zhou Dynasty, the swirling and flowing body of the Han Dynasty, the fresh and mixed body of the Wei and Jin Dynasties, the soft and yet tough body of the Tang Dynasty, the gentle and graceful body of the Song Dynasty, and the standardized body of the Yuan, Ming, and Qing Dynasties. The change of metabody throughout the Chinese history has its own inherent drive, while there are various external factors.To sum up, the concept of metabody of dance, which is based on the theory of the origin of dancing body, is based on the research result concerning the body language of dance and indicates a new attempt, among many others of ontological study on dance. It is a worthwhile attempt, because pinpointing the true Chinese classical dance starts with exploring the roots of the meta body of Chinese classical dance and determining whether it is also the meta body of ancient Chinese dance.