Chinese Ballet: The White Haired Girl
Playwright and Performance: the White Haired Girl Group of Shanghai Ballet Academy
Cast: Mao Huifang, Shi Zhongqin, Ling Guiming, Wang Guojun
Medium: 2 VCD discs
Published by China Record Company
Soundtrack: Chinese
ISRC: CNA019800980
The White Haired Girl was adapted from the opera of the same title. The story was about Xi'er, the daughter of a poor farmer. To pay the debt of the family, she was sold to the despotic landlord Huang Shiren. After suffering enough she fled into the deep mountain. Living for many years in the mountain without adequate food, Xi'er's hair turned white and she became known as the White Haired Goddess by those who didn't know the truth. Fortunately, Xi'er was rescued by the Eighth Route Army at last and was fortunate enough to be reunited with her lover Da Chun, who had become a soldier of the Eighth Route Army.
The opera White Haired Girl moved millions of Chinese to tears with this true story that castigated the old society, which turned humans into ghosts and celebrated the liberated society that turned the ghosts back into humans.
The first opera performance was in 1945. The first ballet performance was by Shanghai Dance Academy, Shanghai in 1965. Along with Red Detachment of Women, the ballet is regarded as one of the classics of revolutionary China, and its music is familiar to almost everyone who grew up during the 1960's. It is one of the Eight model plays.
In adapting the opera into a ballet, much emphasis was put on creating something new rather than simply sticking to the settings of the original work. The elements of Chinese classical folk dances were wisely employed to create a new ballet, and each development in the story was unfolded by a perfect combination of realism and romanticism. Each character on the stage impressed the audience with its uniqueness: the innocent, sweet Xi'er and the tough, persistent White Haired Girl; the honest and sincere Da Chun and his valor and competence after joining the army; as well as the sinister landlord Huang Shiren.
China began to create its own ballets in 1964. The White Haired Girl was listed as one of the Dance Classics of the Chinese Nation in the 20th Century. It and another Chinese ballet, The Red Company of Women, were regarded as milestones in the development of Chinese ballet. They represent the idea of "making foreign things serve China". The two ballets have become important components of the world's ballet collection with their distinctive Chinese characteristics. The collective wisdom of Chinese ballet professionals made up for their lack of experience and helped speed up the development of Chinese ballet and elevate the work to a higher level.
中国现代舞剧：白毛女
作者：上海市舞剧学校集体改编br /> 主演：茅惠芳、石钟琴、凌桂明、王国俊
演出：舞剧“白毛女”剧组
介质：VCD
碟数：2
语言：国语发音
出版社：中国唱片总公司
ISRC：CNA019800980
中国20世纪经典舞蹈作品—芭蕾舞剧《白毛女》
1964年，上海舞蹈学校师生为探索芭蕾民族化，根据同名歌剧改编创作芭蕾舞剧《白毛女》，该剧由著名编导胡蓉蓉、傅艾棣、程代辉、林泱泱编导，严金萱等作曲，首演于1965年第六届“上海之春”。主演是蔡国英（茅惠芳）、顾峡美（石钟琴）、凌桂明、董锡麟。“文革”中被确定为八部革命样板戏之一。它保留了原作中的基本人物关系和戏剧冲突，成功地浓缩了情节，大量运用中国民间舞蹈、古典舞蹈的动作，使之与芭蕾舞艺术相结合，深受人民群众喜爱。
本剧讲述了抗日战争时期，贫家杨白劳的女儿喜儿在汉奸恶霸地主黄世仁的压迫下，如何逃入深山，头发变白，坚强生活下去的故事。故事情节感人，不禁令人潸然泪下。该剧以其深刻的思想内容、鲜明的人物形象、浓郁的民族风格、优美的传统音乐，相继公演1500多场，一直深受国内外广大观众的欢迎，成为中国芭蕾的奠基作之一。一九九四年荣获中华民族20世纪舞蹈经典作品金像奖。
剧情介绍
抗日战争时期，在华山某地杨各庄，贫农杨白劳和闺女喜儿一起过年，汉奸恶霸地主黄世仁上门逼债，杨白劳奋起反抗被活活打死。喜儿也被抢走，贫农青年大春满怀阶级仇，民族恨，在共产党员赵大叔指引下投奔八路军。喜儿在黄家受尽虐待，坚强不屈，在张二婶帮助下冲出虎口，逃进深山，旧恨新仇。风霜雨雪使喜儿的头发变白。但她报仇雪恨的意志却更坚强了…
