Tang Chenglong is the executive director of dance drama Batir Manas.
Tang, born in 1982, was the former chief dancer in Wuxi Arts and Performance Group. He graduated from Beijing Dance Academy and won the gold prize in 2004 national dance championship.
Tang has retired from the dancer post, because of the age and also the pains and injuries gained from the post. “Dancers have injuries. It is part of their job,” said Tang.
He had lost his voice a few days before the debut of the dance drama. As the executive director, Tang was on standby to handle all big and small problems. All dancers have their intervals, while Tang was always at work.
“They made many efforts.” He always thought highly of his dancers. “It is not an easy job. A professional dancer requires many years of learning and practice. The high standard picks out the brilliant ones, who can only dance in the stage for a few years. It is a job for the youth,“ Tang added.
Tang mentioned the art of dance was just in its budding stage in China. The first professional dance college – Beijing Dance Academy was established in 1954. More chances for dancers and more attention to the dance are needed to build a mature dance market in China.
It is not the first time for Tang to direct a dance drama. He had produced many dance dramas, including The Flowers of War and Jasmine Flower.
Before the rehearsal, Tang went to Aheqi county and stayed for two months. “The pace of life in Aheqi is slow. They have their own language and culture. Besides the modern life like us, they also own snow mountains, desert and pasture. Many of them still make their living by craftsmanship. ”
Until the day before the debut, Tang’s team still tried to improve the details of the performance costumes. All music and costumes are revised by Kirgiz experts. There is only one mandarin song and other Kirgiz songs have Chinese subtitles in the screen.
“Kirgiz ethnic group is the minority of Chinese minorities. They are all good at singing and dancing. However, they didn’t have a complete drama performance to show their unique culture. I hope the dance drama can contribute to the preservation and diffusion of Manas, the representative of their culture.”
