Soulful Steps – 《寻心之路》少数民族舞蹈音乐专场

Travel across China and take in the mystic beauty of Dai, Kazakh, Mongol and Tibetan dances, performed by award-winning folk dance graduates from the Minzu University of China, one of the top universities in China specialising in ethnic studies and the arts.

Paired with live music played on instruments like the dombra (long-necked lute) from the Kazakhs, morin khuur (horsehead fiddle) from the Mongols and eagle-bone flute from Tibet, the dancers portray stories and beliefs such as the Tibetan beliefs towards life and death, the celebration of nature for nomadic Mongols, a Kazakh girl’s mixed emotions as a bride-to-be, and the pattra-leaf culture of the Dai, that fuses seamlessly with modern interpretations.

This performance, produced by Origin Culture and Arts, features Professor Meng Xiaoyan, Dean of Minzu University of China College of Dance, who opens the programme and sheds light on the unique characteristics, histories and evolution of these ethnic dances, allowing the audience to have a deeper understanding of the essences of Chinese folk dances.

郝娜（Origin Culture Arts 负责人）在接受采访时说道：很荣幸受到滨海艺术中心的邀请，制作这台中国少数民族舞蹈和现场音乐作品《寻心之路》。我们有共同的愿望，希望这台作品即保留传统的少数民族原生态文化，又可以与当下有所结合，具有时代感。

这次《寻心之路》的八位演员，全部都是中国少数民族，因为身体里流淌着中国少数民族的血液，促使我们不遗余力的学习、保护和传承本民族的语言、文化、艺术等等。但是，八位演员同时也是生活在现代都市里80后和90后的年轻一代。我们除了从小的耳濡目染，民间艺人的传承，我们也都进入中国少数民族舞蹈与音乐的最高学府“中央民族大学”接受专家教授们的专业舞蹈或音乐教育。比如大学中，我们需要修读的课程也有俄国外教的芭蕾舞课，现代舞课、世界各国代表性舞蹈、世界名著艺术作品赏析、编舞技法等等。

从十几岁起，我也学会了节省所有的零用钱全部用在购买世界各国剧团来北京演出的票。音乐、舞蹈、戏剧，我决不会放过任何精彩的演出。每次出国演出前，我也会早早计划好要看的当地剧团的演出场次。这些也促使我学习运用宽广的思维方式去理解和思考问题，包括所编创的作品。而这次我们所邀请的一共八位演员都是如此，不只是在自己的专业领域独树一帜，并且每一位都是具备成熟的思维方式和与他人真诚协作的能力。