Written by Zeying Lang
An ancient tale from the East collides with the dancing form originated from the West. The Butterfly Lovers tells a love story between Zhu and Liang that happened in ancient China when it was a Patriarchal society.
The Butterfly Lovers
Zhu is a female studying in a school that only accepts male students. Motivated by the eagerness for knowledge, Zhu dressed up as a male so that she could study in that school. In the class, Zhu meets Liang, and they fall in love with each other. However, Zhu's father arranges a marriage for Zhu with Ma, an arrogant guy from a powerful, wealthy family. Zhu refuses to marry Ma, but her father doesn’t understand her feelings for Liang. Liang is beaten to death by Ma's servants. After Zhu hears Liang’s death, she is overwhelmed with despair. So she escapes from her wedding and mourns Liang at his grave. At the end of the story, Zhu and Liang transfer to a pair of butterflies so they could live with each other forever in a world without opposition.
Movements to Motions
Before the performance, I was inquisitive about how the actors could tell the audience such a complicated story and express the characters’ feelings by only using their body movements. However, during the show, I think I can easily understand the messages that the actors trying to convey to the audience. In the first act, to present the environment as in the school, the actors act like they were holding books on one hand while the other hand flipping pages. Besides, since the leading personality of Ma is arrogant and Liang's is modest, when Ma and Liang were confronting each other, they danced in quite different styles. Ma's movements are exaggerating and intensifying, but Liang's are delicate and restraining. Through their techniques, the audience, or at least me, can quickly tell that Liang is a low key guy, but Ma is very showy.
My Favorite Act
My favorite act is ACT III, Against Marriage. In the third act, the theme is just like its title Against Marriage. At first, Ma's father brings money and gifts to Zhu's father and asks Zhu's father to agree with the marriage of Zhu and Ma. Zhu’s father is satisfied with Ma, because Ma’s family is very powerful and wealthy. He believes that power and money could bring his daughter, Zhu, happiness. Ma is happy with the engagement, but Zhu refuses to marry him. Zhu begs her father to cancel this marriage, but her request is denied by her father, and she is forced to accept the marriage. In the performance, the actress who played Zhu was being pushed between her father and Ma back and force. That scene was very intense and showed her struggling. The conflicts in the drama were exhibited by the dancing movements very clearly.
The End
In my opinion, the story ended as a myth. After Liang's death, Zhu comes to his grave to mourn him. She is heartbroken and decides to follow Liang to death. In the end, Zhu and Liang transfer into a pair of butterflies so that they could stay together. This ending may not be realistic, but it is more like a tale that adapted with the best blessings and wishes from those people who tell their story to the later generation.
More information about the wonderful Shanghai Ballet? Click the link below:
http://www.shanghaiballet.com/shblwt/n49/n50/n57/n60/index.html