Artistic Value and Confucius Culture in Kong Dexin’s Dance Drama ‘Confucius’
Abstract
This research article explores the artistic value of Chinese dance drama director Kong Dexin, with a particular focus on her outstanding dance drama ‘Confucius.’ The dance drama ‘Confucius’ is created by Kong Dexin and premiered in Beijing in 2013. The purpose of the research is to examine the artistic value and cultural significance of Kong Dexin's artistic work in the field of dance drama. The objectives include analyzing the narrative structure, choreography and cultural themes of ‘Confucius’ employed by Kong Dexin in the dance drama ‘Confucius.’ To achieve these aims, an interview was conducted with director Kong Dexin and relevant data was obtained. Primary and secondary sources were consulted, and a comprehensive analysis of Kong Dexin's dance drama work ‘Confucius’ was carried as well, combining relevant historical background and text analysis to gather relevant information and insights. The research findings reveal the depth and richness of Kong Dexin's work, demonstrating her superb skills in directing dance drama and her ability to present the culture of the ancient Chinese figure ‘Confucius.’ The thematic exploration of Confucius' cultural ideas of ‘benevolence’, ‘ritual’ and education has strongly resonated with audiences in different parts of the world. In conclusion, Kong Dexin's dance drama ‘Confucius’ is an outstanding Chinese dance drama work that combines an engaging narrative with profound insights into dance body movements. The analysis of this masterpiece contributes to a deeper understanding of the influence of Kong Dexin as a dance drama director and highlights the lasting significance of her work in the Chinese field of dance drama works.
Downloads
References
Abdumajidovna, A. D. (2021). The importance of art and culture in our lives. Academicia Globe, 2(9), 61-63. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/X5PSK
Betti, M. J. (2015). An introduction to drama. Diwaniya: Dar Nippur.
Bhavana, S. (2022). Understanding the theoretical framework of choreography in bharatanatyam: An overview. Integrated Journal for Research in Arts and Humanities, 2(5), 50–57. https://doi.org/10.55544/ijrah.2.5.9
Bruce, V. (1965). Chapter IV - Allied arts. In V. Bruce (Ed.), Dance and dance drama in education (pp. 36–47). Pergamon. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-08-010882-7.50010-5
China National Opera and Dance Drama Theater Company. (2014, September 29). Introduction of the dance drama 'Confucius'. http://www.cnoddt.com/cont.aspx?newsId=665&TId=10
China National Opera and Dance Drama Theatre Company. (2013, October 1). The dance drama ‘Confucius' wins the Excellent Drama Award. http://www.cnoddt.com/cont.aspx?newsId=600&TId=35
De Lucas, C. (2024). Toward a narratology of western narrative theatre dance. Narrative, 32(1), 101–123. https://doi.org/10.1353/nar.2024.a916607
Dickinson, P. (2014). Textual matters: Making narrative and kinesthetic sense of Crystal Pite’s dance-theater. Dance Research Journal, 46(1), 61–83. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0149767714000047
Genette, G., & Levonas, A. (1976). Boundaries of narrative. New Literary History, 8(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.2307/468611
Jia, J. (2007). The foundation of Confucius political thought : Research from politic, religion and philosophy of Zhou Dynasty [Doctoral dissertation, Jilin University]. https://kns.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detail.aspx?dbname=CDFD9908&filename=2007107090.nh
Jonīte, D. (2022). Choreographer in contemporary theatre: The case of Latvia. Culture Crossroads, 21(1), 66–78. https://doi.org/10.55877/cc.vol21.272
Kim, K. H., & Baek, H. S. (2012). Structural study on dance story-telling. The Journal of the Korea Contents Association, 12(1), 265–274. https://doi.org/10.5392/JKCA.2012.12.01.265
Kompatsiaris, P., & Chrysagis, E. (2020). Crafting values: Economies, ethics and aesthetics of artistic valuation. Journal of Cultural Economy, 13(6), 663–671. https://doi.org/10.1080/17530350.2020.1798803
Kong, D. (2020). A brief discussion on the character construction of the dance drama ‘Confucius’ and ‘Zhaojun Leaving the Fortress'. Art Evaluation, 13, 131–133. https://www.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detail.aspx?dbcode=CJFD&dbname=CJFDLAST2020&filename=YSPN202013044&uniplatform=OVERSEA&v=fFOBqZchHEBesHToCU4x5qD8Exr9JLChKu9brYyBB2sEtDJ9kKQ6GEXbC9xei9kf
Kong, D. (Director). (2022). The dance drama 'Confucius' [Video recording]. China National Opera and Dance Drama Theatre Company.
Langer, S., & Teng, S. (1983). Art issues. China Social Sciences Press.
Ludder, M. (2017, January 14). Review: 'Image China: Confucius' at the Kennedy Center. DC Theatre Arts. https://dctheaterarts.org/2017/01/14/review-image-china-confucius-kennedy-center/
Mandell, J. (2017, January 7). Review: A dazzling Confucius makes its American debut. DC Theatre Scene. https://dctheatrescene.com/2017/01/07/review-dazzling-confucius-makes-american-debut/
Monni, K. (2024). Rethinking conceptual parameters of choreography (in social spaces)—actualization of intensities in discursive fields. Arts, 13(2), Article 2. https://doi.org/10.3390/arts13020059
Noland, C. (2021). Choreography as breakdown: Alva noë and dance. Philosophy & Rhetoric, 54(1), 45-62. https://doi.org/10.5325/philrhet.54.1.0045
Prescott‐Couch, A. (2024). Narrative understanding. European Journal of Philosophy. 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/ejop.12994
Qin, A. (2016, September 20). For Confucius and his descendants, a cultural comeback. New York Times Chinese Website. https://cn.nytimes.com/china/20160920/for-confucius-and-his-descendants-a-cultural-comeback/
Stecker, R. (2019). Intersections of value: Art, nature, and the everyday. Oxford University Press.
Su, X. (2019). The characterization of historical figures theme dance drama: A case analysis of 'Confucius' [Master's thesis, Hebei University]. https://kns.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detail.aspx?dbname=CMFD201902&filename=1019870548.nh
Suriga. (2024). On the shaping of characters in dance drama: Take the dance drama 'Zhaojun Out' as an example. Journal of Education and Educational Research, 10(3), Article 3. https://doi.org/10.54097/swhqb051
Tao, C. (2019). On practice and thinking of the dance drama 'Confucius' from 'Going out' to 'Going into'. Chinese Musicology, 4, 135–138. https://doi.org/10.14113/j.cnki.cn11-1316/j.2019.04.016
Walter, K. J. (2017). Social Dimensions of Choreography, Exploring Choreography as a Multidirectional Process [Doctoral dissertation, University of Leeds]. https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/17461/
Wang, K. (2007). Chinese dance dictionary. Culture and Art Publishing House.
Wu, W., & Hu, W. (2015). Shaping the personality of Chinese dance drama characters. Shanghai Music Publishing House.
Yang, G. (2020). Character creation and musical narrative of the dance drama ‘Confucius'. Journal of Xi'an Conservatory of Music, 3, 133–137. https://www.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detail.aspx?dbcode=CJFD&dbname=CJFDLAST2020&filename=JXXA202003021&uniplatform=OVERSEA&v=IAA2z6vfmdizvQbAcDIVAv4UMVCwexeS-9NWmoH9ikzdNgaA_hsiFsZT6ZvHOrIt
Yu, X. (2016). Cultural interpretation of dance drama ‘Confucius’. Literary Debate, 11, 218–221. https://www.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detail.aspx?dbcode=CJFD&dbname=CJFDLAST2017&filename=WYZM201611039&uniplatform=OVERSEA&v=G0ws0RzDY1rhfVciCIQD6oBEigYxCjebP61u5rMXulpMxzjuG-hsjkxT5TFaf35N
Yushun, H. (2016). World confucianism: Self-transformation of confucianism in construction of a new world cultural order. International Communication of Chinese Culture, 3(4), 593–604. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40636-016-0072-z
Zhang, D. (2022). Research and implementation of choreographer technique based on music feature extraction. Journal of Interconnection Networks, 22(2), Article 2143036. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219265921430362
Zhang, L. (2010). Ideaistic research of moral education from Confucius [Doctoral dissertation, Hebei Normal University]. https://kns.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detail.aspx?dbname=CDFD0911&filename=2010162038.nh
Zhang, M. (2020). Research on Kong Dexin’s dance drama creation [Master's thesis, Nanjing Arts Institute]. https://kns.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detail.aspx?dbname=CMFD202101&filename=1020125612.nh
Zhang, Y. (2021). Analysis and study of the elements of drama in the dance drama ‘Confucius’ [Master's thesis, Wuhan Institute of Physical Education]. https://kns.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detail.aspx?dbname=CMFD202202&filename=10224
Zhu, Y. (2020). A review and reflection on the overseas tour of the ethnic dance drama 'Confucius' by the China National Opera and Dance Drama Theatre. Playwright, 6, 118–121. https://www.cnki.net/KCMS/detail/detail.aspx?dbcode=CJFD&dbname=CJFDLASN2020&filename=JUZJ202006015&uniplatform=OVERSEA&v=XJT8pjzKAr8YVNJ3eSDNseDs_pBtuX-nRfo58ppz_SIPvz71mQkNtGbt0qWlbt_l
