pt.shenyunperformingarts.org Open in urlscan Pro
74.201.72.114  Public Scan

Form analysis
4 forms found in the DOM

GET /search

<form class="modal-content-center" method="get" action="/search" id="search">
  <input type="text" class="shenyun-top-search-form-input form-control" placeholder="Procurando por…" value="" name="q">
  <div class="modal-footer">
    <button type="submit" class="btn btn-primary search-modal-submit">Pesquisar</button>
  </div>
</form>

<form id="explore-keyword" data-viewport="true" style="padding-left: 0;">
  <ul style="padding-bottom: 60px;">
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" style="font-size: medium;" href="/tag/name/t/Virtue-&amp;-Wisdom">
                                Virtude &amp; sabedoria                            </a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" style="font-size: medium;" href="/tag/name/t/Historical-Anecdotes">
                                Historical Anecdotes                            </a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" style="font-size: medium;" href="/tag/name/t/Traditional-Chinese-Culture">
                                Cultura tradicional chinesa                            </a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" style="font-size: medium;" href="/tag/name/t/Artist-Perspectives">
                                Perspectiva dos artistas                            </a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" style="font-size: medium;" href="/tag/name/t/Chinese-Sayings">
                                Chinese Sayings                            </a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" style="font-size: medium;" href="/tag/name/t/Shen-Yun-Dances">
                                Shen Yun Dances                            </a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" style="font-size: medium;" href="/tag/name/t/Taosim">
                                Taosim                            </a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" style="font-size: medium;" href="/tag/name/t/Famous-Historical-Figures">
                                Famosas figuras históricas                            </a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" style="font-size: medium;" href="/tag/name/t/Sages">
                                Sages                            </a>
    </li>
  </ul>
</form>

<form id="comment-form">
  <textarea name="body" type="text" class="white-box-textarea purple-c" id="wn-comments-textarea" placeholder="Seu comentário"></textarea>
  <div class="regist-info" style="display:none;">
    <dl class="regist-info-dl cf">
      <input name="name" type="text" class="sy-input-small" placeholder="Seu nome">
      <input name="email" type="email" class="sy-input-small-last" placeholder="E-mail">
    </dl>
    <dl class="verification-area cf">
      <figure class="verification-figure">
        <img src="/verification/image/key/comment-verification/len/4" alt="verification">
      </figure>
      <input type="text" name="verificationCode" id="sy-input-verificationcode" placeholder="Código de verificação">
      <button id="blog-view-article-submit-btn" type="button" onclick="commentFormSubmit()">Enviar</button>
      <input type="hidden" name="save" value="1">
      <input type="hidden" name="eid" value="jdhSgo-9X5k">
    </dl>
  </div>
</form>

<form id="explore-keyword" data-viewport="true">
  <h4 class="explore-keyword-label">Tags</h4>
  <ul>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" href="/tag/name/t/Virtue-&amp;-Wisdom">
						Virtude &amp; sabedoria					</a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" href="/tag/name/t/Historical-Anecdotes">
						Historical Anecdotes					</a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" href="/tag/name/t/Traditional-Chinese-Culture">
						Cultura tradicional chinesa					</a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" href="/tag/name/t/Artist-Perspectives">
						Perspectiva dos artistas					</a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" href="/tag/name/t/Chinese-Sayings">
						Chinese Sayings					</a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" href="/tag/name/t/Shen-Yun-Dances">
						Shen Yun Dances					</a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" href="/tag/name/t/Taosim">
						Taosim					</a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" href="/tag/name/t/Famous-Historical-Figures">
						Famosas figuras históricas					</a>
    </li>
    <li class="explore-keyword-item">
      <a class="btn btn-default" href="/tag/name/t/Sages">
						Sages					</a>
    </li>
  </ul>
</form>

Text Content

Shen Yun Performing Arts
Sobre o Shen Yun
Novo no Shen Yun? Nove características do Shen Yun Nossa história Life at Shen
Yun Shen Yun Factsheet Desafios que enfrentamos Dança clássica chinesa Orquestra
Sinfônica
Artistas Vídeos Novidades
Novidades Notícias Blog Na mídia
Comunicados de imprensa FAQ Comentários da audiência
Aprenda Informativo Apoie Pesquisar
Português
English 中文正體 中文简体 日本語 한국어 Česky Deutsch Español Français Indonesia Italiano
Nederlands Polski Latviski Pусский Română Svenska Việt Norsk עברית
Ingressos & Informações
Menu

Ingressos

Novidades

Menu
 * Sobre o Shen Yun
   * Novo no Shen Yun? Nove características do Shen Yun Nossa história Life at
     Shen Yun Shen Yun Factsheet Desafios que enfrentamos Dança clássica chinesa
     Orquestra Sinfônica
 * Artistas
 * Vídeos
 * Novidades
   * Novidades Notícias Blog Na mídia
 * Comunicados de imprensa
 * FAQ
 * Comentários da audiência
 * Loja
   * Shen Yun Creations
   * ARTIST FASHION
   * Loja De Presentes Do Shen Yun

O QUE NOS TORNA ÚNICOS?

DESCUBRA AS NOVE CARACTERÍSTICAS
 * Aprenda
   
 * Apoie
 * Inscrever-se
 * Pesquisar

Idioma
 * English
 * 中文正體
 * 中文简体
 * 日本語
 * 한국어
 * Česky
 * Deutsch
 * Español
 * Français
 * Indonesia
 * Italiano
 * Nederlands
 * Polski
 * Latviski
 * Pусский
 * Română
 * Svenska
 * Việt
 * Norsk
 * עברית

Pesquisar
Blog

Voltar
Blog
>

Bestowing the Tao – the Story of Lao-Tzu


BESTOWING THE TAO – THE STORY OF LAO-TZU




Compartilhar


Since writing my first blog six years ago about performing bearded roles at age
18, I’ve returned to the stage many more times as old men—hopefully wiser each
time.

Back in 2010, I played Xiao He, the founding minister of the Han Dynasty. In
2011, I was the old abbot who kicked out the drunk-monk Lu Zhishen. In 2013, my
daughter was snatched in the market by bandits. In 2014, I flew in from the
heavens to bestow the wonder boy Ne Zha with the magical Cosmic Wheel. Just last
year, my beards were white, gray, and golden as I transfigured from an old
Taoist to an old Buddhist monk to the Dragon King of Sea.

I find that playing old never gets old. This year, I am three different Taoist
masters, each with his own unique beard. Yet I am convinced that no other
character has ever commanded as much reverence, held as much weight on stage, or
walked as slowly as the ultimate old man, the forefather of all Taoists, the
“Old Master” Lao-Tzu.

The Old Man and the Myth

Lao-Tzu is also spelled Lao-Tze, Lao-Tsu, and the current standardized
spelling—Laozi. But why was he the ultimate old man? First, we don’t even know
his age. According to one legend, he was born with white hair after staying in
his mother’s womb for 81 years. Others claim he lived past 200.

Little else is known about Laozi's life, except that he lived around the sixth
and fifth centuries B.C.E, worked as librarian in the Zhou Dynasty’s imperial
archives, and possibly met Confucius for a philosophical discussion. Later in
life he wrote the Daodejing, the foundational work of Taoism.

The Book of the Way

This book of prose contains the essence of Taoist wisdom. Also known as Tao Te
Ching (道德經, pronounced dào dé jīng), the title is often translated as The Book
of the Way of Virtue, and it is one of the most translated books in the world.
In this magnum opus, Laozi expounds, often in poetic paradoxes, his views on the
laws of the universe, nature, and man. In fact, the Chinese word for
“morality”—dàodé—was derived from its title.

道可道，非常道。（dào kě dào, fēi cháng dào)

“The Tao is the Way that can be followed, but it is no ordinary Way.”

- Opening line of The Book of the Way of Virtue

The Old Man Reborn

Some 2,500 years after he lived, Laozi inspired a dance in Shen Yun’s 2017
program: Bestowing the Tao. And I was assigned the role of the great sage.

How do you prepare for, let alone do justice to, such a historical, even sacred
role? I dove deep into his ancient work, decoding the original Chinese text
(that’s the beauty of the language—that it is the same words used today), and
exploring multiple English translations. By immersing myself in his words, I
could begin to immerse myself in his character, and discovered all the “unspoken
lines” that I needed for my dance role.

What are “unspoken lines?” As the great sage himself said, “One who knows does
not speak. One who speaks does not know.” Unspoken lines (潛台詞 qián tái cí) are
like a subtext. They are mental cues that assist the silent actor—the dancer—to
communicate more clearly during narrative sections, to emote better through
dance, and to expressively speak through body movement. Combining acting and
dancing to tell a story is what a Shen Yun mini dance drama is all about, and
its delivery is made possible by the versatility and vocabulary unique to
classical Chinese dance.

Dancing with Unspoken Lines

So as the story of Laozi unfolds on stage during every performance, in addition
to my visible movements, I’m also just listening to my inner voice.

At the start of the dance, I need to symbolically write 5,000 words onto blank
scrolls of bamboo within the space of four eight-beats. It would be an awkward
waste of music and emotions to see the scrolls as actually blank, so I like to
visualize words appearing, and mime writing the lines: “Man follows the Way of
Earth; Earth follows the Way of Heaven; Heaven models the Way of Tao; Tao models
the Way of nature.”

I open up another bamboo scroll, hesitate and contemplate, as I imagine Laozi
once did, to make the intangible tangible, and begin again: “Mystery within
mystery; the door to all marvels.” No sooner have I finished the manuscript than
the heavens open in jubilation, and immortals descend to the Earth in
celebration. As I stand at the back of the stage and, together with the
audience, absorb the graceful dance of the deities, I fancy that I am truly
seeing the meaning of the words Shen Yun—“the beauty of divine beings dancing.”

After the deities return to their heavenly abodes, back in my library a shady
official appears. He wants the scrolls. Badly. He tries to seduce Laozi with
money and women in return for the scrolls, but to no avail. It becomes
inevitable that, “He who acts with desire shall fail. He who tries to possess
shall lose,” while “the Great Person dwells in the substantial and not in the
superficial. Rests in the fruit and not in the flower.”*

Laozi heads west, determined to leave China. The official and his henchmen give
chase. Laozi, riding his ox, and his attendant continue traveling unhurried.

At the western gates of Hangu Pass, a valiant guard is waiting for Laozi. His
name is Yin Xi (played by Principal Dancer Rocky Liao), and, though he doesn’t
know it yet, he’s about to become a very important figure.

As Laozi draws near, the guard spots a soft purple glow heralding the arrival of
the holy man. The locals welcome Laozi with a group dance and a celebration on
Earth unfolds, mirroring the earlier one from the heavens.

Just then, the official and his minions appear and they aren’t messing around
anymore. Swords drawn, they go straight after Laozi and the attendant boy who is
carrying the sacred text. Yin Xi blocks the way to defend them and is run
through by the official’s sword. Finally, Yin Xi's soldiers chase off the
official and his men, who are most definitely going to have to pay.

Laozi turns around to see the brave guard Yin Xi lying unconscious on the
ground, mortally wounded. I take out my Taoist gourd and pour out a few drops of
elixir to heal him.

Yin Xi is revived and shocked to discover that he’s fine. Kneeling before Laozi
in gratitude, he repeatedly begs the sage to teach him. “When a superior student
hears of the Way, he strives to practice it diligently.”

The Master is pleased with his disciple and, knowing that he has found someone
who will truly treasure his work, entrusts the precious scrolls into his
outstretched hands.

And with that, Laozi’s mission is complete. He leaves his wisdom to the world
and rides off into the sunset, never to be seen again.

The Way and the Force

Over time, Laozi’s influence also journeyed to the West. It even reached a
galaxy far, far away. Yes—George Lucas studied Taoism before creating Star Wars.

Ever wonder why the Jedi wears white robes, trains in martial arts and
meditation, uses sabers and psychic powers to defend against the dark side, and
Master Yoda always speaks with such confusing grammar? There may just be a
connection...

Compare the description of the Force, spoken by Obi-Wan Kenobi:

“It’s an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and
penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.”

To the Tao, as written by Laozi:

“There is something that is perfect in its disorder, which was born before
Heaven and Earth. It stands alone and alters not. It revolves eternally without
exhaustion. It is regarded as the Mother of all beings. I do not know Its name,
except to call It Tao.”

The Way and the Carrier

One of my favorite quotes, though not from Laozi, sums up the idea of the Tao,
ubiquitous in almost every aspect of traditional Chinese culture. It is from the
I Ching, or Book of Changes: “That which is metaphysical in form is the Tao.
That which is physical is only its carrier.”

Just like the human body carries the spirit, the bamboo strips carry Laozi’s
words of wisdom. Dance movements carry emotions, while dance as an art form is
the carrier of a beautiful experience beyond form. The stage is the carrier of
our performance, a performance that aims to revive the deep culture of which
Laozi was a part, a performance that carries the essence of traditional Chinese
culture. Consequently, it’s through these carriers that we may hope to grasp the
Way.

Being the sage that he was, maybe he knew. Maybe Laozi knew all along that two
and a half millennia after riding out west, he would reappear on stages around
the world to transmit his wisdom, silently letting the world know that the Way
is ready to be traveled once again.

 

* There are dozens of translations of this book and they vary greatly from one
to the other as so much of the text is open to interpretation. Most of the
translated excerpts cited here are from the following sources, though in some
instances I have modified the translation slightly: The Charles Muller
translation of the Daodejing and Robert Eno's translation. 


 * Virtude & sabedoria
 * Historical Anecdotes
 * Cultura tradicional chinesa
 * Perspectiva dos artistas
 * Chinese Sayings
 * Shen Yun Dances
 * Taosim
 * Famosas figuras históricas
 * Sages


Compartilhar




BEN CHEN

Dancer

Veja todos os posts

01 de maio de 2017

CONTEÚDO RELACIONADO
 * The Old Man and the Beard (part 1)
 * The Old Man and the Beard (part 2)
 * The Old Man and the Beard (part 3)

Comentários
Enviar





ANTERIOR

The Tainan Shortlist

PRÓXIMO

Do You Remember?
Mais recentes
 * Dicas práticas da antiguidade: Ações para a primavera
 * Esta é a época de agradecer
 * Dicas práticas da antiguidade: Não deixe o frio te derrubar
 * O homem na Lua: Uma lenda do Festival do Meio Outono
 * Figuras famosas BÔNUS: Ye Xian e Cinderela

Mais populares
 * Tudo
 * Notícias
 * Blog


Mostrar mais
Mostrar mais
Mostrar mais

TAGS

 * Virtude & sabedoria
 * Historical Anecdotes
 * Cultura tradicional chinesa
 * Perspectiva dos artistas
 * Chinese Sayings
 * Shen Yun Dances
 * Taosim
 * Famosas figuras históricas
 * Sages



Shen Yun Performing Arts é uma das principais companhias de dança e música
clássica chinesa estabelecida em Nova York. Apresenta dança clássica chinesa,
dança étnica e folclórica e danças com contos de história, com acompanhamento
orquestral e artistas solo. Por 5.000 anos, a cultura divina floresceu na terra
da China. Através da música e dança inspiradoras, o Shen Yun está revivendo essa
cultura gloriosa. O Shen Yun, ou 神韻, pode ser traduzido como: “A beleza da dança
dos seres divinos”.

SOBRE

Novo no Shen Yun? Orquestra Sinfônica do Shen Yun Life at Shen Yun Shen Yun
Factsheet Desafios que enfrentamos Shen Yun & Espiritualidade Conheça os
artistas Perguntas frequentes

VÍDEOS

RECENTES Sobre o Shen Yun Os artistas Comentários Na mídia

NOVIDADES

Destaques Notícias blogs Comentários Na mídia

APRENDA

Dança chinesa Música Vocais Figurinos do Shen Yun Projeção digital Adereços do
Shen Yun Contos & História Shen Yun e a cultura tradicional chinesa
Interaja conosco:
Siga-nos em Gan Jing World
Assine nosso livro de visitas
Conheça mais sobre o Shen Yun
on nossa plataforma de streaming
Centro de Avaliação de Proficiência em Artes
Lembranças e coleções Premium
Inspirada no Shen Yun
Artist Fashion
Website oficial do Shen Yun Performing Arts Copyright ©2024 Shen Yun Performing
Arts. Todos os direitos reservados.
Contate-nos Termos Privacidade Mapa do site