words yvonne teh   translation joyce chung

The HK Dance Company finds peace in a tale of war

Written about a time when a Khan (rather than Emperor or President) ruled over China, the ancient Song of Mulan famously tells the tale of a young woman who disguises herself as a man and goes off to war for 10 years in place of the elderly father she dearly loves. Then, after so distinguishing herself in battle that no one considered for a moment she might be a member of ‘the weaker sex’, Mulan – whose surname has been given as Hua (flower) or alternatively Fa, Wei and Zhu – asked her nation’s ruler to reward her by allowing her to return to her village and family rather than be gilded with glory.

Although some might chalk this decision down to Mulan being female, Yang Yuntao, the director and choreographer of the HK Dance Company’s Mulan, a dance drama adaptation to be staged from April 25 to 27 at the HK Cultural Centre’s Grand Theatre, offers another reason for the fabled heroine’s preference. “Mulan loves peace,” he says. Rather than being all gung ho at the prospect of going to war, she is actually a reluctant warrior who “joined the army to protect her country and family, particularly her father.”

Mulan’s preference to be a peaceful peasant rather than a warring general is one of the major aspects of this story penned centuries ago by an anonymous woman that Yang wants to emphasize. Furthermore, “I want to bring up the idea that there are no winners in war,” he says, and to help get this message across, “I will not mention the glory of war in this production. I also will not emphasize [Mulan’s] courage and bravery in joining the army and going off to war.”

Like many others who grew up in Mainland China and Hong Kong, Yang – who hails from Yunnan Province – was introduced to the powerful and popular story of Mulan when he was at secondary school. However, he confesses, only after growing up has he come to realize that the narrative poem in the form of a type of ballad called yue fu tells of its heroine enlisting only reluctantly and how, after so many years, her desire to return to her country and family constitutes an anti-war message which confirms the Chinese love of peace.

Yet, early on he had also realized that, “The story of Mulan is very positive and has many educational meanings pertinent for ordinary people and citizens but also relevant for those in the government.” In particular, Yang says, the spiritual message of this inspirational tale stresses the importance of “loyalty, filial piety, wisdom and courage” as societal goals.

Intent on coming up with an adaptation of the Song of Mulan with a content that would be 90% the same as the classic tale (in contrast to Walt Disney’s Mulan (1998) which “is 90% different from the original story!”), the HK Dance Company’s assistant artistic director decided on a presentation focused on Mulan’s primary goal to help her father. As he points out, “The story is mainly about the relationship between Mulan and her father.” So, while the friendship between Mulan and her fighting comrades will be highlighted in this work, unlike other retellings of the tale – like Lady General Hua Mulan (1964), the Shaw Brothers’ huang mei diao (yellow plum opera) starring Ivy Ling Po as well as the Disney cartoon – no romantic relationship will even be hinted at in the HK Dance Company’s production.

At the same time though, maybe more than any other adaptation of the story, the dance drama’s main character will be played by a recognized major beauty. When asked about Su Shu, the HK Dance Company’s principal dancer, Yang gushes, “She is so very beautiful!” and then adds “I don’t want Mulan to be ‘so man’ (ie masculine), I prefer for Mulan to be a pretty woman!” And, also, so smart and respected individual that that is what enables her to successfully pass herself off as a man all those years in the close company of many men!

Beauty, as Yang goes on to share, is very important for dancers. Indeed, he would go so far as to say that, at least in Mainland China if nowhere else, “The very primary requirement to be a dancer is that you are beautiful”! And we’re not just talking about overall grace and physical beauty either but aesthetically attractive facial features. Yang uses himself as an example: when he was 11 years old, it was decided by Chinese government representatives that his face was “very cool” – and principally on that basis, “I was asked by the nation, by the government, to be a dancer.”

Still, that is not to say successful dancers don’t need other attributes. As Yang, himself an award-winning dancer of some years, makes very clear, a significant amount of thought goes into the act of dancing. “When someone else is teaching me, I try to figure out why they are teaching me to do this or that dance motion. I will try to think and understand what they are trying to say, what the meaning is behind the dance”, he says.

And finally he mentions one other consideration that places one dancer above all others. It was a clinching factor in the choice of Su Shu for the role of Mulan and he describes it simply by stating that “Her technique is the best!”

The HK Dance Company will present Mulan from April 25 to 27 at the HK Cultural Centre’s Grand Theatre. The evening performances on April 25 and 26 will commence at 7:45pm while the April 26 and 27 matinees are set to start at 3pm. Tickets are $280 to $160 from URBTIX, 2734 9009.