终于看到排练了，在他乡看到了领导——编导郭磊院长，同事——编导阿曾老师，“老战友”——知博（知博是北京舞者中唯一参与四次的，我是北京学者中唯一参与四次的），学生——武帅（我们第三次在舞动中师生相逢了）。看了上午场的尾声、下午和晚上的排练——管中窥豹，只见一斑。
这一天所看到的作品以现代舞居多，只有郭院的作品以其赣南傩舞为素材，是一个典型的有中国特色（在国内我们通常称为有民族特色，由此可见，民族与国家的概念会随着环境的变化而出现部分的相互指代）的作品。当然，文化时空语境的变化带来了新的呈现，特别是其中唯一一位伦敦舞者带着傩舞面具起舞时，中国的形式元素在西方舞者身体上呈现，这种文化交融的冲突性并未让我感到不舒服，而是让我真切地感到了“舞动无界”和“在别处”。傩舞的形式或内涵或者有着明显的地区、民族、宗教的色彩，但是其中祈求平安是在这个危机四伏的时代中每个人的内心期许。
在不同的排练教室感受到的相近的东西就是“呼吸”与“自然”了。气息在舞蹈中既是存在和显现，也是节奏和情感。也正是因为如此，舞蹈的真实和无可复制，使其在“机械复制时代”（Walter Benjamin）仍然具有其气韵（Aura）。中国传统文化非常注重“气”的概念，西方现代舞也正是以自然之呼吸来反对芭蕾的僵化与保守。如果以本雅明对Auro的界定，那么舞蹈是最具原真性的艺术之一，它永远都是在真实地讲述历史。所以，即便离家，在别处，北京、台北、伦敦的编导都在讲述从一个“家”——城市，到另一个“家”——国际／世界的真实的心路历程，——这是真实历史的细微构成。
Translation…
ArtsCross Observations (1)
I finally got to see some rehearsals. At ArtsCross London, I caught up with the boss, Director Guo Lei, colleagues — the choreographer Zeng Huanxing, “old comrades” — Zhibo (Zhibo is the only dancer from Beijing to have participated in four sessions. I’m the only Beijing academic to have participated in four sessions), students — Wu Shuai (we ran into each other during the third Danscross/ArtsCross). I saw the tail end of the morning’s rehearsals. As far as the afternoon and evening sessions, I just snatched a glimpse.
Most of the pieces I saw today were modern works. Only the work by Guo Lei, which uses Nuo opera masks from Southern Jiangxi province as props, was a classic piece of Chinese dance (in China we would call this piece an ethnic work. This shows how the concepts of ethnicity and nationality can change in different environments, one sometimes substituting for the other). Of course, the changes in the cultural space brought with them new discoveries. One which stood out was when the only dancer from London put on the Nuo opera mask, and the Chinese forms and characteristics became manifest on the body of the Western dancer. The conflicting aspect of this cultural fusion didn’t make me feel uncomfortable. Rather, it allowed me to sense the spirit of Danscross and the theme Leaving home, being elsewhere. The imagery of Nuo opera may well contain rich regional, ethnic and religious shades, but it also contains an invocation for peace, something that every person yearns for in this period of crisis and danger.
In the different rehearsal rooms, there was a feeling of “breathing” and “nature”. Breathing constitutes a central element of dance. It is also a form of rhythm and emotion. The truth and irreproducibility of dance means that in an era of “mechanised reproduction” (Walter Benjamin) dance retains its “Aura”. Chinese traditional culture places particular emphasis on the idea of “Chi”. Western modern dance seeks to use natural breathing as a response to the rigidity and conservatism of ballet. If we adopt Benjamin’s definition of the Aura, then dance can be considered the most authentic of art forms, always faithfully recounting history. So, despite being away from home — from Beijing, from Taipei, from London, the choreographers were all seeking to recount the authentic thought processes involved with moving from one “home” – their city — to another “home” — the international sphere. Dance can therefore be considered as an authentic component of true history.