Jiang Tiehong: The stage cannot be discounted, life should be its own "Pentium"

China News Service, Beijing, September 26. Title: Jiang Tiehong: The stage cannot be discounted, life should be its own "Pentium"

China News Service reporters Zhang Yangbin Liu Chao

Among the Mongolian dance dancers who have a "long enough flowering period", 58 years old is also considered a "super long standby". According to Jiang Tiehong, dean of the Dance School of Minzu University of China, dancers cannot relax as long as they stand in front of the stage.

On the eve of the 7th National Ethnic Minority Arts Festival held this year, he took a nap during rehearsals backstage at the opening ceremony. The skin on his back turned red due to frequent electric grilling and acupuncture.

Jiang Tiehong's waist was sprained again during the volleyball match. According to common sense, no one can harshly blame a dancer in such a state for asking for leave during rehearsals or "holding back" on stage. But he put on plaster, took painkillers, and appeared on stage on time.

At the opening ceremony of the 7th National Ethnic Minority Arts Festival, Jiang Tiehong, dean of the Dance School of Minzu University of China, performed the dance "Pentium". (Photo courtesy of the Central Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble)

Two years ago, a video of Jiang Tiehong wearing a Polo shirt and leather shoes giving a dance demonstration to students went viral on the Internet. In the picture, the dancer's steps are open, her chest is raised, and the boldness and fierceness in her dance steps penetrate the screen.

In 1989, after working in a local song and dance troupe for four years, he was admitted to the music and dance department of the Minzu University of China (now the University for Nationalities of China). The first class he studied was "Pentium", which more than 30 years later made him an unexpected "Internet celebrity dean".

"At the beginning of the dance, one person, two people... and finally formed a group, just like people walking out of trouble and walking towards the sunny grassland. My mentor Mr. Ma Yue often said that what "Pentium" expresses is the spirit of people on horseback - the strength to face any difficulties regardless of the weather." Jiang Tiehong told a reporter from China News Service.

The National Ethnic Minority Arts Festival, held every five years, is a "annual ring" in his life. Since the second performance in 2001, as a dancer or teacher, he has witnessed the growth of many young faces on this stage, and has also watched folk dances shine.

Jiang Tiehong, the 58-year-old dean of the Dance School of Minzu University of China, danced "Pentium" with young actors on the same stage. (Photo courtesy of the Central Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble)

Many of the dancers on stage this year are students of Jiang Tiehong, nearly thirty years younger than him. "I often tell students that no matter how beautifully we dance, we must be 'down to earth'." He hopes that as soon as he raises his eyes and jumps, the kind of native kindness, sincerity and enthusiasm will come to his face.

In order to maintain a physical condition that supports this kind of explosive power, Jiang Tiehong exercises whenever she can, and even goes out for a brisk walk or run between 12:30 and 2pm, when the sun is at its hottest. He said, otherwise, if you gain weight or cannot keep up with your physical fitness, you will not be able to stand up to dancing.

"Once you go on stage, you have no right to tell the audience that your back hurt yesterday, so give it a discount." He believes that the stage is an extremely precise testing ground. If you reserve the slightest bit, the "qi" around you will be released like a balloon with a hole.

In this year's performance, the music rang out and the sound of the morinouqin hit the audience like thunder. Jiang Tiehong took off again, stepped on the ground, and spun, like a leading horse pushing through the ice, snow and storm.

For him, dance is not a rigid combination of skills, but the simplest praise of the land and life.

Five years from now, when the next National Ethnic Minority Arts Festival opens, will Jiang Tiehong stand on the stage again? He smiled: "If I have the opportunity, of course I would still like to stand on the stage. Keep dancing and dance to your heart's content. That is the pride of a dancer." (End)