Nan Fang Fu Zi: Guidelines for Creating Chinese Dance Drama That Reflect the Philosophy of Confucius

Abstract

This research consists purposes were 1. to study the history of Confucius’s philosophy in Chinese performing arts (1920-2022) and 2. to study and analysis the creation methods of Nan Fang Fu Zi dance drama production in 2022. All information is collected from Documentaries, In-depth Interviews and Observation. The Population and Sampling group were professors at Changshu Institute of Technology, Actors, Director. The result is this descriptive analysis. The research found that the performing art works reflected Confucius’s philosophy include film, television drama, stage drama and Peking Opera. One of the earliest works was the drama titled “Zi Jian Nan Zi” by Lin Yutang in 1920. Confucius’s philosophy is the core value of Chinese sociocultural, The Confucius’s philosophy on the Chinese performing art works is reflected on the moral ethics, education, politics and other aspects of Chinese society. To produce the dance drama Nan Fang Fu Zi in 2022, which depicts the life of Yanzi, a disciple of Confucius. The researcher analyzed the characteristics of dance creation, music creation and dress of the drama. Compared with other forms, this kind of dance drama has its unique characteristics and advantages in the aspects of artistry, visual experience, interaction and audience. “Nan Fang Fu Zi” provides valuable guideline and for other dance dramas from four aspects: in-depth exploration of Confucius historical, design the story frame and characters, dance movements and content combination, innovative use of modern artistic means.