Huasheng Online all-media reporter Zhang Hao correspondent Luo Jiang
At the age of 4, Zhang Danli was diagnosed with neurological deafness, and her world became silent and peaceful. When she was a child, she saw the wonderful performance of the Huagu Drama Troupe when they went to the countryside, which illuminated her silent childhood and planted the seeds of her dream.
After graduating from art school, she worked at the Flower Drum Opera Protection Center in Dingcheng District, Changde City, where she learned local folk arts such as Changde Flower Drum Opera and Changde Silk Strings from scratch. Although she can only play small roles without lyrics, she still cherishes every performance opportunity and becomes a “resident actor” in grassroots performances under the team.
For more than 20 years, she has diligently studied and practiced flower drum opera and stage makeup, persisting in “silent”, and finally broke out of the cocoon to “sing”. In May this year, she was awarded the title of “Good Person of Hunan” in the category of dedication and dedication.
【In front of the stage】
She is both an actress and a makeup artist
In the corridor of the Huagu Opera Conservation Center in Dingcheng District, photos of actors participating in major cultural activities are posted, and Zhang Danli is seen in many places. As a full-time actor, Zhang Danli and his team often go out to perform. One problem that always bothers them is the lack of makeup artists.
The troupe does not have a dedicated makeup artist, so the makeup is entirely up to the actors themselves, and the quality of makeup will directly affect the image of the actors on the entire stage and the performance effect. Faced with this problem, Zhang Danli “stepped forward” and taught himself various types of stage makeup, costume color matching and actor modeling.
“The performance on the stage is important, and the preparation behind the stage is also important.” From a full-time actor to a part-time makeup artist, Zhang Danli is even more motivated. In 2008, Zhang Danli also took the initiative to go to Beijing at his own expense to learn stage, film and television and fashion makeup styling, and obtained the National Level 3 Advanced Skills Makeup Artist Professional Qualification Certificate.
(Before taking the stage, Zhang Danli (first from left) is applying makeup to the actors.)
Zhang Danli’s team performs more than 160 times a year, and there are often twenty or thirty people in each performance. The makeup of the actors depends entirely on Zhang Danli alone. Colleague Xiong Lixia told reporters that for every performance, Zhang Danli is the first to arrive early and prepares cosmetics, headwear, clothing, etc.; he is also the last to leave, and after the performance, he puts everything in order.
“Her performance is spirited and her movements are small and graceful, which adds a lot of color to the team.” Yang Jian’e is the representative inheritor of Changde Flower Drum Opera, a national intangible cultural heritage, and the first teacher who inspired Zhang Danli to perform Changde Flower Drum Opera.
In Yang Jian’e’s view, Zhang Danli, as a full-time actor, whether the teacher is teaching skills or instructing others, she will try to figure out her own movements and expressions by watching, listening, memorizing, etc., and never miss a moment to improve the Changde Flower Drum Opera. Opportunities for intangible cultural heritage skills.
【Behind the scenes】
From “slow beat” to “resident actor” of the team
When Zhang Danli was 4 years old, she was infected with acute jaundice hepatitis and over-injected gentamicin, which caused her hearing to gradually decrease. She was later diagnosed as “nervous deafness”, and her world suddenly became silent and peaceful.
From then on, Zhang Danli began a long process of hearing recovery with the patient help of her parents. Slowly, she learned to recognize mouth shapes. She observed and practiced repeatedly in conjunction with TV news broadcasts every day. Finally, she was able to communicate with people more fluently by recognizing mouth shapes. Communication often leads to many misunderstandings and jokes due to inaccurate recognition.
“When I recall my childhood, I can still feel the melodious sound of my father’s flute, which is nice and sweet.” Zhang Danli said that he was influenced by his father. When he grew up, Zhang Danli embarked on the road of art and was admitted to the dance class of an art school. In 2002, Entered the Huagu Drama Troupe of Dingcheng District, Changde City and became a full-time actor.
When he first joined the group, Zhang Danli was nervous and restless during the day, and couldn’t sleep at night. “I was afraid that my colleagues would alienate me, and I was even more afraid that I would drag down the entire team, so I could only hide behind the scenes quietly.” Although he wore a hearing aid, what Zhang Danli heard was The sound will be delayed, and it becomes a big problem to keep the rhythm and follow the formation when performing dance.
“Practice in the group and practice at home. I wish I had 48 hours a day.” Listening to the tunes, practicing dance moves, and following the rhythm… After practicing day after day, Zhang Danli changed from “half a beat” to “slow”. “Keep up with the shooting” has become the “resident actor” of the team at the grassroots level, on campus, and in companies.
In May 2023, Zhang Danli was awarded the “Good Person of Hunan” in the category of dedication and dedication. “Whether I’m performing on stage or doing makeup behind the scenes, I’m doing what I love most.” Zhang Danli said that in the future, she hopes to make more efforts to make Changde Flower Drum Opera and Changde Silk Strings loved by more people. , be seen by more people.
(First instance: Xia Bo Second instance: Jiang Jun Third instance: Jiang Yuqing)
