Aesthetics, Ideology, and Ethics of Remembrance in Red Detachment of Women (Hongse Niangzi Jun, 红色娘子军). Issue 1 (2nd January 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mullis, Eric
• Is Part Of: Dance chronicle. Volume 40:Issue 1(2017)
• Page Start: 53
• Page End: 73
• Publication Date: 2017-01-02
• Subjects: Ballet -- politics -- Maoist ideology -- ethics -- social remembrance; Dance -- Periodicals; Dancing; 792.805
• DOI: 10.1080/01472526.2017.1272036
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0147-2526

Abstract

ABSTRACT: The Red Detachment of Women is a ballet that was developed under the supervision of the Chinese Communist Party in the period leading up to the Cultural Revolution. It features a distinctive approach to ideological content that draws on martial arts, folk dance, and Beijing Opera traditions, and continues to appeal to contemporary audiences in China. I consider the aesthetics of the weapon advanced by the ballet and the ethical and political implications of the National Ballet of China's continued performances of a ballet that celebrates a time of persecution of ordinary Chinese citizens.