C73 The First in Life

At the beginning of May, Qiuhe just turned 16. She followed her teacher, Tao Huizhen, to Jing Hong City. By the time the two of them reached Jing Hong City, the sky was already completely dark.

The two of them carried their luggage and walked out of the bus station. Tao Huizhen held the map of Jing Hong City in her hand. The young girl Qiuhe's footsteps were somewhat hesitant. In the dark night, dazzling lights were laid out in the entire city. As far as the eye could see, The lights flowed, much brighter than the starry sky in Autumn Lotus's memories. At that time, in the night of Jinghong City, There weren't many bright lights, but fire trees and silver flowers. But growing up in Big Tea Village, This was the first time he had seen the Autumn Lotus, which had never been out for a long time. So many rays of light gathered at night.

It was so bright.

There was light everywhere. The light coming and going; the light coming and going; the light coming from the windows of the residential buildings; the light coming from the lamp box advertisement; the light from the street lamps. Cold light, warm light. The light merged with the light, changing in the eyes of Autumn Lotus. She felt as if she was shuttling through the world of light.

However, her lack of familiarity with the city caused Autumn Lotus to remain silent. She silently remembered the true appearance of the city at night. Even the night sky was not so dark and pure. The sound of the huge city rose and fell from all directions just like the light. Suddenly, the Great Buddhist Temple's Great Golden Pagoda emerged from the rows of square buildings. The tip of the pagoda, which could not be seen, was inserted into the night sky.

Qiuhe prayed devoutly for a while, and then paid her respects in the direction of the distant Golden Pagoda.

Tao Huizhen noticed the girl's actions. For some reason, she did the same.

At that moment, Tao Huizhen felt the city turning. It was actually so orderly that she could not blend in at all. In a foreign land. . . For the first time, Tao Huizhen began to miss home. Dad, mom, dance, dance. . . Wenxiu, familiar place. . . And familiar lights. However, she quickly shook her head and looked at the top of the tower that reached into the clouds. Once again, she quietly experienced the "City of Dawn" in the south.

After coming out of the bus station, they walked towards the north for a while, then headed towards the depths of a street in the east. After three or four traffic lights, the road became narrow, and the buildings became shorter. There were few pedestrians on this side, and there was a taste of waning lights. Based on intuition, the location of the competition should be nearby.

It was getting late at night.

Tao Huizhen brought Qiuhe to a hotel to settle down. She took off her luggage and only had time to feel how tired the journey was after an entire day. They got up early in the morning and walked from the village to the bus station in Mengla County. The long-distance bus that they took once a day went to Jing Hong.

After eating the glutinous rice balls brought from home, Qiuhe washed her face and asked: "Teacher, have we reported our names to go back tomorrow?"

To the current Qiuhe, whether it was the upcoming competition or the scene she had never seen before, it was also good. She was just a small figure from a small village that had rushed over. She was unable to be fearless. Having confidence and not feeling reverence towards this world were two different things. She knew that Tao Huizhen was the only one behind her.

She was still afraid. She was alone and weak. She yearned to create something called a 'miracle'.

"Stay" Tao Huizhen said resolutely.

According to Tao Huizhen, they would find a small hotel to stay at the next day after reporting their names. It was close to the competition, so they couldn't let Qiuhe have too much of a psychological burden. They still had to spend the money they needed. There was still a week before the competition, so he couldn't afford to travel any further. The rest of the time was used to speed up his dance practice.

After turning off the lights, the lights from the city outside spilled into the small rooms of the hotel through the curtains. From time to time, the sound of a car horn could be heard from nearby, far, long, or short. This was the first time that Qiuhe had lived in such a clean room. It was also the first time that she fell asleep during the night in the city. She had insomnia.

Early the next day, Tao Huizhen led Qiuhe through the entrance of the registration area.

The dance competition in Jinghong City was held once a year, and it had probably been carried out three times this year. Every year was around May, and the number of people participating in the competition was almost fixed in a small area. The goal was to promote the professional dance development in the Jinghong region, and send excellent dancing talents to the province at the same time.

The competition was divided into the qualifiers and the finals. The scale wasn't large, and the process was also simplified.

"Who is the one who signed up? Double dance?" There was an old long table between them. The male staff at the registration counter sized up Tao Huizhen and Qiuhe. To be honest, this forty year old man was. . . With his many years of experience as a dancer, under his sharp gaze, he did not see the familiar aura of a dancer from the two of them at all.

The child was wearing a tattered tuxedo and did not have any artistic aura to speak of.

The adult had a red face, like a herdsman from the plateau area.

"It's her, Peacock Dance. She'll be dancing the traditional peacock dance of the Dai race. " Tao Huizhen replied.

After hearing the words "peacock dance," her gaze changed from serious to cold. The male staff was originally leaning forward with his upper body ready to listen. Soon, he lazily leaned against the chair. He played with a pen in his hand and made a sound on the table. "Listening to the lady's accent, I don't think she's from Bena State, right? This is Jing Hong. This is the gathering place of the Dai people. I didn't mishear your Peacock Dance, did I? Are you sure you want to bring me something that is completely untechnical to the stage? Look at you guys, you don't seem to want to give up. I guess you must still have the dream of winning the championship, right? "

Tao Huizhen's face stiffened. Qiu He was also stunned.

"Let me give you a piece of advice. There's no need to waste your time here. I have been in charge of receiving dance competitions for many years. No one has the courage to say that she wants to win the award for dancing. Go back in case more people laugh at me. I don't want to trample on the dignity of those who love to chase dreams. "

The male staff thought, no wonder he couldn't catch the unique temperament of dancers. Because it was Peacock Dance. He wasn't interested in seeing how Tao Huizhen and Qiuhe reacted. The two of them were stunned. He suddenly started to ponder with interest - - when it came to festivals that were full of joy, What kind of effect would it have if the people of Dai had to perform the unorganized Peacock Dance on the stage? He smiled with interest.

"You don't want to trample on other people's dignity. But what are you doing? You have already trampled on our dignity. "

Tao Huizhen was so excited that her whole body was trembling. " Peacock dance is among the national dance, and the traditional peacock dance of the Dai race is also included in the list of non-material cultural heritage. You have been in the dance reception work for many years, and no one has the courage to say that they want to win the award by dancing. Then we will be the first. "

"I've also studied classical dancing for ten years, and what I want to tell you is. . . No dance can be determined because of the type and style of the dance. Shouldn't the good and bad of the dance be reflected in the technique of the dancer? Form, spirit, strength, and rhythm are the soul of the dance. Don't tell me that your dance competition is chosen by the type of dance?"

Tao Huizhen was very smart. She looked at the tube-shaped skirt that Qiu He was wearing. Perhaps it was not difficult for the male staff to tell that she came from the deep mountains. If she entered, others would guess. . . Such a girl definitely did not receive any class training. She probably came to sign up with the intention of joking, right? Perhaps there was no lack of such people among the people who came to sign up every year.

"Or is it that you can only distinguish others from their appearance?" Tao Huizhen questioned angrily. Her round eyes seemed to want to see through her opponent's confidence. Her shoulders trembled slightly.

"Eh?" The male staff member stood up from the chair. His lips moved as if he wanted to explain something, but he quickly sat down again.

Qiuhe loudly said, "My teacher is the greatest teacher. She taught me how to dance. She said that I would definitely be able to jump out of the most agile, realistic, and beautiful peacock dance!"

"Someone said that my eyes are like green peacocks. " Qiuhe lowered her head and cried. Tao Huizhen hugged her shoulder and told her not to cry.

The male staff member couldn't help but stare into Qiuhe's eyes. He did not say a word for a long time. When he stood up, he pushed the registration form forward. His face remained high up in the air, as if it had been smeared with gel. His face was expressionless. After he did that, he stood up and walked out of the registration room.

Then, someone else took his place. A female staff member came here in silence. She apologetically and awkwardly smiled at Tao Huizhen.

It turned out that a teacher wanted his students to sign up for the dance competition. The people here could instantly understand the wish of a teacher who wished for his student to become a talent. Perhaps that was the greatest wish of all the teachers. The employees felt ashamed that there was no such teacher in their lives. And they didn't have a deep understanding of the relationship between people and this world.

"Write down the registration information here. What kind of drama are the qualifiers and the finals? They take a long time. After that, pay the registration fee and come here next week to participate in the competition. Good luck. "

The female staff handed the pen over.

No matter where they came from or what kind of dance they brought, they should be respected. When she saw Tao Huizhen write the words "Peacock Dance" in the column of the dance drama, she thought so.

Saturday a week later was a sunny day. The qualifiers ended hastily in a spacious dance room. In the afternoon, the final competition would be held in a small theater with a stage.

The scene of the small-scale competition could be imagined. Some of the details were ignored. The process of Autumn Lotus passing the preliminary round was also exceptionally smooth.

The dance uniform specially prepared for this competition was worn before the finals came onto the stage. Qiu He put on simple makeup. She felt that something was different, because this was her first time putting on makeup. It wasn't enough for her. She felt that her face had changed from a wide peach-shaped face to a narrow, apricot-shaped face. She tied her hair up. She revealed her apricot-shaped face. The skirt of the dancing dress had a horn on it with the pattern of peacock tail feathers embroidered on it. The "eyes" on the tail feathers reflected the light under the light.

She saw that there were participating dancers performing different styles of dance on the stage. Someone went on stage. Someone came down after the performance. It was almost her turn. Tao Huizhen's figure was behind the crowd, squeezed at the corner of the wall. She remembered what Tao Huizhen had told her:

The time was very short, and there was only one song. Remember to use your eyes to express the theme. The competition was not a performance, so the rhythm must not be bad. It must be complete. And most importantly, she had to remember at all times what had caused Tao Huizhen to admire her. This was not to be underestimated. She could not forget the precious things on her body.

Qiu He nodded as she thought about it. She looked at the shadow that she had imprinted on the wall under the light and sized up her appearance in a dancing dress. After the last person finished dancing, the music also came to an end. The experts and judges sitting near the stage clapped their hands sparsely. The atmosphere was not very lively.

This might be the difference between stage performances and hobbies. The former was still biased towards strictness.

At this time, a folk song from Dai Village flowed out from the stereo. Qiu He's eyes lit up. She immediately walked up the stairs on the side. This was her first time going up the stage, although it wasn't a stage for performance. The audience below the stage wasn't the audience either. But this was also the first stage of her life. She took a deep breath of the air that had a slightly fishy smell.

It was already too late to make any extra adjustments. When she went onto the stage, the folk music beat had already begun urging Qiuhe to hurry up and make her debut. She immediately took out the "Three Curves of Peacock Dance" body shape and hand shape. The sound of the calabash silk was delicate and sweet, even though it was the sound of electricity coming from the stereo. The first action that Qiuhe made was matched perfectly with her eyes.

She found some feelings.

The gazes on the stage should not be directed at anyone. Even if it looked like they were looking at something. However, it was not like that. Qiuhe was dancing the Peacock Dance. Her eyes were looking at the bamboo forest, the stream, and the entire natural sounds of flowers and birds. She treated herself as a peacock, trying her best to become one with the sparrow.

At the same time, that thought popped up in Qiu He's mind. At that time, Tao Huizhen and she met in the darkness at the edge of the bonfire party. Then what was the precious thing that Tao Huizhen saw on her body?

The folk song had a strong reversal in the side song. The rhythm of the Calabash Silk sped up. The music field became more melodious and smoother. There were also the addition of other Dai instruments. In this segment, Qiuhe displayed something that she had always called talent. She faced the stage in front of her. Peacock raised her head with her other hand on her waist. She walked with the clear and fast peacock steps, like the beat of a drum. It couldn't be described as light and light. It couldn't be described as light and light. It was a unique feeling of joy, seriousness, and the style of the people of Dai Village. However, it could not be denied that. . . This was a rigorous dance performance, and not a performance that relied on her own preferences to express herself. Every rhythm, Every gaze was the result of hard work. Qiuhe's eyes were always focused on the front. Her rapidly blinking cat-like eyes were filled with flexible colors and emotions. She was both worried and worried. She had vigilance and freedom, as well as sunlight. Wasn't that the gaze that the Spirit Bird Peacock should have? Qiuhe had seen the Green Peacock before. She also tried to enter the character of the Green Peacock to feel it. Her sweat couldn't stop dripping onto the stage, mixing with the dust on the stage. There was also a lot of sweat that soaked her inner clothes. She was wearing a peacock costume. On the stage, the picture of a peacock tail feather was flashing under the light of the stage. It was as if she had transformed into a peacock. It was as if she had been born for the Peacock Dance. She had not only jumped out of the soul of the Peacock Dance, but also expressed the true feelings of the traditional Peacock Dance. She had truly performed the three parts of the stage music, the dancer, and the Peacock Dance perfectly. She had also displayed the high level of the Peacock Dance and the symbiosis between the touching people on the stage and the Peacock Dance!

The short folk song seemed to have taken a long time to transition from the intense part to the end of the song. Actually, it had only been a few minutes. Autumn Lotus finished the whole song in one go at the climax. I believe the audience also remembered to let out a sigh of relief. At the end of the piece, Qiu He used a series of poses and movements that mimicked a peacock to draw the end of the piece that Tao Hui Zhen had written. It wasn't until the music was finished that she gasped for breath. Her body would be drenched in sweat, and her blood would run wildly in her body.

This was the first time she had experienced the feeling of pouring her sweat onto the stage.

The authentic Peacock Dance was a type of dance that was popular in many regions of the Yunnan Dai clan and had a thousand years of history. If he wanted to bring it onto the stage and combine it with some music, he would have to do it again. Tao Huizhen only made some adjustments in this dance. She moved the original dancing location from the village to the stage, allowing her personal subjective consciousness to control the theme of the dance as she pleased. It became a professional and systematic expression.

Qiuhe did not forget that after she finished dancing, she had to bow to the curtain. She did what Tao Huizhen did in the past. There was a sparse round of applause from below the stage. She walked down the stage, and Tao Huizhen could not wait to welcome her.

"Qiuhe, you did very well. " Tao Huizhen left with Qiuhe and went behind the scenes to change her clothes. In the gap between helping Qiuhe remove her makeup. Tao Huizhen recalled the performance of Qiuhe on the stage just now and the two of them discussed.

Tao Huizhen said that Qiuhe performed perfectly and was worthy of praise. But perfect. It did not mean that her dancing skills had already reached the point of perfection. Of course, she had a lot of room for improvement. It was just that. . . She had indeed comprehended what she was best at. Every dancer had their own domain, perhaps the other areas might be ordinary. . . But in the domain that they were best at, they were able to quickly pull up the overall level. In this aspect, it could be said that Qiuhe was a genius.

Naturally, there were also shortcomings. Qiuhe's basic skills were not solid enough, and her physical strength was not outstanding enough either. She should be more diligent in her training. She should also eat something good. . .

The result of the competition was on the morning of the second day. Qiuhe actually took the best result for herself. Tao Huizhen was not surprised. She only wrote it down in her diary. This sentence: Maybe for a long time in the future, I won't be able to return to my hometown as my parents wish again. Because here, I have more responsibilities.

After this, the prize money and medal will be distributed one after another. After the competitors leave their contact details, the small competition will come to an end this year. The existence of the autumn lotus was probably the first time since the competition for Jinghong's dance that the Peacock Dance won first place. Perhaps in the previous competitions, the traditional Peacock Dance competition did not even exist.

The pair of teachers and students from the distant mountain village who did not have the temperament of dancers brought the Peacock Dance which was remembered by many people.

Some people claimed to be the person in charge of a dance troupe and wanted Qiuhe to work there. As a member of the dance troupe, the treatment was reasonable. She was rejected by Tao Huizhen. The reason was very simple. This was not the end of Autumn Lotus.

In the afternoon, the two of them packed up and left Jing Hong. The money they brought when they came was not enough to continue. Sitting on the long bus, Tao Huizhen silently looked at the city that had retreated outside the window. She had a feeling that the fate with this place was far more than that.