Crested ibises, an international preserved rare bird species, known as the “birds of good fortune”, are gorgeous and precious creature symbolizing happiness and blessings. They used to be so innocent, gentle and graceful and lived with human beings in the agrarian times as human’s loyal and adorable companions. However, when accelerating the pace of modernization and urbanization in modern time, human beings neglect the deterioration of the living environment of crested ibises.

 

 

The natural habitat upon which the wild crested ibises are so dependent for their breeding, such as blue sky, clean water and tranquility, has become so hostile that they are forced to die out gradually. Recently, the discovery of the last seven wild crested ibises in Yang County, Shaanxi Province, made the endangered creature come into people’s sight again. Today, with joint efforts from Chinese and Japanese scientists, crested ibises have received increasingly conscious protection and care from human society. Therefore, the “bird of good fortune” now embraces the auspicious revitalization.

The dance drama Crested Ibises, produced jointly by Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), The Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Committee and Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group. The performance, themed as the preserved bird crested ibises, aims to aware people of the significance of keeping a harmonious relationship with other creatures. Through the presentation of crested ibises’ beauty, purity and grace, it reminds people to reflect on the interdependence between human beings and nature.

 

We sincerely hope that human beings will not only take the responsibility for their own homes, but also be the watcher for the homeland for all creatures on the earth.

Crested Ibises will provide people with the special feelings of purity and beauty, focusing on issues of environmental protection, and the relationship between human beings and nature. It appeals to the public to cherish this friend of nature forever, for the sake of that near eternal loss. Besides, it encourages the pursuit of the unyielding values of “the true, the good and the beautiful”; it warns people of the problems encountered in the development process; it advocates the ecologically friendly and sustainable development concept. Overall, the emotional resonance and ideological inspiration is what Crest Ibis is expected to bring to its audiences.

 

 

Crested ibis, known as the “bird of good fortune”, is a beautiful and precious rare creature symbolizing happiness and blessings.
Centuries ago, in the agrarian times, human beings live in harmony with the crested ibis, a good friend and adorable companion.
Deep in our memory, crested ibis is a passionate bird, who would appear reserved, elegant, sacred and noble, yet also sensitive, vulnerable and occasionally distant.
At one time, the crested ibis is such a close and warm friend to us.

No one knows when these "birds of good fortune" gradually fade away from our sight.
Human beings, who are busy racing on the track of modernization and urbanization, neglect the deterioration of the living environment of crested ibis. The natural habitat upon which the wild crested ibises are so dependent for their breeding, such as blue sky, clean water and tranquility, has become ever narrower and hostile.
In the middle of the 20th Century, it is declared that crested ibis has been enlisted as an endangered species of wild nature.

In May 1981, Chinese scientists accidentally discovered seven wild crested ibis in Yang county, Shanxi province. Therefore, the "birds of good fortune" which have been declared endangered repeatedly fade in people's sight again.
Today, in China, Japan, Korea and eastern Siberia, with our increasingly conscious and careful protection, the size of population of crested ibis has been growing as an auspicious sign.
For "the unbearable lightness of being", and for what was lost in the past, let’s appeal to cherish the future forever.

Publisher
The Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries
The Publicity Department of the CPC Shanghai Committee
Shanghai Media & Entertainment Group

Contractor
SMEG Performing Arts Group

Promotion
Shanghai Jingzhao Culture Communication Co., Ltd.

Presentation
Shanghai Dance Theatre Co., Ltd.

Special Support
China National Arts Fund
China Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development
Shanghai Culture Development Foundation
Chinese Dancers Association

Presenter
Li Xiaolin Chen Dong

General Supervisor
Li Ruigang Wang Jianjun

Chief Planner
Wu Xiaoming Xia Guozhu

Planner
Li Guoyi Xu Chunping Li Jiaqin

Producer
Chen Feihua

Executive Director
Wang Jianzhong

Coordinator
Cao Qiang Yang Jianhua Wang Jing Liu Kuili Zong Kehui

Founded in Jun. 1979, Shanghai Dance Theatre (SDT) completed the enterprise restructuring of sate-owned art troupes in Nov. 2009. SDT is committed to creating Chinese national dance dramas, contemporary dances, vocal music productions, instrument music productions, etc.

Since its foundation, SDT has accumulated a large number of high-quality artistic productions such as the grand costumes dance drama Golden Dances & Silver Costumes, dance dramas Shinning Red Star, Wild Zebra, Farewell to My Concubine, Hua-Mulan, The Red Clouds over the Horizon, Stage Sisters, Turn in to Dancing, Crested Ibises, The Eternal Wave, etc. SDT has created a number of special gala shows including Dragon Sound, Fragrance, The Dances We Danced, On the Road, Sky, Earth and People, The Songs in the Heart, On the Wings of Song, Date in Spring, etc. SDT has also created over 100 dance pieces such as Root Carving, Contemporary Rhythm, Deep Night, Beauty, Earth, Listen to the Body, The Girls and the Rain of the Dai Nationality, Dandelion, Only for Meeting with You on the Way, Heaven Bath, Wandering, Moment, Autumn, Invisible Walls etc.

SDT has received many awards and honors including China Five Projects Award of Spiritual Civilization Construction by the Propaganda Department of the Central Committee of the CPC, Splendor Award of Government Award for Chinese Culture and Art by China Ministry of Culture, China National Stage Art Fine Works Project Award, gold prize of Lotus Award of China National Dance Competition, gold prize of Chinese National Minority Dance Competition, the 30th Shanghai Magnolia Stage Performance Award, first prize of Professional Dance Competition of East China, award of Shanghai Fine Art Creation, gold awards of international vocal competitions in Singapore, Japan, Korea, and so forth.

SDT has a pool of talents such as the chief dancers with honor and glory Zhu Jiejing, Wang Jiajun, chief dancers Hou Tengfei, Bi Ran, Yu Tingting, Zhou Xiaohui, Fang Wen who are all famous young dancers and own global appeal. Besides, there are a large number of excellent soloist dancers, leading dancers and group dancers constituting the high-quality dance talents in echelon. Xu Qing, Xi Yanjuan and other young singers have won lots of gold and silver awards in the professional vocal music competitions at home and abroad, whose achievements have attracted great attention and gained a great reputation in the industry.
SDT had performance tours in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, U.K, France, Germany, Russian, Italy, Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Austria, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Turkey, Thailand, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Morocco, Hungary, Cuba, Peru, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, etc. Dance dramas such as Golden Dances & Silver Costumes, Wild Zebra, Farewell to My Concubine, Crested Ibises are all famous and have got great reputation on a global scale.