轻骑队 Light Cavalry 舞 者 沈 蓓 （九）

Soon after I came back from abroad, I entered the period of the Great Leap Forward of 58 years. Under the slogan of “giving up energy, striving for the top, how fast and save money”, various units have fought each other in terms of performances and income. Inspired by the overwhelming propaganda of big-character posters, anti-conservatives, tapping potential, and striving for the upper ranks, slogans shook the sky, and often the targets set in the morning were broken in the afternoon.

The Shanghai Opera House has set the highest number of performances in the past year-700 performances, which were later added to 900 and 1,000. When the final decision was about to be made, news came that the rival Peking Opera House had increased to 1,100 performances. The Opera House held a party committee to expand overnight. At the meeting, it was temporarily decided to break through the previous practice. From the original opera and dance troupes, a small number of forces were allocated, and a small performance team named after the “Light Cavalry” was formed. In this way, the opera house has two groups and one team and three performance units. The performance index has reached 1,200 performances at once, winning the first place.

But these are all matters of the leadership. There is nothing wrong with me as a “minibus”. After the beginning of the spring, as usual, I set off with the dance troupe to Qingdao, the first stop of the dance troupe’s tour that year. Unexpectedly, when I arrived in Bengbu, I suddenly received a notice, which made me immediately transfer to the south to meet with the Qingqi team in Dangtu, Jiangsu. It turned out that in order to catch up with the show, the “Light Cavalry” set off early, from organizing and mobilizing to rehearsing the program, a total of one week.

As a result, due to heavy tasks, few manpower, and difficult living conditions, less than a month after going down, he has lost his army and lost his generals, and has fallen to two senior officers due to injuries. The light cavalry team was originally a carrot and a pit, and had to come to the brigade for help. There are two conditions: one is to “wait now” and be able to go immediately, because there is no rehearsal time. The second is strong body, can withstand the toss of the Qingqi team. In this way, Bengbu is in a hurry.

Although I have always been bold, after all, this is the first time I have left the group to act alone, and I am also trembling. I remember that I temporarily returned from Bengbu that day and arrived at Xiaguan, Nanjing late at night. At that time, there was no Nanjing Bridge, and the ferry crossing the river would not be there until the next morning. Finally, I found a small hotel by the river. The weather will be rainy but not rainy. Close the windows and sleep. Not only is it sultry and unpredictable, but the bed is full of bugs crawling around. Open the window. Just under the window, a large group of five-and-three-thin men gathered together, drinking and gambling with their fists. Not only were there no obstructions inside, they could see clearly, and they could come in as soon as they raised their legs without turning over. I was a young girl who was nervous all night and did not dare to go to sleep. As a result, nothing happened. It can be seen that the people were simple and the peace was good at that time.

From April to August that year, we performed in more than 120 days along Shanghai, Zhejiang, and Anhui, with a journey of more than 2,200 kilometers, and performed more than 50 points and more than 200 non-stop performances. The repertoire included instrumental and vocal music. , Dance, quyi, opera, etc. This is an unforgettable experience, just like participating in a training camp for special forces that lasted more than three months. First of all, professionally, the light cavalry team requires everyone to stand on their own. At the same time, he must be a generalist. In the light cavalry team, there is no one who does not hold multiple jobs. The dancers have to sing. The next show of singing may be in the band playing gongs. It is really you who sing and I will appear on the stage.

Moreover, all administrative tasks such as finance are also shared by everyone. As for the stage, it’s even more so. There is no station in all likelihood. Once at the destination, going to the hometown to borrow a door to build a “station” from scratch is one of the basic skills. Then the hanging screen of the hanging screen, the chandelier of the chandelier, have a clear division of labor and well-trained. In less than an hour, a decent stage is ready.

While we were installing the stage, another group of people were equally busy and nervous. If you can’t find a larger room nearby, you must use cloth curtains to temporarily build a “backstage”. The dressing table and dressing room are indispensable, and because of the tension of grabbing makeup, the costumes, including the shoes, are placed in sequence before and after each actor’s show, which is very professional at the same time.

The cook, Xiao He, bury the pot and cook. Sometimes the time is too tight and he will post cakes for everyone if there is no time to buy vegetables. In less than an hour, when the front and back are basically ready, the fragrance of his food is also diffused. Come, start to yell for dinner with a smile. Regardless of his young age, he doesn’t know the craftsmanship he learned there, what kind of difficult conditions, and always make delicious dishes, and constantly changing patterns, never let everyone down. In the laughter, everyone drew a few bites of food, and then hurriedly put on makeup on stage, often performing two or three consecutive shows.

Due to the hurried formation of the light cavalry team, there was no pre-determined performance contract in hand before the departure, and the performance point was completely opened up by the front station propaganda and the influence of the performance itself. The performance spots are all small towns, so it is very frequent to change spots, even here for night shows, the next spot will be the matinee, and even the morning show is a common occurrence. Therefore, such assembling, dismantling, packing, loading, marching, and transitioning have become commonplace. Often once the last show is over, (not even over yet.) It must be unpacked and boxed at the same speed. For example, from Lanxi to Jiande, it departs at 2 in the morning and arrives at 4 in the morning, and the performance will be performed at 2 in the afternoon. There is almost no sleep in the middle.

If you enter a larger point and can play for two or three days, then you will not be idle. The squad stipulates that whenever we go to each place, we must take into account the actual situation and needs of the local area and cooperate with the propaganda. There is a local leader who wants us to produce a whole program for them. So wherever we go, we always collect materials through various methods such as interviews, and then everyone does it, racks their brains, buys and sells now, improvisation, often before the evening can be staged, I think this is for my future The creation of the pavement was laid.

It was midnight after the performance, and I had to pull the rope overnight to hang up all the costumes. Because the costumes are soaked in sweat and can’t be washed, let them dry and spray them with toilet water to let the sweat evaporate and prevent it from stinking and moldy. There was no way to carry so many hangers at that time, hey! The two ropes were twisted to clamp these key parts of the clothes leader’s mouth. After one night, the next day it was all fragrant.

Although audio and lighting are technical tasks, most of the other tasks are chores, but the old comrades still teach wisdom everywhere, such as how to hoist a large screen, and collect it quickly and flatly. This is the trick of the silk shop: how to collect a thick rope like a stick. Fast and not messy is also the method of cable workers; the knots are buckle and navy buckle, the more they are tightened, it is absolutely safe; the loading is more clever, fast and stable, etc., to speak of it It’s all common sense of life, specific and trivial, but also very knowledgeable.

They all say that “generals are in their own ranks”. This is true. I will choreograph and direct in the future. One of my praises is “a strong sense of stage.” Especially after arriving in the United States, I can quickly gain the trust and support of stage staff from other countries. Experiences like the Qingqi team are not unrelated. The training in my youth made me very familiar with every detail of the stage and laid a solid basic skills.

These are still normal, but if you encounter an accident, it will be even worse. Once from Baipu Town to Yizheng, it was also a night march. When the car was transferred to Liuhe, there was a sudden heavy rain. The road in the country was originally potholes, and this was a muddy pond after another, and finally our car was stuck in it. All the boys got out of the car, pushed and lifted, and the wheels turned straight, but they got deeper and deeper. Our girls could still sit in the car. When we finally got out of the car, all of them became clay figures. You know, there was no place to take a shower at that time. I could only find a small river, the male section, the female section, and the water was under the thunderstorm. Thinking about it now, it was actually quite dangerous. At that time, I thought it was fun to take the opportunity to take a shower.

What’s funnier is that we set off in early April, Shangchun is cold, and soon into the early summer, the rainy season in Jiangnan is sweltering and hot. In order to reduce the burden, the whole team cleaned up and consigned the thicker clothes back to Shanghai in advance. Who knew that when we went to Jiangdu by boat that day, we suddenly encountered a cold wave. As the saying goes, the face of a child in spring is warm and cold at first, and it changes when it changes. After a violent storm, the temperature dropped sharply, and his clothes were wrapped in wet clothes. As the wind blew, they shrank into a ball, shivering coldly. No way, the team decided to take out the clothing curtain and even the ironing blanket.

Just as everyone was draped and wrapped, I suddenly heard gongs and drums, and foreign bands played. It turned out that the next performance spot was particularly enthusiastic. The Propaganda Department organized a military band from a local elementary school, playing foreign horns and snare drums, and greeted us from a dozen miles away, and they brought us such a colorful band. Like a lama and a bandit, (Lao Wu said it was like a captive on the Sino-Indian border) the team circled the city around the city, and the common people greeted us. We were embarrassed and laughed and laughed. It’s really not even Chaplin’s comedy that is so exciting.

This scene is deeply imprinted in the minds of the members of the squad, becoming a memory of youth and a common story. Even small things will be talked about after many years. For example, once, it was late at night, and we were marching on the ridge. Due to extreme fatigue, many people are in a trance, walking, dragging, staggering, entering a semi-sleep state, and slowing down. My personality probably can’t stand this dull and depressing atmosphere. I suddenly found a big yellow dog in the distance, so I thought about it and said hello to the dog loudly. The yellow dog responded, and the dogs in the village naturally cheered up. For a time, one after another, a chorus of dogs sounded.

Seeing this funny scene, the whole team burst into laughter, the sleepy bugs were swept away, and their spirits were shaken, and they quickly reached their destination. Decades later, Tang Lang (the band leader, composer, I am much older, so I call him his eldest brother.) wife (Tang Lang has passed away) also told me that Tang Lang mentioned this to her many times during his lifetime. It was actually very dangerous at the time. The leaders of several of their teams didn’t know what to do. Fortunately, Shen Bei came up with this trick. This kid, she could have fun in such a hard work.

After doing so many things every day after work and performance, it was past midnight, and when all the public affairs were finished, I was exhausted, and then I started to open my backpack and find a place where I could put my body down. Most of us live in warehouses, school classrooms or ancestral halls. There were no such places, so I slept on a temporary stage, and even put together a few long benches where the audience sat, and spent the night in the open air. But no matter how simple, one thing is essential, and that is the mosquito net. The south of the Yangtze River was humid, and we were on tour in spring and summer, and there were mosquitoes overwhelming the sky.

And in a large empty room, even in the open air, it is not easy to hang a mosquito net. It must be planned and scientifically calculated. “Main line”, then hang up the small mosquito nets of each household, make full use of the space, and leave aisle for free entry and exit. There are also how to take care of the timid and infirm, who patrols and guards at night, etc., just like building a military camp. As for the clean washing area, of course I don’t even think about it. I still wash my face with cold water and rinse it with a dry towel. I never use a washbasin, which is a habit I developed at that time.

Unexpectedly, this good habit has made me seldom catch a cold for decades. As for the toilet, it is a big tank in the countryside. Everyone squatted and relieved. Once the toilet was on a high slope in the distance, far away from the residence, and it was not safe to get up at night. One person wanted to wake everyone up and walk with each other. If you have a bowel movement, everyone has to wait. The funny thing is that it takes a long time for yourself to hear the “boom”. Sometimes such conditions are not even available, so they have to find a quiet place in the wild, where the male compatriots will pull up a circle with their coats, both as a curtain and as a guard.

These can be regarded as anecdotes. Although life is extremely stressful and difficult, no one will only manage his own small world, because honestly, in the face of severe natural conditions, everyone understands that it is difficult to survive in a group and to leave the group. In addition, the leader of the old boy People are role models, so they always help each other everywhere. Everyone is vying for the first place. Instead, they laugh and laugh, warm and harmonious.

Now, more than half a century has passed, half of the passionate young people in their 20s have passed away. But many things cannot be erased by time. The light cavalry trains me immensely. It turned out that in the opera dance troupe, I counted the smallest group, most of which just need to be followed. Now, there are only four dancers in total. The most basic supporting scenes of “Running the Donkey”, “The Big Tea Mountain”, “Xinjiang Dance”, “Indian Dance”, “Red Silk Dance”, etc., I am all the leading actors, just like a master. Hua Dan. Imagine what kind of exercise it is to practice 200 consecutive performances at once. Now we often say that “challenges and opportunities coexist.” Everything must have opportunities and platforms. The Qingqi team is the opportunity and platform for me to stand out

But the unforgettable light cavalry team is far more than just the exercise of the performance, the specific skills they have learned. It is a lean and efficient paramilitary. Extreme hardship, extreme dedication, extreme friendship, extreme fulfillment. Of course, the most fundamental thing is to feel the meaning and value of life. Not to mention the old districts, this is the first time that the new art (sing and dance) has gone so deep in this large Jiangnan area. Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui, all small towns, including large rural markets, have almost been measured with their feet. , The people call friends and friends, help the old and the young, the whole village is dispatched, and the whole family goes to battle. It is really crowded and empty, and sometimes the trees are full of people..

Seeing this situation, the people of the light cavalry team were of course eagerly eager, and they couldn’t wait to do their best, so they even played five games one day (two in the afternoon and two in the evening, plus a morning session.). All the people who participated in the light cavalry team had a feeling of being “comrades in a trench,” who used to live and die together.

The “Qingqi Team” is a great pioneering and beneficial practice. It is indeed like the nectar of a long drought for solving the long-term extreme hunger and thirst for spiritual life in the vast rural areas of China. But as a model for the long-term development of literature and art, it also has an obvious utopian nature. Petty-bourgeois fanaticism makes everyone’s brains hot, and they continue to increase their heads, and the result of not talking about science is unsustainable. The most obvious example is Wu Eyang. He was born with a good voice. In the Qingqi team, he is the captain of the singing team and the main force. He is also a chorus, a solo singing and a small opera, not to mention other guest appearances and various chores. Not by accident. After all, the golden voice was also made of meat. His body was originally thin, long-term fatigue and lack of sleep. When he was dumb, he continued to sing. The result was that his voice had a summary, and he did not fully recover throughout his life.

The “Qingqi Team” is a great pioneering and beneficial practice. It is indeed like the nectar of a long drought for solving the long-term extreme hunger and thirst for spiritual life in the vast rural areas of China. But as a model for the long-term development of literature and art, it also has an obvious utopian nature. Petty-bourgeois fanaticism makes everyone’s brains hot, and they continue to increase their heads, and the result of not talking about science is unsustainable. The most obvious example is Wu Eyang. He was born with a good voice. In the Qingqi team, he is the captain of the singing team and the main force. He is also a chorus, a solo singing and a small opera, not to mention other guest appearances and various chores. Not by accident. After all, the golden voice was also made of meat. His body was originally thin, long-term fatigue and lack of sleep. When he was dumb, he continued to sing. The result was that his voice had a summary, and he did not fully recover throughout his life.

我出国回来不久就进入了58年大跃进时期，文艺界在“鼓足干劲，力争上游，多快好省”的口号下，各单位纷纷就场次、收入等各方面打起了擂台。在铺天盖地的大字报宣传鼓动下，反保守、挖潜力、争上游，口号震天响，往往上午定下的指标，下午就被冲破。




上海歌剧院定了历年最高的演出场次——700场，后被一次次追加到900、1000，在即将拍板定局时，传来竞争对手京剧院提升到1100场的消息，歌剧院连夜召开党委扩大会议，临时决定突破以前的做法，在原来的歌剧、舞剧两个团中，抽调少数力量，另行组织一个以《轻骑队》命名的小型演出队，轻装简从，专门深入到小地方。这样歌剧院就有了二团一队三个演出单位，演出场次的指标一下子达到了1200场，夺得了第一。






不过这些都是领导层的事，没有我这个“小巴辣子”什么事。开春后按常规我随舞剧团启程向当年舞剧团巡演的第一站青岛进发。谁知刚到蚌埠，忽接通知，令我立即转车南下，到江苏当涂与轻骑队会合。原来，为赶场次，《轻骑队》从组织动员，到排练节目，总共一周时间，就早早地出发了。







结果因任务重，人手少，生活条件艰苦，下去后才不到一个月，竟已损兵折将，因伤病倒了两个大员。轻骑队本就是一个萝卜一个坑，不得已来向大队求援。条件有二：一是“立等可取”，马上能上，因为根本没有排练时间。二是身强力壮，经得起在轻骑队折腾。这样就有了蚌埠急急如令这一幕。







虽说我一贯胆大，但毕竟这是第一次离开群体单独行动，也是战战兢兢。记得那天临时从蚌埠折回，赶到南京下关已深夜。那时还没有南京大桥，过江轮渡要第二天早上才有，总算在江边找到一家小旅店。天气将雨未雨，关窗睡吧，不仅闷热无当，而且满床臭虫乱爬。开窗吧，就在窗下，聚了一大堆五大三粗的汉子，正在挥拳喝酒赌博，不但里面一无遮拦，看得清清楚楚，而且不用翻身，一抬腿就可以进来。我一个年轻女娃，通宵神经绷紧，未敢入眠，结果什么事也没有，可见那时人心古朴，治安良好。









那年我们从4月到8月，120多天里，沿上海，浙江、安徽一路演去，行程2200多公里，连续不停地演了50多个点，200多场，剧目有器乐、声乐、舞蹈、曲艺、小歌剧等。这是一段难忘的经历，就好比参加了长达三个多月的特种兵实战集训。首先专业上，轻骑队要求人人独挡一面，个顶个，挑大梁，演的全是有相当高难度的单项。同时还必须是多面手。在轻骑队，没有人不身兼数职的，跳舞的要唱歌，唱歌的下一个节目可能就在乐队打锣，真是你唱罢来我登场，连轴转。








而且所有行政工作如财务等也是大家分头承担。至于舞台方面更其如此，所到之处，十有八九没有台，一到目的地，去老乡家借门板从无到有整出一个“台”是基本功之一。然后挂幕的挂幕，吊灯的吊灯，分工明确，训练有素，不到一小时，一个像模像样的舞台就收拾妥当了。





在我们装台的同时，另一部分人则同样紧张地忙碌着。若不能就近找一个较大的房间，就必须用布幔临时搭建出一个“后台”来。化妆台，更衣室是必不能少的，且因为抢妆紧张，服装包括鞋子，都是按每个演员节目的前后依次分别摆放，非常专业，与此同时。






炊事员小何就埋锅做饭，有时时间实在紧，来不及买菜，他就会给大家贴饼子，不到一小时，在前后台基本就绪的同时，他的饭菜香也前前后后的弥漫开来，开始笑眯眯的吆喝开饭了。别看他年纪轻轻，也不知那里学的手艺，怎么样艰苦的条件，做出来的总是美味佳肴，还不断变换花样，从不会让大家失望。欢声笑语中大家划上几口饭，就又急匆匆的化妆登台，常常是连演二到三场。






由于轻骑队组队仓促，出发前根本没有事先定好的演出合同在手，演出点完全靠前站一路宣传和演出本身的影响力披荆斩棘开辟出来。演出点又都是小乡镇，所以转点极其频繁，甚至这里演夜场，下一个点就要演日场，甚至早场都是常有的事。所以这样的装台、拆台、打包、装车、行军、转场就成为家常便饭。往往最后一个节目一结束，（甚至还没有结束。）又要以同样的速度，拆台装箱。如从兰溪到建德，凌晨2时出发4时到达，下午2时就演出，中间几乎是不休不眠






如果进入较大的点，能演二三天，那也不会闲着。小分队规定，每到一处，要结合当地实际和需要，配合宣传，有一个地方的领导还要我们为他们搞出一整台节目。所以我们每到一处，总要通过采访等各种方式，收集材料，然后人人动手，绞尽脑汁，现买现卖，即兴创作，常常不等晚上就能上演，我想这为我以后的创作，作了铺垫。








演出结束已经半夜，还得连夜拉绳子，把服装全部挂起来。因为演出服浸饱了汗水，又不能洗，晾起来，再喷上花露水，让汗水挥发掉，不至于发臭霉变。当时没法携带这么多衣架，哎！两根绳子绞起来，把衣领袖口这些关键部位夹住，经过一夜，第二天就全是香喷喷的了。





虽然除了音响和灯光是技术活，其他大都是杂务，但老同志手把手传授照样处处是智慧，如偌大的幕布如何吊装、收得快捷平整，是绸布庄的窍门：棍子般粗的绳索怎样收放快而不乱又是电缆工的方法；打结打的是牛鼻扣、海军扣，越抽越紧，绝对保险；装车更要又多又巧又快又稳等等等等，说起来都是生活常识，具体而琐碎，但也是大有学问。






都说“将军出自行伍”，这话一点不假，我以后编舞，导戏，好评之一就是“舞台感强。”特别到美国后能迅速取得他国舞台工作人员的信任和支持，和有像轻骑队这样的经历不无关系。年轻时的锻炼使我对舞台每个细节非常熟悉，打下了扎实的基本功。






这些都还是平常，遭遇意外，那就更惨了。有一次从白浦镇到仪征，也是夜里行军，转场中途车到六合时天突降瓢泼大雨，乡间的路本来坑坑洼洼，这下更是一个泥塘接着一个，最终我们的车深陷其中。所有男生下车，又推又抬，轮子直打转，反而越陷越深，我们女孩子在车上哪里还坐得住，等到全体下来终于把车弄出来时，个个成了泥人。要知道，那时可没有地方淋浴，只能找一条小河，男一段，女一段，雷雨中下水，现在想想，其实挺危险，当时还觉得趁机洗个澡，很有趣。










更滑稽的是，我们出发是4月初，尚春寒料峭，不久进入初夏，江南的梅雨季节闷热难当。为减轻负担，全队集中清理，将较厚的衣被提前托运回上海，谁知那天我们乘船到江都，忽遇寒潮。俗话说，春天孩儿脸，乍暖还寒，说变就变。一阵狂风暴雨后，气温骤降，被打湿的衣服裹在身上，风一吹，一个个缩成一团，冷的直发抖。没办法，队部决定把服装幕布甚至烫衣毯全拿出来。








正当大家披的披，裹的裹，忽听到敲锣打鼓，更有洋乐队演奏。原来下一个演出点特别热情，宣传部组织当地小学的一支军乐队，吹着洋号打着小军鼓，远到十几里地外来迎接我们，并吹吹打打的带我们这样一支花花绿绿，既像喇嘛又像土匪，（老伍说像中印边境的俘虏）的队伍绕城一周，老百姓夹道欢迎，弄得我们狼狈不堪，啼笑皆非，真是连卓别林的喜剧也没有这么精彩。









这一幕幕都深深印在小分队成员的脑海中，成为青春的记忆，共同的佳话。哪怕是一些小事，多少年后提起来也是津津乐道。譬如有一次，也是已经深夜，我们行进在田埂上。由于极度疲劳，许多人已神情恍惚，走路拖拖拉拉，跌跌撞撞，进入半睡眠状态，速度越来越慢。我的个性大概受不了这种沉闷压抑的气氛，忽然发现远处有条大黄狗，便突发奇想，对那狗大声“汪汪”打招呼，黄狗应声搭腔，全村的狗自然也都振奋起来，一时间此起彼伏，响起了狗声大合唱。






看到这滑稽的一幕，全队人轰的喷笑起来，瞌睡虫一扫而光，精神大震，迅速到达目的地。几十年后，唐朗（乐队队长，作曲，年纪长我许多，故称他大哥。）的夫人（唐朗已去世）还对我说，唐朗生前多次对她提起这件事，说当时其实很危险，他们几个队领导也不知怎么办，亏得沈蓓想出这一招，这个小鬼，这么艰苦她都能找乐子。






每天工作演出后又做了这么多事，时过午夜，等一切公家的事完成，已经精疲力尽，才开始打开背包，张罗一个可以放倒身体的地方。  我们大多数住在仓库，学校的教室或祠堂里。这些地方都没有，就睡在临时搭的舞台上，甚至把观众坐的几条长板凳一拼，就在露天过夜。不过再简陋，一样东西是必不可少的，那就是蚊帐。江南潮湿，我们巡演又在春夏之际，一团一团的蚊子铺天盖地。







而在一间空无一物的大房间，甚至露天，要把蚊帐挂起来，可也不是件容易的事，必须统一规划，科学计算，先用挂幕布的粗麻绳，拉几条“主干线”，再把各家各户的小蚊帐挂上去，要充分利用空间，并留出通道，以便自由进出。还有胆小的，体弱的怎样照顾安排，谁巡夜放哨等等，俨然建设一个军营。至于干净的盥洗地方，那当然是想都不要想的，我至今洗脸都是用冷水捧起来冲洗再用干毛巾搽净，从来不用脸盆，就是那个时候养成的习惯。






没想到这个好习惯几十年下来竟让我很少感冒。至于厕所，在农村就是一个大缸，大家蹲坐一圈解手。有一次厕所在远处的高坡上，离住处很远，晚上起夜很不安全，一个人解手要把大家都叫起来，结伴而行。如果大便，大家都要等，好笑的是，连自己都要好半天才听见“咚”的一声。有的时候连这样的条件都没有，只好在野外找个僻静处，由男同胞用外衣拉起一个圈，既当帘子，又当保卫。








这些都可算是奇闻轶事了。生活虽极其紧张和艰苦，却没有一个人会只经营自己的小天地，因为老实说，面对严峻的自然条件，谁都明白要抱团取暖，脱离群体是难以生存的，再加上队长老童这个人的表率作用，所以时时处处，都是互相帮助，人人争先，反而欢声笑语，温暖和谐。




如今，半个多世纪过去了，当年20上下的激情青年，一半已经仙逝。但许多东西，是时间抹不去的。轻骑队对我锻练极大。原来在歌剧院舞蹈团，我数最小的一拨，大部分只要在後面跟跟就行。而现在，舞蹈女演员一共只有四人，最基本撑场面的《跑驴》、《大茶山》、《新疆舞》、《印度舞》、《红绸舞》等，我都是主演，俨然一个当家花旦。试想一下子200来场连续不断的演出实践，是怎样一种锻炼。现在我们常说“挑战与机会并存，”任何事都要有机遇和平台，轻骑队就是我脱颖而出的机遇和平台



但轻骑队的难忘，远不仅仅因为得到了演出的锻炼，具体学到了什么技能。而是准军事性质的精干高效。极度的艰苦，极度的奉献，极度的友爱，极度的充实。当然，最根本的还是感受生命的意义和价值。老区不说，江南这一大片，新文艺（歌舞）还是第一次这样深入，沪、苏、浙、皖，所有小城镇，包括大的农村集市，几乎都是用脚丈量着走了一遍，老百姓呼朋唤友，扶老携幼，全村出动，全家上阵，真是人山人海，万人空巷，有的时候，树上都爬满了人。






看到这种情形，轻骑队的人当然个个磨拳擦掌，情绪昂扬，恨不得拿出浑身解数，所以甚至有一天演五场（下午晚上各二，再加个早场。）的。所有当年参加轻骑队的人，都有一种是“一条战壕里的战友，”曾经生死与共的感觉。




“轻骑队”是一个伟大的创举，有益的实践。它对于解决中国广大农村长期来精神生活的极度饥渴，的确如久旱之甘露。但作为文艺长期发展的一种模式，它又具有明显的乌托邦性质，小资产阶级狂热病让所有人头脑发热，不断加码冒进，不讲科学的结果是无可持续性。最明显的例子是伍鄂阳，他天生一副好嗓子，在轻骑队是歌队队长加主力，光本行就又是合唱，又是独唱外加小歌剧，更不说其他客串和各种杂务，而且不是偶然为之。金嗓子毕竟也是肉做的，他身体本来单薄，长期疲劳和睡眠不足，哑了还继续唱的结果是嗓子生了小结，终身没有完全恢复



但今天我仍然要为它浓墨重彩地写上这么多，因为它曾经是我生命中真实的，不可或缺的一部分。光鲜靓丽，人见人羡的出国生活；激情满怀，艰苦卓绝的下乡小分队，构成我演艺生涯的两个基本面，一会儿在国宴上和外国总统首相杯咣交错，一会儿在溪沟里捧一把冷水洗脸，所谓“上得了厅堂，下得了厨房”吧！