Adaptation is not a complete change, but rather a limited modification to the original, striving to retain its original flavor. (fQxsw.{Chinese)

Duanmu Ci's first step was to reduce the number of dancers. The Rainbow Feather Dance was a court dance, and the court was all about grandeur. Even the rules for wearing clothes were strict, let alone a ritual like dancing. The so-called grandeur of the Tang Dynasty was nothing more than the word "grand". Therefore, the original Rainbow Feather Dance was extremely grand in scale, so grand that only the Golden Hall of the Daming Palace could fully accommodate it.

Li Yu, the last ruler of the Southern Tang Dynasty, was not so good. Although he also had the character "Tang" in his name, his style was completely different. When the dancers performed this dance in the palace of Jinling, the sleeves they swung could directly hit the faces of the ministers sitting and drinking on the side.

There's no comparison at all.

Although the last emperor of the Southern Tang Dynasty was incompetent and weak, and the country was impoverished, he was still a ruler of a powerful and wealthy nation. The capital, Jinling, was not to be underestimated; while not as grand as Chang'an, it was still a renowned capital of six dynasties, a place from which many rulers used to survey the world. However, even so, they couldn't contain the grandeur of the Rainbow Feather Dance. Therefore, Duanmu Ci didn't believe that the small stage at Haishan University could possibly accommodate the vastness of Tang Dynasty song and dance.

Therefore, scaling down the scale of the dance became an imperative.

Duanmu Ci limited the dance to 28 people, which was a significant reduction, but it was still a remarkable spectacle.

With a different number of dancers, the content of the dance naturally changed as well. Duanmu Ci, Su Wuyu, and Yun Yun spent the entire afternoon at Duanmu Hall discussing the adaptation of the "Rainbow Feather Dance," debating how to reduce the number of movements, how to lower the overall difficulty to a level suitable for university students, while still achieving a perfect balance between artistic conception and difficulty.

The operational efficiency of this requirement is roughly five stars, and the task difficulty level is hellish...

However, they didn't care; they were very confident. Duanmu Ci, needless to say, was knowledgeable and experienced; even casually borrowing movements from ancient brothels and the Eight Great Hutongs was enough to amaze Su Wuyu and Yun Yun. Su Wuyu, as a former dance teacher, naturally possessed unquestionable professional skills. As for Yun Yun, although young, she was already quite knowledgeable and had long been a rising star in Haishan's dance scene; her reputation as a genius was truly well-deserved.

The three of them chattered away in Duanmu Hall for the entire afternoon, occasionally putting their ideas into practice or arguing amongst themselves.

Yun Yun said that one of the movements would be better if the flick of the sleeve were changed to a turn, which would create a sense of unspoken words. Su Wuyu, however, felt that the flick of the sleeve had a more classical beauty, and that was what she valued most. This involved the dignity of experts, and neither was willing to back down. So, Duanmu Ci, the only bystander present, had to step in to smooth things over, and even suggested with a rather "malicious" air, "Why don't you two give it a try?"

So, for the next while, Duanmu Ci was treated to a feast for the eyes. Su Wuyu and Yun Yun were both extremely beautiful women, one with classical beauty and the other with modern beauty. They danced against each other, showing off their skills, leaving Duanmu Ci, the judge, almost dazzled and unable to choose.

After two afternoons of revisions, the basic movements were almost complete, and the "new version" of the Rainbow Feather Dance was basically finished. The remaining task was to gather the team for a practical rehearsal and then check for any shortcomings.

There were 28 dancers in total, including Su Wuyu. Seven of them were members of the dance club, and the remaining twenty were all girls, all of whom were Duanmu Ci's own students. When performing the dance, Duanmu Ci's requirements were roughly two...

Beautiful and flexible.

That's right. The key requirement is beauty; a high level of attractiveness is essential. Girls who turn heads less than half are not even considered—it's incredibly strict. Duanmu Ci certainly has his reasons for doing this. If skill isn't an option, then looks are a viable alternative; as the saying goes, "If the dance isn't good enough, make up for it with your looks." Moreover, the so-called artistic conception of the Rainbow Feather Dance largely depends on the face. And the so-called "temperament" is merely a byproduct of appearance.

A handsome man can look cool with an arrogant expression. But what if it's an ugly man? If he puts on a domineering, wicked CEO look... even if the vibe is the same, it probably won't look good...

The second point is flexibility, not mental flexibility, but physical flexibility. Even if Duanmu Ci doesn't demand high dance skills, he still needs to master some basic dance steps and movements; a stiff body won't do!

To be honest, both requirements are very demanding, especially the first one, which is extremely cruel! But it must be said that Duanmu Ci's subordinates are indeed full of talent. Faced with such demanding and difficult requirements, a large number of people were selected, and far more than 20 people were selected. Therefore, many people are very resentful about being rejected.

Tang Luoluo was one of them. She felt that this was Teacher Duanmu taking revenge on her for organizing students to ask him about his messy affairs with Qiu Xiaogong.

Although it was very rude of her to speculate about her teacher like that, Duanmu Ci did nothing to her because she was right; he was indeed retaliating.

Yes, that teacher is just that shameless...

In fact, if the selection process were fair, Akishino would definitely be among those who were chosen. In terms of appearance alone, Akishino is already top-tier, and coupled with her unique shrine maiden aura, she has surpassed Tang Luoluo in popularity in just a few days since entering the school, with suitors as numerous as fish in a river.

Moreover, Akishino's swordsmanship is highly skilled, and his overall cultivation is almost on par with that of Wei Yue. His physical flexibility is naturally beyond question, and it is no different from that of a yoga practitioner.

Even so, Duanmu Ci dared not let Qiu Xiaogong perform, not for any other reason than his concern that something might happen to Qiu Xiaogong on stage; the risks were simply uncontrollable...

After gathering everyone, Duanmu Ci began rehearsals at the Duanmu Dance Studio, teaching each student the movements one by one, with the three of them guiding the steps individually. Generally, other dance instructors might engage in some inappropriate touching while teaching students, but such a thing was absolutely impossible with Duanmu Ci, because he was the one being groped…

However, Duanmu Ci didn't pay attention to these things; he seemed to have discovered a problem.

Something felt off, so he asked everyone to pause for a moment, then called Su Wuyu and Yun Yun over to discuss it further. (To be continued.)

P.S.: I have a fever and my head is spinning... It's easy to get sick in autumn and winter, so everyone remember to wear more clothes...

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