An introduction to the folk dance of the Dong people
The Dong people are mainly distributed in Guizhou, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Hunan and other places in China. They belong to the Zhuang Dai and Zhuang Dong languages ??of the Sino-Tibetan language family respectively. There are two Dong and Shui languages. Its ancestors are the descendants of the "Xiou" branch of the "Luoyue" branch of the ancient "Baiyue". From the Sui and Tang Dynasties to the Song Dynasty, it was called "Dong" and "Dong", and later "Dong" was used as the ethnic name of the nation.
The Dong people in the Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County in Liuzhou Prefecture, Guangxi hold grand ethnic activities with rich and colorful contents every year on the third day of the third lunar month.
From ancient times to the present, everyone of the Dong people, no matter how old or young they are, is good at singing and dancing. They have a tradition of answering questions with songs and finding mates with dance. Among their songs, there are single-part "little songs", multi-part "big songs", "road songs" when welcoming guests, "accompanying songs" at weddings, and young people playing and singing by themselves. "Pipa Song" and so on are countless. Even when they have conflicts with each other, they also use singing to quarrel. The Dong people are inseparable from the accompaniment of the Lusheng when singing and dancing. Songs, dances and the Lusheng are an indispensable and important part and content in the lives of the Dong people. The "Lusheng Dance" collectively referred to by the Dong people includes dances of various contents and forms, including self-entertainment dances during festivals, social dances between young men and women, and performances of Lusheng to show the masters of Lusheng. While performing difficult dance skills and competitive dance.
In the past, the Dong people had to perform "Lusheng Dance", "Dialect Song" or hold village "assemblies" in front of the "Drum Tower" at a specific location. In villages where the Dong people gather, such as Guangxi and Guizhou, there will be a tall, simple, elegant, wooden structure "Drum Tower" with unique shapes. The architectural form of the Drum Tower is based on the principle of being large below and small above, resembling a tall tower. Its polygonal eaves can be built in four-sided, six-sided or octagonal shapes, with overlapping flying pavilions, reaching a height of three to fifteen stories and standing at the highest point of the village. But in addition, the "Ma Fat Drum Tower" of the Dong Village in Sanjiang County, built in the 1920s, has only one floor, but it is famous for its exquisitely carved square tower with nine-story cornices and a majestic and spacious temple-like shape. It is famous for its architectural shape. There are four large pillars in the hall that need to be embraced by both hands, and the walls are painted with colorful traditional murals. They are the essence and pride of the ancient architecture of the Dong people. The Drum Tower is the venue and gathering center for Dong family members' activities. In case of emergency, the highly respected leader of the village will beat the "drum" hanging on the beam in the hall to gather all the Dong people in the village. In addition, if there are distinguished guests entering the village, drums can also be played to announce the news to the whole village to express a grand welcome. The hall inside the Drum Tower is paved with bluestone, has a fire pit, and is surrounded by benches. It is a place where Dong people can chat, work, act, sing in antiphonal songs, play in the hall, and play Lusheng at any time of the year.
"Lusheng Dance" is a traditional folk dance of the Dong people. It originated from ancient ritual dances that prayed for a good harvest before sowing, thanked the gods for blessings after the harvest, and offered sacrifices to ancestors. The dance atmosphere is warm and cheerful, and it has become a self-entertainment and courtship dance for the Dong people during the slack period after the rice harvest to before the spring sowing of the next year and during various festive festivals, which is called "Stepping on the Hall" or "Stepping on the Lusheng". .
During festivals, adult unmarried young men and women of the Dong ethnic group will not miss the opportunity to "step into the hall". Because many of these young men and women have to choose their sweethearts through the opportunity of group dance. Moreover, the girls participating in the "Tang Tang" not only have to wear sparkling indigo dresses, but also wear as much silver jewelry as they can on their heads, ears, necks, and arms, because this is to show their family's financial status to the young men. silent language. In the past, due to the low economic level, if more than one daughter in a family reached adulthood at the same time, but because there was no minimum silver jewelry, the older daughter could only participate in the "treading" activities, which put the whole family in a dilemma. things happen often.
The dance circles that perform "stepping on the hall" are based on villages. Each dance circle is called "one hall". During the festival, several "lusheng dance" halls from various villages and each with their own unique skills will gather together. Together, we show our grace.
At that time, before the Lusheng dance in each hall, a Lusheng pillar must be erected high in the center of the circle. The Lusheng team flag is hung on the top of the pillar. Around the Lusheng pillar, 4-6 people will perform the "Treading Hall" dance. "Mangtong" performance with bass accompaniment. After everything is ready, the young man holding a small reed and the dressed-up girl holding a colorful scarf or flower umbrella and wearing silver jewelry stand in an inner and outer circle and dance in a counterclockwise direction. The dance movements and rhythms change according to the melody played by the Lusheng head. The main movements of the women are spinning in place and swinging their arms up and down, back and forth; the men are playing the Lusheng while doing large movements such as squatting, jumping, and kicking. The whole dance is immersed in lyricism and delicacy, but also has a lot of chicness and liveliness. Moreover, whenever several dance teams dance at the same time, "Lusheng songs" come and go, and the girls dance gracefully, forming a sea of ??singing and dancing, which is very lively. What is even more interesting is that at the end of "Treading the Hall" in Sanjiang County, Guangxi, sometimes a more intense and eye-catching entertainment activity "playing the drum" is added, which is like a tug-of-war game. All the dancing men and women are divided into two sides, pulling long wooden drums tied with thick ropes, and the victory of one party is the end of the dance activity;