China's different ecological environments and different historical and cultural backgrounds have enabled the country's many ethnic groups to develop into the unique human conditions and landscapes they are today, with their own languages, customs, cultures, religions and beliefs. The following introduction to various dances will give you a taste of the fascinating culture and art of each ethnic group in China. The Lion Dance, which has been widely spread throughout China, has a very long history. The Lion Dance has a long history and is a blessing for good luck and prosperity. As far back as more than 2,000 years ago, after the Han Dynasty passed through the Western Region, Yuezhi (now Kashmir and Afghanistan), Anshi (now Iran) and other countries, had sent envoys to the Han Dynasty to offer lions and other beasts, and the Han Dynasty began to appear in the stone lion sculptures, and gradually there are people simulating the lion's form of the performance.
The early 3rd century A.D. Cao Wei era, there has been a "lion dance" performance. In the Northern Wei Dynasty of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, when Buddhism was prevalent and the statue of Buddha was carried in a procession on the day of the birth of Sakyamuni, a "Lion Dance" was performed to guide the lion in front of the procession. The "lions" that led the way in front of the downtown area were, of course, dressed up as human beings. During the Xiao and Liang era, the Lion Dance had become one of the programs in the huge performance procession for the birthday celebration of the emperor. Led by "Old Hu", there were actors dressed as lions and phoenixes, as well as dancers who specialized in "Hu Dance". By the Sui Dynasty, the Lion Dance had made its way into the theater.
In the Tang Dynasty, with the high development of dance art, the Lion Dance was not only circulated in the civil society and the military, but also formally included in the court Yanle Department of Music, "Lipu Kabuki" in the "Taiping Le", which was danced by dancers dressed up as five lions in different colors, standing in the middle, the east, the south, the west, the north and the five sides. The lion dance depicted in Bai Juyi's poem "Xiliang Kabuki" is almost identical to the performance of today's "Lion Dance".
Today's widely circulated in the Chinese land and overseas Chinese settlements of the "Lion Dance", is still for the blessing of good luck, wishing for a happy life and dance. 1999, to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the country, in front of Tiananmen Square "Oriental Lion Dance" square, with its majestic momentum, fully demonstrated the Chinese children of the spirit of the nation of the spirit of vigorously enterprising, is the old lion dance in the development of the new era. The Chinese nation is fond of the inspiration with magnificent momentum and appeal. As early as 3,000 years ago, in the oracle bone inscriptions of the Yin and Shang Dynasties, there were records of drums and bells being struck to "play the dance". Later on, there were the "Building Drums and Dances" in the Han Dynasty portraits, the "Flower Drums and Kabuki" in the cave art of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the "Waist Drums and Dances" in the Dunhuang mural paintings of the Tang Dynasty, as well as the records of drumming and dancing in the Song and Ming Dynasties, and so on. To date, there are different styles of drum dance circulating in different parts of China, mainly the majestic drum dance, but also small and playful, singing and dancing small drum dance.
The drums are also very rich in form, both placed on the seat of the big drums, dancers around the drums, while dancing, drums rumbling, such as thunder; also back on the body waist, such as the shape of the winter melon of the small drums; majestic, such as Shaanxi, "Ansai Waist Drums," dancing, swallowing the mountains and rivers; Shanxi, "Flower Drums," is quite famous, a variety of styles, with a high drums, low drums, drums of the points.
Anhui "Fengyang Flower Drums" is widely circulated, performed by two men and two women, the female back flower drums, shaped like a winter melon, the male holding a small gong, singing and dancing. The lyrics are mostly about the pain of wandering and drifting. With the wandering around the victims to sing and dance "Fengyang Flower Drums" to survive, "Fengyang Flower Drums" gradually spread throughout the country, and with the combination of local folk songs and dances, become a different style of "Fengyang Flower Drums".
The drums of the Taiping Drum Dance are shaped like a fan and clatter when struck. Its shape is similar to the Fan Dance that was passed down in Hanwei two thousand years ago. From the initial religious ritual nature of the development of the people's self-entertainment dance, and even performance projects. Beijing Taiping Drum Dance was popular among the people in the Qing Dynasty. Lanzhou "Taiping Drum" is unique, barrel-shaped drum body length of 1 meter, to the drum whip made of cowhide whip, drums rumbling, sound vibration for miles. Drumming action amplitude, strong, with jumping, leaping, prancing, flashing, riding and other dance skills. Majestic momentum, fully embodies the heroic spirit of the people of the Loess Plateau.
In addition to the many Chinese drums and drums, the drums and drums of ethnic minorities include the Tibetan "Deba drum dance", the Uygur "hand drum dance", and the "cymbal dance" of the Miao, Yi, Zhuang, Yao and other ethnic groups, and the "wooden drum dance" of the Wa people, which have a long history and have been passed down to the present day. In addition to the several kinds mentioned in the article, there are also a lot of very distinctive drum dance.
The "Mighty Wind Drums and Gongs" of Hongdong, Shanxi Province and other places are said to have originated in the era of Yao and Shun and have been handed down to the present day; there are as few as 30 performers and as many as 400; the huge drums and gongs are set up in square, round and plum blossom formations, with the drums, gongs, cymbals and cymbals sounding together, which shakes the sky and shakes the earth. The Kaifeng "Big Drum and Drum Show" is also very impressive. Popular in Fujian, Taiwan and other places of the "big drum Liang umbrella", is said to have originated from the Ming Dynasty Qi Jiguang victory against the Japanese, the people celebrated dance; men and women dance together, the dance is light and lively, and a pair of old couples gags; rich in the warm atmosphere of the war battle to wish for success. At the opening ceremony of the 3rd Chinese Arts Festival, among the colorful minority dance performances, there was a group of Baoshan Yi youths dancing with cymbals, striking the cymbals as they danced. The cymbals shook the sky and shook the earth.
The cymbal is a loud musical instrument, but also a dancing tool with golden light. Dancing with cymbals has been passed down from ancient times to the present day, and has spread from the Central Plains to ethnic minority areas. Dancing while hitting the cymbals and flying cymbals are its specialties, which are not only the performing arts of folk festivals, but also the dance categories of Buddhism, Taoism and religious activities such as witch festivals. In ancient China, there was a long tradition of dancing with various musical instruments. There are traces of "playing dance" in oracle bone inscriptions. Ancient cultural relics have well-preserved images of the Cymbal Dance: Mr. Huo Xiliang copied and painted a set of Yuan Dynasty music and dance murals in Yulin Cave 4 in Anxi, one of which can be called the ancient Cymbal Dance. Half-naked Kabuki, head wearing a crown, long straps around the shoulders and arms, open crotch and stand, open arms, tilted body. The two cymbals with ribbons on the upper left seem to be thrown from the hands, hanging in the air, the dancers dynamic between wanting to catch yet to catch. This is clearly a throw cymbals out of the hand, hit the side of the dance posture.
Another Qing Dynasty "play cymbals figure" inscription: "This Chinese play cymbals of the figure, the people play a Taoist nun in the troupe, the temple incense has been burned, practicing hand play cymbals, able to fly in the fingers and can play with both hands four also. The picture depicts a small-footed woman holding a belt in each hand, with two cymbals tied to each end of the belt, and the cymbals flying in the air, jumping and dancing. From the inscription, it seems that the playing and dancing of cymbals is related to religious activities. Playing dance cymbals for the theater troupe of professional artists. Up to now, the Dance of the Law, which contains the Cymbal Dance, has been passed down in Tianjin and is still related to religious activities. The majestic cymbal dance is soaring and majestic. The Flying Cymbal Dance popularized in the Foshan area of Guangdong Province has a small and delicate cymbal with a long cymbal belt. The cymbals fly out and come back. Up and down, left and right, flying and rotating, dazzling, it is a skillful combination of dance and acrobatics. After the establishment of the Western Han Dynasty and the end of the long period of war and chaos, Liu Bang, Gaozu of the Han Dynasty, in order to stabilize the country and restore production, ordered the world to establish the Spirit Star Shrine in the eighth year of Gaozu's reign (199 B.C.E.), and worshipped the god of agriculture, Houji, in the same year. According to the Book of the Later Han Dynasty (后汉书-祭祀志-下), "The dancers were sixteen boys and men. Dancers like to teach the field, the first mow, the second plow, rue hoeing, drive爵(雀) and get mowed, pounded and bumped in the shape of the image of its work." This dance will hoeing, plowing, sowing, weed removal, loosening the soil, as well as the sun field, drive sparrows, harvesting, pounding rice, bumps and other agricultural labor movements, are woven into the dance, containing songs celebrating agricultural labor, praying for a good harvest will.
Ming Dynasty musicologist, art theorist Zhu Zaiyu according to historical data, compiled a lot of ancient dance score, in the "book of music", which has the "Lingxing small dance score", and made the "Lingxing dance fugue", the dance's thematic ideology, significance and team formation, musical instruments, dance and performance process is described in detail. At the same time, there is also a "Ling Xing Ancestral Temple Yale world peace word dance embellished trillion map", sixteen people to set the word, the design is accurate, formation changes in the route is clear, can be called the ancient dance in the "field record map".
Ju Zaiyu creatively added this Yalu dance of the Lingxing Shrine of the Shrine - "world peace" word dance to the agricultural labor dance of the sixteen boys. The same reason in ancient and modern times, in order to have peace in the world, only by developing production, improving economic efficiency and feeding the people, the world will be peaceful. Hong Kong people are familiar with the Cheung Chau Bun Festival, which is held once a year. The highlight of the festival is the "Parade", in which children perform the "Piu Sik" (floating colors) and play the roles of ancient characters in the parade. The so-called "piu sai" is a form of parade in which actors are skillfully supported by stands on which stand children dressed as various characters, and this kind of parade with the meaning of honoring the gods is prevalent in all parts of the country.
The source of the Piao color, lifting the pavilion (also known as the back stick, iron stick) - the shoulders of the small women's dance team, Lin'an in the Southern Song Dynasty is a very distinctive street dance team. It was characterized by young girls dancing on the shoulders of adults. According to "The Old Story of Wulin-Yuanxi", "Since the winter of the old year, when Meng drove back, there have been dozens of teams of little girls riding on the shoulders and dancing with drums and blowers. ...... Since then, they have been dancing on every evening. Dream sorghum record - Kabuki" said: "the market there are musicians three or five for the team, the engine one or two girls dance spin. As a result of the dancer is riding on the shoulders of others, was lifted in the air for the dance, the dance mainly rely on professional-looking waist and soft arm to show.
If you ask me where my family lives on the east side of the city, I'd buy them for a thousand dollars, but when I return to my home, I'm sleepy, and I still dream of a dream.
From the characteristics of the costumes and the accompanying musical instruments, it seems that this dance was introduced to the Central Plains from the northwest, and therefore has a certain "hu" style. Accompanied by flutes and drums, the dancers perform the dance in a graceful and seductive manner, high above the crowd and in the wider air. To this day, in the Anhui "Flower Drum Lanterns", there are still scenes of "Orchid Flower" women standing on young men's shoulders and dancing; the "Lifting Pavilion" and "Floating Colors" have retained a similar form of performance, which is in a certain way inherited from the Shoulder Dance Team. Ancient people called the mass self-indulgent song and dance with the foot on the ground as the festival, singing and dancing at the same time as "Tap Song". Tap Ge" is mostly danced during folk festivals, such as the Lantern Festival and the Mid-Autumn Festival. People form groups, link their hands and sleeves together, improvise words and sing the dance.
During the Han Dynasty, there was already a dance on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar calendar, in which people would join hands and step on the ground as a festival. In the Tang Dynasty, "Tap Song" was widely sung in the folk and court. In Tang poetry, there are many "Tap Song Lyrics" depicting the grandeur of Tap Song, in which people dressed up and gathered in groups for three days and three nights to sing and dance non-stop. After the Song Dynasty, the literati often referred to some ethnic minority folk songs and dances as "Tap Song", because their dances, like the "Tap Song", were characterized by mass, self-indulgence, holding hands, treading on the ground with feet, singing and dancing, etc. In fact, there were many "Tap Song" dances in the Tang Dynasty.
Actually, the dance form in which people dance in a circle, holding hands, singing and dancing with their feet on the ground has been practiced since ancient times. Dancing pots from 5,000 years ago vividly and accurately depict this type of folk dance. The legendary "hitting the soil" during the Yao Dynasty is the earliest record of this form of dance.
Because this dance facilitates face-to-face exchange of feelings and has a powerful cohesive force, many ethnic groups around the world have preserved dance forms similar to this one to this day. Tejangle Aqijie
The Baoan folk dance has been passed down in the Dahe home town of Jishishan County, near Linxia, Gansu Province. It is usually danced by the crowd at weddings to congratulate the bride and groom.
The Bao'an wedding is unique and is usually held on the day of the Lord's Day (Sunday in the Muslim calendar). At the time of the wedding, the village singer sings "Feast Song" to congratulate the bride and groom, then the bride and groom sing to each other, and then everyone sings and dances around the fire, "Tejangle Aqijie". The rhythm of this dance is distinctive and bold, with simple and bright movements. The dancers' upper bodies are loose, arms swing naturally, knees bend and stretch freely and elastically, showing a light and graceful style. This dance is often performed in the form of a pair or group dance to express people's blessings to the newlyweds and their yearning for a better life.
Hali
Dongxiang folk dance. The Dongxiang people are named after the Dongxiang people who live in Linxia, Gansu Province. The Dongxiang people are known for living in Dongxiang, a town in Linxia, Gansu Province, where marriages and marriages are celebrated with great excitement, and when a new daughter-in-law is taken into her husband's home, friends and relatives go to sing the "Hali" (congratulations on the new year) as a sign of congratulations.
"Harry" is a form of song and dance unique to the Dongxiang people. In the wedding banquet, one person leads the singing of Harry, the crowd together, singing and dancing, that is, according to the music beat neatly high-five or clap the arms, legs bent squatting, moving left and right dance steps, and sometimes with the sound of the call to do forward and backward or rotating movements. The dance is simple, joyful and fun. "Harry" often puts the wedding to a climax and is a traditional folkloric activity of Dongxiang people.
Banquet Dance
The Hui folk dance. The Hui people living in Gansu and Qinghai often perform a kind of folk dance combining song and dance with chic movements and unique styles at wedding banquets or celebrations, so it is called Banquet Song Dance.
Banquet song reflects a wide range of content, there are traditional themes, there are modern themes; there are exposing the darkness, there are singing the praises of the light; there are wise words of caution, there are congratulations on the blessing of the words of wisdom ...... Banquet Song Dance accordingly reflect these contents. This dance is mostly for men dancing in pairs, even if there are men and women dancing, but also men dressed as women (especially in Qinghai Province). Various areas of the banquet dance style: Gansu Province, more than singing and dancing men dance, martial arts flavor is relatively strong, dance movements rugged, swarthy; Qinghai Province, Hualong Hui Autonomous County of dance movements delicate, beautiful; Qinghai Province, Minhe County, the dance movements of the dashing generous, more than a butterfly with the wrist paddle dance, the dancers do not sing, the singer does not dance; Xinjiang Changji Hui Autonomous Prefecture, the women touch the bracelet unique features.
This dance is accompanied by erhu, bamboo flute and percussion. Commonly used feast songs are "green yo-yo erqing", "crying five night feast song", "pull the circle jumping feast song", "eight big bachelor feast song "
La Cirque du Soleil
Pulling the camel
Sara folk dance. Salar folk dance movements sensitive, expressive, with the unique style of dance in Central Asia, such as "pulling the camel", "hunting dance", "Alima", "Yisuzhi Ma Xiuri", "Lianjia Dance", "Yangmai Dance", "wall dance" and so on.
The traditional dance "pulling the camel" is a narrative dance. Legend has it that the ancestors of the Salar people moved here by pulling a camel across the mountains and water, and the dance was created to remind future generations of the history of the migration of the tribe, and has been passed down to the present day. The dance is performed by four people, two of whom are wearing leather jackets to decorate the camel, one of whom has his head wrapped in a "Dosdar" (turban) and is wearing a long robe, holding a camel in his hand and pretending to be the ancestor of the Salar people, the Gaal Mang, and the other pretending to be a local person (Mongolian). At the beginning of the dance, the Mongolian asks, "Where do you come from?" Gaalmang replies, "I come from Samarkand!" The song and dance form of singing and dancing while asking questions vividly expresses the hard journey of the ancestors' migration and what they saw on the way. Dance form lively, rich in content, with a strong flavor of life. This dance is often performed on happy days to cheer up the festivals, and is very popular among the people of this tribe.
Balang drum dance
Turkish folk dance. In Gannan Prefecture, Gansu Province, Zhuoni County, Kangduo Township, every year from the eighth day of the first month, when night falls, the local Tu people like to hand-carrying lamps and lanterns made of paper, by the villages and villages converge on the square, around a roaring bonfire, jumping up and down the cheerful Barang drums (is a unique Tu short drum) dance, in order to celebrate the life of the people year.
The dancers hold drums in their right hands and lamps in their left hands, and under the leadership of Jarba (the leader), they swing the drums and lamps, singing and dancing. The crowd first around the bonfire clockwise, counterclockwise direction of each circle three times, the dance movement or gentle and beautiful, or amplitude is very large, with the drum jumping, rotating and other skills. After the dance, with the whistling command, the rhythm slowed down, the dance gradually slowed down, the formation changed to two rows of men and women, the dancers twisted in place, the drums and lamps are light and light swing. The dancers twisted in place, while the drums and lamps were softly played and swung. Then the men and women sang in pairs, and the lyrics of the song were about the sun and stars. After the song, the dancers again swing drums and lamps around the bonfire rotating dance. The song and dance are repeated until late at night. Barangay drum dance is less than a dozen people, more than dozens of people to participate. In the darkness of the night, a red lamp as if the flashing red star, around the bright bonfire, suddenly gathered and scattered, unpredictable, very wonderful, loved by the masses.
Anzhao
Tu folk dance. Tu is a good at song and dance, there is a long tradition of literature and art of the nation. Although the Turkish people do not have their own text, but by oral tradition handed down folk literature, folk songs, folk dances and other forms, rich in content, meaningful, popular, is still a precious spiritual wealth of the Turkish people.
Anzhao is a kind of joyful, festive and auspicious dance widely spread among the Turkish people in Mutual Autonomous County of Qinghai. The content of Anzhao's lyrics is basically divided into two kinds of Spring Festival and wedding celebration. Anzhao jumped in the Spring Festival sings the contents of saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new, hoping for a bumper harvest, prosperity of six animals, and wishing the whole village peace for the young and the old; Anzhao jumped in the wedding celebration expresses the meaning of wishing the newly-wedded couples eternal happiness, mutual respect and mutual love, and growing old together.
The dance of Anzhao is beautiful and delicate, with a unique style. Women's movements are more elegant, graceful and gentle, while men's movements are rough, cheerful and generous. On the whole, the dance movements of Anzhao express the high enthusiasm of the Tu people, their exuberant national personality and their good wishes for happiness.
Protector
Yugu folk dance. Yugu people believe in Lamaism, its religious dance is more prevalent. Popular in Gansu Province, Su'nan Yugu region of the protection of the law, that is, one of the representative of the dance.
Protecting the law and the Tibetan "jumping god", Mongolian "jumping ghost", are the same, belong to the temple in the worship of gods and ghosts of the dance ceremony. In the old calendar of the first month of the fifteenth, the sixth day of the sixth month, the temple are to jump to protect the law. The number of appearances is about 20 people, wearing masks (cow, horse, deer, crow, eagle, magpie, skeleton and other 12 kinds of gods face), holding a magic weapon, different movements have different characteristics, such as the cow, the horse's movement is steady, solemn, deer, eagle's movement is fierce. There are very difficult skillful movements in this kind of dance, such as performing the skeleton, with dexterous movements and more jumps.
Zuo (pot Zhuang)
Tibetan folk dance. Zhuo that is, because of the ancient ancestors in the campfire around the pot dance, so called pot Zhuang. It is one of the Tibetan people's favorite forms of song and dance, with self-indulgence, often in folk festivals or farm rest jump, widely popular in the Tibetan region.
Sichuan Malcolm region of the most typical pot Zhuang, *** more than 300 kinds, large and small two categories.
The big potshuang are mostly songs of praise, with strong religious colors, and a small number of them reflect the love life and good wishes of the working people and the spirit of resistance; most of the contents of the small potshuang are lively and vivid, showing the real feelings of the working people, such as describing sincere love, praising the natural scenery of their hometowns, singing about their labor, and celebrating the good harvest, etc. The potshuang are also popular in the Tibetan area.
In the performance program, the potshuang dance is led by the dancer. The dancers hold horse bells and lead the crowd, dancing along the circle.
The first part of the Dabuzhuang is that men and women all hold hands and do the movements together, and when the formation goes into a big circle, all the people let go of their hands and dance alone, and add the movements of the hands. The movements of the Dabanjang are robust, powerful, and bold. Due to the more complicated movements and tones, it is not easy for young people to accept because of the many changes and difficulties in the performance. Therefore, most of the elderly people can dance this kind of potshang.
Small pot Zhuang from beginning to end are men and women divided into two teams to do the action, symmetrical formation, the collective circle. As they hold each other's hands, there is no movement on the hands, and the movements on the feet are small and not very varied. Usually a main body of action over and over again, when you feel the action is not fresh only to change another basic action to jump. Because the small pot Zhuang life rich, lively jumping action, exceptionally chic, melodious and beautiful, especially for young people love.
Dancing pot Zhuang dance, the male action is rich in elasticity, flexible and changeable, very rich impact, while the female action is more beautiful, gentle, dignified, stable.