Tujia dances, including swing dance, meat ring dance, dragon lantern dance, Babel bell dance, Maogusi dance, vault dance, Ye Er chant dance and funeral dance, all have distinctive Tujia characteristics. Among them, Swing Dance, Maogusi Dance, Imitation Ye Er Dance, Meat Ring Dance and Dragon Lantern Dance have been included in the national intangible cultural heritage list.
Dance:
According to historical records, the waving dance originated from the military dance of Ba people in Shang and Zhou Dynasties. In the Western Han Dynasty, this military war dance of Ba people became the court dance music of Han Dynasty, which was called Bayu Dance. Liang restored his name and changed it to dance. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, Bayu Dance was classified as lofty music.
When dancing swing dance, you should play the big earth horn, suona, gong, cymbal, drum, three-eye cannon and firecrackers. People form a circle, men in the outer circle and women in the inner circle. In addition to circles, there are columns, herringbone teams and various patterns. The number of dancers is uncertain and they are free to come and go. This action requires the hands to swing on the shoulders, the knees to bend and vibrate, and the hands and feet to move along the edges.
The dance is simple and the music is lively. While dancing with your hands, you should sing the song of shaking hands. Its lyrics have a long history of fixed lyrics, but also a small number of improvised new lyrics. People are singing and dancing, and the atmosphere is warm and full of Tujia flavor.