Mongolian Chopstick Dance

The "Chopstick Dance" is named after the chopsticks that are used to accompany the dance, and is mostly performed by men alone at celebratory banquets. During the performance, the dancer holds a bunch of chopsticks in each hand, and with the crowd's singing and various percussive sounds, in kneeling, sitting, standing and other postures, along with the leg flexion and extension, body twisting, with chopsticks striking the hands, arms, shoulders, back, waist, legs, feet and other parts of the body, and the intervening ground striking action, while striking and dancing. The movements are agile, clean and rhythmic.

"Chopsticks Dance" is a characteristic dance of the Mongolian people, which has been passed down in Etochki Banner and Uttarakhand Banner of Ikezhaomeng, Inner Mongolia, and was originally a one-man dance performed by a male entertainer at weddings and festivals, in the midst of stringed music and vocal accompaniment, with the performer holding a pair of chopsticks in his right hand and striking the palms of his hands with them, The performer holds a chopstick in his right hand and uses it to strike the palm, shoulder, waist and leg, etc. While striking, the shoulder shrugs around and the wrist flexibly turns around, and the sound of striking is light and brittle, with a distinctive rhythm and a warm mood.

Related Notes

The performer holds a chopstick in each hand, holds the thin end of the chopstick, and strikes the thick end of the chopstick. The movements include crossing the chopsticks with both hands in front of the chest and also hitting the shoulders; crossing the chopsticks with both hands in front of the abdomen; hitting the chopsticks with both hands in front of the chest, then hitting the shoulders with one hand and crossing the legs with the other; hitting the shoulders with one hand and hitting the ground with one hand in a circle; hitting the chopsticks with both hands in front of the chest and hitting the legs with the other hand and hitting the chopsticks with both hands in front of the chest and hitting the shoulders with the other hand and then hitting the shoulders with both hands.

The footwork includes walking in and out, walking on the ground, or various kinds of turning and jumping movements that the dancers can improvise. The slow dance is steady and deep, while the fast dance is graceful and vigorous. When the mood is high, the chopsticks fly around the body and hit various parts of the body in various movements, making the scene easy and warm. Chopsticks Dance condenses the Mongolian people's love of life and the wisdom of beautifying life, and it is also a part of the Mongolian people's spiritual life.

Reference: Baidu Encyclopedia - Chopstick Dance