Yao monkey dance

Name of Chinese national intangible cultural heritage: Yao monkey dance

Applicant: Libo County, Guizhou Province

Project No.: 661

Project No.: Ⅲ - 64

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Guizhou Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Libo County, Guizhou Province

Protection unit: Libo County Cultural Protection and Cultural Industry Development Center

Monkey dance of Yao nationality

Applicant: Libo County, Guizhou Province

Yao people's monkey drum Yao language is called "jiugelang", which is a ritual dance spontaneously formed by the ancestors of Baiku Yao to commemorate their ancestors and the closely related "first monkey". It is only popular in Baiku Yao residential area in Libo County, Guizhou Province.

Yao's monkey drum dance takes leather drum and copper drum as musical instruments, and the leather drummer acts as the leader and conductor during the performance. They stood in a big circle around the leather drum, with several or even more than ten bronze drums suspended on the other side. There are two musicians on each side of the bronze drum, one is beating the drum, and the other is holding the "resonance box" like a rice steamer behind the drum, one in and one out, so as to make the drum sound more thick and deep. The drummers beat and dance around the drum. They danced one after another on the drums, imitating the posture and movements of monkeys, climbing and jumping. The dancing posture was soft, rigid, and light and heavy, showing a strong and heroic style.

Monkey drum dance is the product of totem worship in primitive society. It epitomizes the migration history of Baiku Yao in Libo, reveals their strong will to struggle for survival and their national spirit of fearing violence, and provides specific examples for the study of Baiku Yao's history. With the change of society, the living environment of Yao's monkey dance has changed greatly. At present, only one or two old artists have mastered all the skills of monkey dance. This ancient folk dance has no successors and is facing the danger of extinction. It is urgent to rescue and protect.