Hand in hand dance of Gaoshan Nationality

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: hand dance of Gaoshan Nationality

Applicant: Hua'an County, Fujian Province

Project No.: 662

Project No.: Ⅲ - 65

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Fujian Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Hua'an County, Fujian Province

Protected by: Hua'an County Cultural Center, Fujian Province

Introduction to Gaoshan people's hand in hand dance

Applicant: Hua'an County, Fujian Province

Hand holding dance is a kind of folk dance for self entertainment of Gaoshan people. It is widely spread in the central mountainous area of Taiwan Island, the eastern longitudinal valley plain, Lanyu Island and western plain, as well as the coastal areas of Fujian and Zhejiang in mainland China. It has a long history of more than 1000 years.

The hand-in-hand dance of Gaoshan Nationality can be performed in festivals or wedding ceremonies, and can also be used for entertainment at ordinary times. Daily hand-in-hand dance is less than 35 people, more than dozens of people, and the number of participants in Grand festivals can reach hundreds. In addition, there are single row, double row, spiral, dragon tail and other formations. The dance is usually led by an expert in singing and dancing. Most of the lyrics are praising ancestors, praising heroes, congratulating harvest, encouraging production, singing unity and so on. There are two ways to pull a handle: one is to pull with people on both sides, which is usually called "small handle", among which there are different ways such as hand-in-hand and connecting each other with the little thumb; the other is to pull with one person to form a cross arm handle, which is usually called "big handle". When the "small handle" is used, the arms can be swung back and forth, up and down, or bent on both sides of the body, while the "big handle" is inconvenient. The movements of hand-in-hand dance are mainly composed of stepping up, withdrawing, raising legs, stepping on feet and so on. For men, there are more intense movements such as jumping forward, squatting and then standing up. The changes of rhythm and combination make the dance steps very rich.

The hand-in-hand dance of Gaoshan ethnic group plays an irreplaceable role in promoting cross-strait cultural identity, promoting social harmony and the reunification of the motherland. At present, there is no one to inherit this excellent national art, which needs to be protected.