Ancient dance

The name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: ancient dance

Applicant: Baisha Li Autonomous County, Hainan Province

Project No.: 1090

Project No.: Ⅲ - 101

Time of publication: 2011 (the third batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Hainan Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Baisha Li Autonomous County, Hainan Province

Protected by: cultural center of Baisha Li Autonomous County, Hainan Province

Introduction to ancient dance

Applicant: Baisha Li Autonomous County, Hainan Province

The old dance is an ancient folk sacrificial dance of Li nationality. The dance is also called "shame Dong Long", which means "worship ancient noodles", that is, to worship the old people who died.

Ancient dances are performed during funerals and worship activities. It's usually a "ghost dance" in the daytime and an old dance in the evening. In addition, when people in the village are sick, have nightmares or have bad luck, they can also hold the activity of "telling the ancestors" to ask the ancestors to eliminate disasters; if things are safe, the village will also hold the activity of "telling the ancestors" every three years to pray for the ancestors to protect future generations in the form of mourning and offering sacrifices to the ancestors.

The ancient dance is divided into four steps

1. Start a division (to welcome the dead);

2. Open the que (turn the mortar, and go four or six), and call the dead to come back in pairs with the sound of gongs and drums;

3. Shouting (the dance team takes the dead man's Spirit card to walk around the 12 mortar);

4. Zouhongwei: a total of 1200 bamboo sticks with a height of about 2 meters are inserted in double rows on the field, and the bamboo sticks are connected by straw ropes (or red ropes). "Gouta" (the lead dancer) cuts the rope with scissors and leads the dance team through it until all the ropes are cut and out of Hongwei. At the same time, there are also dancers on the ground for the number of Lingpai Chung mortar room, perform farming, hunting, fishing and other dances.

The ancient dance shows the production and life style of Li Nationality in the primitive society, such as slash and burn cultivation, hunting, fishing, ancestor worship and so on.

The cultural connotation of ancient dance is rich, which is of great value to the study of anthropology, ethnology and folklore. At present, in Hainan Li inhabited areas, the old dance has been rare, only in the remote Xishui village, there are still remains.