Shaman dance performance form

 

Shaman dance performance form

 

Don't use melancholy as petals to decorate your life, don't use loneliness to build a fence to close yourself. We held hands and danced a shamanic dance. Don't stay in the lingering feelings for too long. When you are confused in the bitter water of life and can't see the future prospects, let us sing together and use our dance steps to dance with the God in our hearts.

When the Burmese musician Dorje talked about the shaman dance culture with his daughters Yadan, Dawa and Xiangqima, Agudengba, Adhuo and Chu Sanxing were also very interested.

Dorje talked about the performance form of shaman dance:

The Mongolian people call shaman dance "Bo" and "Bo dance". The shaman has an eagle ornament on his hat, wears a skirt with streamers, and has nine bronze mirrors tied around his waist to show his power and power. During the performance, a single-sided drum is used as the magical instrument, with one shaman taking the lead and two other shamans playing drums to accompany him. Most of the dances imitate the movements of birds, animals and various elves, and the final performance is "drum spinning". This is "Shaman Dance", commonly known as "Dance of the Great God".

There used to be a custom of "dancing the gods" in rural areas of northern China, but it is now rare. However, there are entertainment performances with a similar situation in the Northeastern local opera "Errenzhuan".

But Dorje has another way of saying the custom of "Dancing the Great God":

"Tiao Da Shen" first appeared in the national culture of the "Tu" ethnic group in southern China, and is also known as "Bobo Hui" among the Tu people. At the beginning of Dan Da Shen, people will prepare a bag filled with five kinds of grains for boys. , small red bag with garlic and five-color cloth. When it is ready, it will be put on the little boy's neck and watch the dancing master. On the second day of the second lunar month, the third day of the third month, and the eighth day of the fourth lunar month every year for the Tu people, Tu villages in many areas will hold activities to dance the gods. This custom has been passed down from ancient times to modern times, and the drums are still going on and the incense is flourishing. "Tiao Shen" is called "Bobo" in the language of the Tu people, which means the master's dojo.

Duoji further explained the "Dance Master":

Dancing God is a way of communication between the living and the dead. Generally speaking, two people need to work together to perform the dance, one is the one god, and the other is the two gods. The first god is the object possessed by the soul, and the second god is the assistant.

During the dance of the Great God, one of the gods is mostly "rotating" and the two gods are playing drums. There are fixed tunes and words to invite the gods. After the gods are invited, the two gods are responsible for communicating with the gods (spirits) and answering people's questions. Sometimes the people invited are so-called immortals, and sometimes they are the souls of dead people.

  Nowadays, Dancing God is more and more preserved as a national art. The official title is: Shaman Dance. This kind of witch dance was once popular among the ethnic groups in northern China in ancient times. The Manchus call shaman dance "dancing the gods of the house" or "burning flags and incense".

Shamans are Manchu wizards, and shaman dance is the dance performed by wizards in activities such as praying to gods, offering sacrifices, dispelling evil spirits, and curing diseases. During the performance, the shaman wears a long bell around his waist and holds a drum or a single drum. During the performance, he invites various gods to the sound of drums and bells. After the gods are invited, it is commonly known as "divine possession", that is, the characteristics of the invited gods are simulated as performances by various gods. For example: if you invite the "Eagle God", you have to fly like an eagle and peck at the offerings; if you invite the "Tiger God", you have to jump and pounce; or you have to dance with lit incense in a dark and mysterious atmosphere, which means that you have invited Come to the "Golden God".

Dorje is a musician, and he talked about the types of shamanic dance from a musician’s perspective.

Shamanic sacrificial dance mainly includes four dance methods: solo dance, duet dance, trio dance, and group dance. The shaman's solo dance highlights the solemn and solemn style. The two dance together, with clear priorities and neat and varied movements. Group dances are mainly about entertainment and utilitarianism and have strong performance meanings. Most of them more intuitively reflect hunting, fishing, racial reproduction and other related situations and scenes. They are either graceful, solemn, powerful, charming or moving. Rhythmic dance shows the folk customs of ethnic minorities, their hunting, fishing life and primitive beliefs.

Shaman dances vary from region to region. Palace shaman sacrifices are royal family rituals and have their own characteristics, but they have the same "common characteristics". The general situation is as follows.

1. Grasping drums are also called "God drums". The dance equipment is "Zhugu". The basic movements include: kneeling lunge and drumming, double drum rubbing, stepping and wrapping the head, hanging the drum left and right, rotating the drum in the air, passing each other, rotating in the air, using the index finger as the axis, etc. "Grasping Drum Dance" has large waist movements and can be twisted forward, backward, left, and right, and is cleverly coordinated with the waist bells. It also has fixed movements such as cross steps to beat the drum and swing the waist bells, cross steps to rub the drums and swing the waist bells, etc. The sound of drums and bells are harmonious, sonorous and melodious, and the movements are heroic, vigorous, cheerful and unrestrained. The drum beats are mainly "old three beats" and no even numbers are played.

2. The dance equipment of the bell dance is "ring bell", also known as "magic bell" and "pole bell". It is shaped like a birch stick three feet six inches long and seven inches in diameter, with three to seven copper or iron bells of different sizes tied to it with a yellow leather rope. There are two types of dance movements: "knocking" and "trembling". The main movements include: small cross step with trembling bell-shaking stick, turning around with trembling bell-shaking stick, backstepping, swinging waist and wrist knocking stick, elbow-bent knocking stick, pulling squat style left and right shoulder knocking stick, turning left and right and legs knocking stick, etc. The dance is rich and unique, with vigorous, free and easy movements and distinctive rhythm.

3. The dancers of the Divine Sword Dance Department beat the drums and "zhaban" to accompany the shaman and his assistant (Zai Li) respectively. The dance equipment "Magic Knife" is decorated with iron rings. It makes a clattering sound when dancing, which harmonizes with the sound of drums, board sounds and waist bells, making it pleasant to the ears. The dance procedure is to hold the magic sword flat, then follow the drum beat (old three points), advance three times and retreat three times, shaking the "magic sword" up and down at the same time, then turn around and wave, then sometimes dance the knife with one hand, sometimes dance the knife with both hands, turn over and jump , swung up and down, left and right, the sword flashed. There are also technical movements such as sucking the legs, jumping the knife, and lunging with the knife. The whole dance is free and powerful.

Dorje added:

In the performance form of shamanic dance, the drum plays an important role in shamanic dance. It is the main magical instrument and the accompaniment instrument when dancing to the gods. Shamans believe that drums are mounts that can be used to fly up to the sky and travel between humans and gods. The sound of drums has a mysterious function and can communicate with humans and gods and invite various elves to treat illnesses. The rhythm of drums when shamans dance to gods is very rich. Shaman dance is generally divided into parts such as praying, inviting gods, possessing gods, and sending gifts to gods. The content of shaman performances, the sacred drums, other magical instruments, and sacred clothes used by shamans of various ethnic groups can be divided into three categories:

l. Using scratching drums, there are special costumes with various elves symbolizing ornaments hanging on them, and there are also some with bells around the waist. The performance content is mainly to simulate animals.

2. Use a single drum, have special costumes, and perform various performances. The Mongolian shaman wears a crown with eagles, sacred trees and other ornaments, a red petticoat, and a skirt with 16-24 streamers. There are 9-12 bronze mirrors of different sizes hanging from both sides of the waist back. , holding a single drum in the left hand with a small iron ring on the end of the handle, and an elm drumstick in the right hand. The ornaments jingled when dancing, and the colorful skirt fluttered with the dance. The drumbeats of Mongolian shamans have a variety of beats, which can be used interchangeably in the same tune. When the shaman performs the divine dance, there are usually two people, one leader and one assistant. While drumming, singing and dancing, the two people crossed each other to form a circle, and the dance steps were gentle and slow. After the spirit possessed him, the main shaman put down his single drum, jumped high with both feet and stepped hard amidst the fierce drumbeats of the other shaman, and then made continuous flat steps to the left and right. Those with advanced skills can turn more than a hundred times. . Sometimes artifacts such as double drums and knives are also required.

Manchu shamans are divided into family shamans and professional shamans. The former presides over ancestor worship and gods of the tribe, while the latter exorcises evil spirits and cures diseases. Shamans wear sacred hats and tie many long bells around their waists. They perform with Hama knives, copper bells, sacred drums and other sacred tools. Manchu shamans use both scratch drums and single drums. When the family shaman worships his ancestors, the tribesmen play single drums, zhaban, big drums, etc. to accompany them. The shaman holds different sacred tools while singing and dancing, and jumps and spins amidst the harmonious sound of bells and drums. After being possessed by gods, shamans imitate the postures of various gods. When possessed by household gods, they perform different figures with different dance steps. When expressing wild gods, they simulate the images of birds, bears, tigers and other animals.

3. Use hand drums, such as Uyghur, Kazakh, Kirgiz, etc. The Uyghur shaman (Bakhxi)'s healing activity is called "Pir". When held, a thick rope is tied from the patio to the ground, and there is a relatively solemn ceremony. At the beginning of the ceremony, Bakhsi first read scriptures, prayed, and waved the magic knife in front of the patient. Then, he danced around the rope to the sound of drums, then led the witches to dance, and finally led the patient to dance, and constantly urged the patient to dance around the rope. Dance. The tambourine drums used by Bahxi are rich and diverse. Although the dances are magical and solemn, they also have many graceful dance postures and attract many onlookers. Kirgiz and Kazakh Bahxi do not use tambourines, but play Kumuzi and Dombula. While singing and reciting scriptures, or waving daggers and whips to perform dance movements to ward off evil spirits.

The explanation by the Burmese musician Dorje opened the eyes of Yadan, Dawa, Xiangqima, Agudengba, Azhuo and Chuxingxing.

At this time, Dorje asked the Mongolian dance team to give a demonstration performance. The team members danced the shaman dance and sang "Shendong":

 

Wearing a god's hat,

Put on the waist bell,

Holding the divine drum,

We play the single drum,

We beat the big drum,

We sing and dance,

Jumping to the sound of drums.

 

The beauty of youth,

colorful,

Beauty is spinning,

Powerful and broad is beauty,

Tenacity and perseverance are beautiful,

Lightness and cleverness are beautiful,

Delicacy and exquisiteness are beautiful,

The beauty of youth,

Beauty lies in truth,

Beauty lies in nature.

 

Great God, come quickly,

Let us dance together,

You can bring joy,

You can inspire us,

Pray for our well-being.