Nuo dance (Wuyuan Nuo dance)

Name of Chinese national intangible cultural heritage: Nuo dance (Wuyuan Nuo dance)

Applicant: Wuyuan County, Jiangxi Province

Project No.: 110

Project No.: Ⅲ - 7

Time of publication: 2006 (the first batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Jiangxi Province

Type: new item

Applicant: Wuyuan County, Jiangxi Province

Protection unit: Wuyuan Hui Opera School

Introduction to Nuo dance (Wuyuan Nuo dance)

Applicant: Wuyuan County, Jiangxi Province

Nuo dance is a popular folk dance with the functions of exorcising ghosts and diseases and offering sacrifices. It is a part of Nuo ceremony, and is usually performed from the first day of the lunar new year to the sixteenth day of the first lunar month. The existing Nuo dance is mainly distributed in Jiangxi, Anhui, Guizhou, Guangxi, Shandong, Henan, Shaanxi, Hubei, Fujian, Yunnan, Guangdong and other places, where there are local appellations such as "Tiao Nuo", "Gui Wu" and "fun Xi". Nuo dance has a long history. It was formed in the ceremony of "grand Nuo" in the court of Zhou Dynasty, and it is recorded in Zhou Li. In the process of historical development, Nuo dance has formed different styles in different regions, and occupies different proportions in Nuo ceremony. In the performance of Nuo dance, the mask of a certain role is usually worn, including mythical images, secular figures and historical celebrities, thus forming a huge Nuo genealogy, "it's human to take off the mask, and it's God to put on the mask.". The accompaniment instrument of Nuo dance is simple, generally drum, Gong and other percussion music. The organization performing Nuo ceremony and Nuo dance is called Nuo class. Generally, there are more than eight to ten members, often with strict class rules. Nuo dance often appears in the climax of Nuo ceremony and the stage of performance. There are abundant Nuo dance programs all over the country, which have dual functions of sacrifice and entertainment.

Wuyuan Nuo dance, commonly known as "ghost dance" or "dance ghost", has a long history, numerous programs and unique style. It is a "living fossil" in the study of ancient Chinese dance art history, which has attracted the attention of experts and scholars at home and abroad.

Through years of investigation, there are more than 100 Nuo dance programs and more than 200 Nuo noodles in Wuyuan. Due to the influence of social and historical reasons, there are 19 actors and more than 30 masks in the "exorcising God class" in Changjing village of qiukou town. Among them, there are 4 primitive wood masks, which can perform 24 programs. There are many Nuo dance programs in Wuyuan, such as "the creation of heaven and earth", "the sun shines on the moon", "Meng Jiangnu sends cold clothes" and so on. The performance forms include solo dance, duet dance, trio dance, group dance and so on. Wuyuan Nuo dance is very rich in movements, simulating women's dance steps "Ni Xing bu", "Bi ax", "Ao ax", "Mo ax" in the creation of heaven and earth, "Shang, Zhong, Xia cross", "Cao Bing bu", "clap hands", "clap legs across the river", "play feathers", "dance Flowers", "wheel stick" in the prime minister's Cao Bing, "touch Hu Dian" in the sun shooting at the moon, "touch Hu Dian" in the prime minister's Cao Bing "Single touch Hu" and "double touch Hu" are unique, retaining the unique style of simplicity, ruggedness, simplicity, exaggeration, image and vividness. Most of these movements are straight crutches, knees bending, sinking, chest holding and abdomen straightening, with the characteristics of sinking but unremitting, stemming but not stiff. Music accompaniment is composed of percussion music, Qupai and singing. There are special gongs and drums score and Qupai, which follow the principle of dance ending.

In 1953, Wuyuan Nuo dance went to Beijing to participate in the first national folk music and dance performance, and four programs including "prime minister's military training" were selected into "Chinese folk dance ensemble". In June 2005, he participated in the "China Jiangxi International Nuo culture and Art Week" and won the Gold Award and excellent performance award. Wuyuan Nuo dance, with its simple dance style and numerous performances, carries rich traditional cultural content, which is worth cherishing.

Chinese PinYin : Nuo Wu Wu Yuan Nuo Wu