Bronze drum dance (bronze drum dance of Yao nationality in Tianlin)

Name of China's national intangible cultural heritage: Bronze Drum Dance

Applicant: Tianlin County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Item No.: 129

Project No.: Ⅲ - 26

Time of publication: 2008 (second batch)

Category: traditional dance

Region: Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Type: Extension Project

Applicant: Tianlin County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Protected by: Tianlin County Cultural Center

Brief introduction of bronze drum dance (Tianlin Yao people's Bronze Drum Dance)

Applicant: Tianlin County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region

Bronze drum dance is one of the most popular and influential ancient dances among Zhuang, Yi and Yao people in China. It comes from the natural worship and ancestor worship activities of Zhuang and Yi people in Wenshan. In the performance of bronze drum dance, the drummer beats the drum rhythmically, which causes the change of dance formation and movement. There are many forms of group dance in bronze drum dance. Young men and women can form a circle, or they can be arranged into semicircle, straight, vertical, cross and square. The dancer's mood fluctuates with the dance, the dance method is vigorous and powerful, the dance posture is rough and flexible, the dance scene is cheerful and moving, showing distinct national and regional characteristics.

Yao's bronze drum dance is a folk dance form created by Yao people. It has a history of more than 200 years and is popular among Yao people in Tianlin County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

Every year from the second day of the first lunar month to the thirtieth or the second day of the second lunar month, the Yao villages will dance bronze drum dance to commemorate their ancestors, celebrate festivals, pray for health and longevity, grain harvest and animal prosperity. On New Year's Eve or the second day of the first month of the lunar new year, all the people in the village put on their festive costumes, and the village elders presided over the annual "Qibao" ceremony. They dug out the two bronze drums, which were divided into a male and a female, and set up incense tables and offerings. After sacrificing the bronze drum, the middle-aged and young people in the village hang up the bronze drum and the wooden drum under the command of the village elder. The chief priest beat a drum first, and then the others took turns. At the beginning, the drum is soft and gentle, then it gradually speeds up, tends to be high and exciting, and finally it sounds like a storm. The two drum beaters are the leading dancers of the bronze drum drum. They sometimes fight head-on, sometimes turn around. Drumsticks constantly appear at the back of the head, back of the waist, and under the crotch, hitting the drum face, forming a distinctive rhythm. They dance while fighting, and their movements are harmonious and seamless. The men, women and children on the field joined the dance ranks one after another. They danced first in circles, then in spring and pole dances. The movements were enthusiastic and unrestrained, and the scene was extremely spectacular. There is no limit on the number of people who can participate in the bronze drum dance. After dancing the bronze drum every year, the drum is buried in the ground. The location of the drum is not publicized.

The bronze drum dance of Tianlin Yao nationality is of great significance in the identification of Tianlin Yao culture, which can provide reference for the study of Ethnology and art.