Basic characteristics and characteristics of Tibetan folk dance

1. Basic style characteristics of Tibetan folk dance

Although the dazzling and prosperous Tibetan dances have their own unique personalities and inherent aesthetic requirements, they all include Different essential elements and different movement rules. This movement element and law constitute the aesthetic concept of the entire Tibetan dance. "trembling, opening, shun, left, and Rao" are the unique characteristics of various types of Tibetan dance, or are called the five elements of Tibetan dance, thus forming an aesthetic concept that distinguishes it from other brother ethnic dances. The composition of these five elements is closely related to the Tibetan people's historical conditions, social systems, customs and beliefs, geographical environment, production methods, cultural traditions, etc., and is an aesthetic standard that has been condensed among the people for a long time. In the rhythm of dance, there are also the most basic common laws of "three steps and one change", "stepping back and stepping forward", "turning backwards" and "turning four steps". On the basis of this unique law, various changes are produced, and different dance styles are formed by adding the differences in gesture movements, waist rhythm, and music. The steps of Tibetan dance are very rich. From the foot movements, it can be summarized as twelve basic steps, including "rubbing, dragging, stepping, kicking, tapping, tucking, kicking, planing, kicking, sucking, striding and twisting". The gestures of Tibetan dance can be summarized into seven changes: "pull, yo, throw, circle, push, rise and rise". The main techniques in Tibetan dance include: grinding spin, planing leg spin, kicking spin, fruity spin, leg-crossing spin, jump-crossing spin, grinding spin, squat spin, kneeling spin, tuck spin, forward and reverse spin, and waist twist. Forward and reverse, twist and reverse, step turn, step turn, point turn, flat turn, small jump, dead man jump, lying down big jump, flat arc jump, leg jump, leg suction jump, Cover-leg jump, tuck-leg jump, step-step jump, bunny jump, cat jump, etc.

1. Basic characteristics of posture

The basic characteristics of Tibetan dance posture are sitting on the hips, with the upper body relaxed and leaning forward. Because the Tibetan people live in areas such as plateaus and grasslands with relatively high altitudes, the air pressure is relatively low. If you hold your chest up when climbing, diving, etc., it will cause breathing difficulties. Therefore, depending on the natural environment, your posture needs to be chest-friendly and relaxed. It mainly comes from the self-coordination of workers to reduce physical burden, but from a dance perspective, it has a different kind of beauty.

2. Basic characteristics of rhythm

Regular trembling and flexion and extension of the knees are the basic characteristics of Tibetan dance rhythm. Since the Tibetan people live on the extremely cold Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, outdoor grazing work and heavy, wide boots made of sheepskin increase the weight of the human waist and hinder the dexterous movement of the lower legs, but make The hip and knee joints have been liberated, thus creating the movement pattern of Tibetan folk dance: "If you want to move, you must bend first." The lower body of Tibetan dance is active and the upper body is passive, forming a bottom-up characteristic of bending before moving, giving people a feeling of elegance and calmness.

2. Basic classification and inheritance of Tibetan folk dance

1. Collective singing and dancing "harmony".

It is divided into four types: "Guo Xie", "Guo Zhuo", "Duixie" and "Xie". To this day, one of the forms of "Guo Xie", "Da Aga", can still be seen when building houses and paving the ground in rural Tibet. "Da Aga" has been recorded as early as the Tang Dynasty and originated from an ancient labor chant. Later, simple upper body movements, rotation in place and formation changes were added, and it became a form of labor song and dance in which men and women alternately sing and dance. "Guozhuo" is popular in a wide area, and its names are different in different regions. It is called "Suo" in the Sakya area, "Bo" or "Boqiang" in the published areas, and "Zhuo" or "Guozhuang" in the pastoral areas of northern Tibet. "Guozhuo" is a circle-shaped self-entertainment song and dance that ancient people danced around a campfire or a pot stand. "Duixie" was first circulated in the Yarlung Zangbo River Basin, a circle dance in the entire area from the high-lying Shigatse west to Ngari, and later gradually became popular in Lhasa. This is the earliest dance accompanied by a six-stringed harp instrument. "Duixue" later gradually evolved into "Tap Dance", a male performance dance featuring tap steps accompanied by a small band. The traditional "Duixue" is different from other circle dance forms in that men and women cross hands in front or behind the body during dance.

"Xie" is also called "Xianzi" because the male dancer leads the dance and is accompanied by stringed erhu or corbel harp. It is called "Ye" or "Kang Xie" in Tibetan. It is popular in Qamdo of the Tibet Autonomous Region, Qinghai Gansu and other places, especially "Xianzi" in Batang area of ??Sichuan Province is the most famous. The form of "Xianzi" in various Tibetan areas is the same, with slow and stretched movements, delicate and smooth movements. The Tibetan folk dance "Yi" in Yushu, Qinghai is a folk group dance that is highly entertaining for oneself. In addition to organizing performances at festivals such as horse racing meets, young men and women usually dance around bonfires or sitting under the moonlight after work or at night. "Yi" entertains herself. Most of the lyrics of "Yi" are traditional lyrics that have been followed for a long time in history, and they are not changed at will. The lyrics are mostly one to two paragraphs, and the content is mainly about praising the mountains and rivers of hometown, singing about working life, wishing people good luck and happiness, etc.

2. Performative circle dance "Zhuo".

It has two representative dances, "Zhuo Xie" and "Reba Zhuo". "Zhuo" mainly performs various types of circle "dance". In its entire dance process, it is characterized by not dancing when singing and not singing when dancing. Technical performance occupies the main position of the dance. "Zhuo Xie" originated from ancient sacrifices. The continuation of sacrificial activities for thousands of years has allowed various "dances" to be passed down from generation to generation. It will be interspersed with songs during the performance and sung by all dancers. "Reba" is a trinity performance form that includes "folk songs and dances", "bell drumming" and "miscellaneous music performances" with certain plots. It is popular in Qamdo and the Ministry of Industry in the Tibet Autonomous Region and Yunnan, and is inhabited by Tibetans in Sichuan Province. The area is a variety of singing and dancing shows where wandering artists used to make a living in the past. The Tibetan folk dance "Zhuo" in Yushu, Qinghai is a highly performative folk dance. The dance is in a circle and the rhythm is slow at first and then fast. The melody of Zhuo's lyrics is low and soothing, solemn and full, the rhythm is steady and powerful, and the movements are large and slow, such as the stretching of the arms, the rising and falling of the legs and feet, all must be done leisurely and slowly, and the landing of the feet is silent but very powerful, so Zhuo's dance looks extremely vigorous Bold and unrestrained.

3. Sacrificial folk dance.

Tibetan sacrificial folk dance is also worth mentioning. In order to conform to the Tibetan belief characteristics of "polygod worship", people hold various sacrificial activities of different sizes. The sacrificial rituals and the large number of Tibetan dances they contain are widely popular in Tibet, Inner Mongolia, Gansu, Qinghai, Sichuan and other provinces. For example: "Dragon Drum" in Huangnan area of ??Qinghai is called "Leshize" in Tibetan and "Shen Drum" by the Tibetan people. It originated from a sacrificial activity to entertain the gods to pray for a good harvest. In the long-term historical evolution, it gradually evolved into a mass entertainment activity. It developed from the original single drumming movement into a group dance with multiple dance steps and continuous performances. A large-scale folk sacrificial activity spread on both sides of the Longwu River in Tongren County, Huangnan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province, and in some Tibetan townships in Xunhua County adjacent to the county. Every June, the gods are worshiped at the God Dance Festival to bless the villagers with a prosperous life. Young men hold single-sided drums and dance while beating the drums under the guidance of the master. It shows the images of inviting gods, worshiping gods, sending gifts to gods, subduing demons and imitating eagles and horses.