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Legacy of Primeval Dances Ⅱ

"Nuo" dancers usually wear masks. As early as 3,000 years ago in the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the dance was popular. In the Zhou Dynasty, in particular, this type of dance was differentiated as "Guonuo" (at the national level) and "Xiangrennuo" (at the village level). The dance remains in many minority nationalities today Such as the Zhuang, Yao, Maonan, Mulao, Miao and Yi in Jiangxi, Anhui, Hunan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Guangxi and Sichuan provinces, which has a strong local flavor .

For instance, "Nuo" dance of Jiangxi Province either depicts the legend in which the goddess Pan Gu separated the Heaven and the Earth or the daily life of common laborers. "Nuo" dancers in Anhui walk on stilts and wear masks while performing, expressing their wishes of sacrifice to their ancestors, praying for blessing and dispelling the evils. "Shigong" dance is one form of "Nuo" dances, showing the magical power of gods of nature, local nationalities and Taoism. Meanwhile, it reflects reality. In "Shigong" dance of the Yao ethnic group, "Nuyou" dance is found, telling a story about the third daughter of the Dragon King under the sea who swam out of the water, was transformed into a Yao girl and began to dance. The Maonan ethnic group called this dance "Tiaotao", of which there was a program depicting the god of land wooing a girl named Sanniang. While performing in some mountainous villages, dancers have to put masks on their foreheads, letting the audiences who are standing on the surrounding slopes to see them clearly.

The "Chamo" and "Chagma" in Tibet and Mongolia nationalities are a kind of temple dance of the Tibetan Buddhists, which help propagate religion and entertain both man and deities. Both of them have deep relations with the "Nuo" dance in ancient times. The Yonghe Lamasery in Beijing is a palace for Tibetan Buddhism, and its dance is called "Tiaobuzha" (driving ghosts). During the Qing Dynasty, the Yonghe Lamasery sent 184 lamas to the royal court in each New Year's Eve according to the lunar calendar to perform "Tiaobuzha" and read scriptures in order to dispel ghosts and pray for blessings. On the last day of the first lunar month, grand "Tiaobuzha" ceremonies would be held in the Yonghe Lamasery. At the beginning of the 1950s, the Yonghe Lamasery continued Such activities, with Manchu and Han cultures integrated. As pointed Out in Chapter I, the Dongba dance and music (together with dancing scores) is also a relic of primitive belief. All of these show people's yearning for a better life, so they have been carried forward generation after generation.

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