Dances of the Zhuang

The Zhuang have a good number of dances that have originated from very different forms. In general it is thought that the majority they have a ritual origin, in the movements of his wizards or shamans during his religious ceremonies.

In general they can split into four principal types:
Religious dances.
Dances of his activities.
Dances of the animals.
Love dances.

RELIGIOUS DANCES

Dance of the Drum of Bronze
It is possibly the most popular dance between the Zhuang. Whenever there is a holiday or epoch of rest, the villages do drums competitions, and represent the Dance of the Drum of Bronze. For him two drums are hung on two ends, which two girls touch, and the bigger one in the center, which an old teacher touches. The es who is taking the rhythm to which the people will dance. A few girls start by dancing, but soon the people are cheering up and all those who take part in the holiday dance to the sound of the drum of bronze.

The bronze drum has a magic meaning for some peoples of the south of China. In fact, made drums of good size have been dug up more than 2.000 years ago. The kingdom of Dian, established in the outskirts of the current city of Kunming before our age, already was famous for his bronze drums. Appreciated by his sound, and I include for his aptitude to act like kitchen bowl in important ceremonies, soon there assumed to them the aptitude to expel to the spirits turning into authentic treasures.

Between the Zhuang and other peoples of the region there is a good number of myths that treat about the bronze drums. The long poem sung by some peoples of Yunnan "The kings of the drum of bronze" shows to a people that it comes from distant grounds, along whose busy history the bronze drum turns into his principal modality. Relieving his material and spiritual sufferings, he communicates to them the will of the gods.

The Zhuang have a holiday called Holiday of the Drums of Bronze, which is celebrated on the 1st, the first 15 and 30 of the lunar month. The fundamental activity there are the competitions of drums of bronze between the villages. It is considered to be an activity auspiciosa to start the year, since according to his tradition, the sound of the drums banishes the demons.

Dance of the Transverse Drum:
It is a dance that only the shigong or shamans realized in his homage ceremonies to the gods. It receives his name because they were going hanging of the breast a made drum of terracotta or of wood with skin of goat or of snake.
The dances that the shigong realized were imitating the activities of the gods, rising to the sky or going down to the ground. That's why they were splitting into seven fundamental steps: increase to the horse, walking the horse, small jump, big jump, stop, average return and double return.

Dance of the Shigong
It is other of the ritual dances that the shigong or shamans realize zhuang in his religious ceremonies. So much in those of gratitude to the gods as in those of expulsion of spirits, rain request.
The shigong takes in the hand his sword, his pole and other objects of his ritual and the face is covered with a mask. The form in which it dances had for the Zhuang an indicative character. It usually takes with him some musical instrument, or a small drum called fenggu or huanggu; or a flat drum, or a few cymbals. The masks change according to the deity to which this ceremony is directed.

DANCES OF THE PRODUCTIVE ACTIVITIES

In his origin possibly also they had a religious component. Imitating the rituals that were favoring the protection of the gods during the different activities. The most popular are:

Dance of Grinding the Rice, in which the participants, with a stick, imitate the typical movements of this activity.

Dance of the Jumping pole to the Shoulder, in which the movements of the Zhuang are imitated with his characteristic jumping poles in which they transport the things.

Dance of Taking the Tea. Centred on the necessary inclinations to the collection of this product.

Dance of Taking Scampi.

DANCE OF THE ANIMALS

During the same ones the movements of the animals are imitated, in activities related to the persons, or with the idea of taking some of the qualities of the animal which movements are imitated during the dance.

Dance of the Pigeon (Turtledove)
Very common in the Yongning south. Three men do of pigeons, dancing and singing. They imitate to the pigeons moving the wings and pecking the grain, trill then happy for his luck. It is thought that this dance also is a way of propitiating a good harvest, in which the persons could feed like the pigeons.

Dance of the León
A dance transmitted by the Chinese, it was accepted with ardor by the Zhuang. Before 1949 every village had his teams of dance lion. Every year there were celebrated competitions that were implying thousands of persons in the Guangxi province. His name was the winners "Reyes León de Guangxi"

DANCES OF LOVE

Generally with sweet movements, they are celebrated during the most important holidays, when the young people is. The habitual way of seducing the dear being.

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