Essay on Tibetan Dance

Author's Introduction Qiangba Quergye is an associate professor in the Department of Arts of Tibet University. (Lhasa 850000, Tibet)

AbstractThis paper discusses the aesthetic characteristics of Tibetan dance and the aesthetic ideals of the Tibetan people through the study of the body rhythms, gestures, movements and rhythms of Tibetan traditional dance.

Key Words Tibetan Traditional Dance/Dance Theory/Body Rhythm, Movement, Gesture/Aesthetic Characteristics

This paper explores the aesthetic characteristics of Tibetan dance through the study of body rhythm, style, and aesthetic consciousness and aesthetic ideals of Tibetan traditional dance, so as to grasp the basic aesthetic characteristics of the ancient nation in the inheritance and development of the innovative Tibetan dance and to make the developing Tibetan dance have more national characteristics and aesthetic value.

I

The art of dance is one of the earliest forms of art that accompanies the social life and productive labor of human beings and becomes indispensable in the development of human history. Similarly, Tibetan dance has become an indispensable aesthetic content in people's daily life along with the formation and development of the Tibetan nation on the basis of national psychological quality and aesthetic ideal.

To explore the aesthetic characteristics of Tibetan dance, we first need to figure out how dance is viewed in history and how to position the art of dance in Tibetan culture. In the traditional Tibetan cultural canon, "the five major and minor Mingxue", dance is categorized as "Gongqiao Ming" (i.e., craftsmanship), which indicates that the art of dance has been theoretically located in the scope of the larger culture and has formed one of the art forms with mature theoretical basis. In the history of Tibet, most of the dances such as "Qiangm" are not only equipped with "dance scores" recorded in writing, but also with "dance songs" recorded in "threads"; "Kal" is a form of "dance music" recorded in "threads"; and "dance music" is a form of "dance music" recorded in "threads". "The music of the "Kal" dance has been handed down to the present day in the "Tibetan ancient score". In the ancient Tibetan folk songs, there were many songs about "talking about dance". Among the many dance expositions, what is dance, the use of form and "dance arts and techniques nine" and other dance theories are the essence of the ancient exposition of Tibetan dance, but also the most representative part of the dance theory. The ancient Tibetan texts (Note: Gongzhu Yundeng Gatso: The General Collection of Knowledge [M], 290 pages in the middle volume (in Tibetan), Beijing: The Nationalities Publishing House, 1985). In the discussion of "the various movements and gestures of dance are one of the wonderful crafts shaped by the human body", dance is firstly positioned as a human being and the various movements made by the human body are shaped into the "wonderful crafts" of the human body in a thousand different forms. It was precisely this living "craft" that expressed the thoughts and feelings of the local people at that time. The fact that the ancients were able to expound the means of expression of the aesthetic object so eloquently proves that the dance art occupied a position in people's lives at that time, as well as the height of people's understanding of the dance art. At the same time, the "Nine Artistic Techniques of Dance" (Note: Sangay Gyatso: "The Four Medical Classics of the Blue Liuli Annotations," [Z], p. 130, woodblock (Tibetan)), succinctly and thoroughly states that dance is a means of expression. In this book, it is stated succinctly and thoroughly that dance is the expression of life and emotion with the "form" of the human body, the "sound" of the language of movement, and the "emotion" of the dance. Such as: "beautiful, handsome, ugly" are with the help of a variety of vivid human form to show; and as talking with the human body to "fierce, laughing, horror," the performance of the living; the same with the human body to the "compassion, anger, and goodness" and other inner emotions, and goodness" and other inner emotions with the human body in a vivid and colorful manner. From the above point of view of "Dance Arts and Techniques IX", it is easy to see that dance is sublimated to the height of art to express human thoughts and emotions. The harmonious application of "form, sound and emotion" to dance further emphasizes the aesthetic characteristics of dance. Similarly, with the progress of society, a great variety of Tibetan folk dances have gradually developed from simple imitation and unconscious self-indulgence into an art with high artistic value. It is worth pointing out that some people think that the ancient Tibetan "dance art skill nine" is ancient India "music and dance theory" in the Brahmaputra Muni discussion, and Tibetan dance has nothing to do. In this regard, the author consults the relevant information to verify that, in Tibetan history, people in the absorption of Indian Buddhist culture at the same time, also absorbed a lot of related art theory and techniques. "Borodo Muni in the discussion of 'ras' when only eight, after the Indian dancers to nine. These nine 'ras' were mainly used as facial expression and eye training for Kadakali dancers" (Note: Yu Haiyan, Oriental Dance Garden Highlights [M], p. 180, World Knowledge Publishing House, 1985.) (Note: Haiyan: "Highlights of the Oriental Dance Garden" [M], page 180, World Knowledge Publishing House, 1985), which coincides with the contents of the ancient Tibetan book "Nine Artistic Techniques of Dance", there are only three types of dances, namely, "Anger, Terror, and Heroism", while the remaining six are different at all, and there is no mention of "Ras" in the ancient Indian book. The ancient Indian "Ras" does not mention the idea that "form, sound and emotion" are harmoniously used in the art of dance. This is a strong proof that Tibetan ancestors in the absorption of foreign culture attaches great importance to the combination of the local aesthetic consciousness, to the national aesthetic needs and the spirit of innovation to create a dance theory in line with the national aesthetic characteristics.

Two

Every nation in history has created a whole set of artistic expressions reflecting national life, thoughts and feelings and possessing certain aesthetic characteristics in their social life. Dance art is the earliest creation of each nation, the longest historical continuity, the widest range of circulation, the most direct expression of emotions of an art, but also the most representative of the historical development of each nation, the most national characteristics, the most reflective of the national character and aesthetic interests of an art. People of any ethnic group or tribe, when they hear the most familiar music or dance sound, can not help but produce excitement, and conveyed to all parts of the body, all the joints, with the changes in the dance rhythm, the body will naturally dance. This is an instinctive and concrete expression of the aesthetic consciousness of this group. Due to the different geographical environment, political history, religious beliefs, folklore and customs of each ethnic group, a style with national and local characteristics has been formed, such as the dance of different regions, the strength of the movement, softness, openness, amplitude and the differences in the dance rhythm, some of the focus of the national dance movement in the lower limbs of the human body, while the upper body movement is smaller; some national dance, the upper body movement is more abundant, while the lower body movement is smaller; some regional dance to big movement as beauty, some of the dance to big movement as beauty, while the lower body movement is smaller; the dance to big movement as beauty, while the lower body movement is smaller. Some ethnic dances have more upper-body movements and less lower-body movements; some regions have the beauty of big movements, while others have the beauty of subtle dances. It is the many styles of dance that contain the national aesthetic interests and aesthetic characteristics.

"Aesthetic consciousness is the reflection of the objectively existing aesthetic objects in people's minds, and it is generally called the 'sense of beauty'" (Note: Dynasty Wen: Introduction to Aesthetics [M], p. 66, Beijing: People's Publishing House, 1984). .) . The sense of beauty contains all aspects of aesthetic consciousness activities and various forms of expression, such as aesthetic interest, aesthetic ability, aesthetic concepts, aesthetic ideals, aesthetic feelings, etc., but also contains the appreciation of activities or creative activities in the special aesthetic psychological phenomena.

As mentioned before, the Tibetan nation has formed a dance theory system which is more in line with the national aesthetic characteristics in history, but this theory system is constantly improving and developing with the development and progress of the society and the improvement of people's aesthetic ability. Dance theory and dance aesthetics have a close connection, but they can not be viewed equally. Dance theory is to solve what is dance, how to dance problem, and dance aesthetics is to solve the dance body rhyme, posture, movement, rhythm and how to express emotion, experience the beauty of the problem.

Tibetan dance has its *** aesthetic characteristics, but due to the geographical and climatic differences in people's residence, dialect differences, dress differences, religious influence and the formation of a unique aesthetic interest. The dances of the Tibetan people are widely circulated in the folk of many ethnic folk dances; there are Karl songs and dances exclusively for the enjoyment of the upper class; there are also Qiangmu dances specially designed for religious ceremonies, as well as the Tibetan opera dances of many schools of thought. Although the above dances have different forms of expression and techniques, the basic body rhyme, movement, posture and technique of the dance are very similar, and the basic structure and rhythm of the music are comparatively similar in style; in addition to the differences in dress, width, fatness, thinness and color, the styles are also basically the same; in addition, they are also very similar to the circle dance-based jumping method. Therefore, similar or similar body rhyme is the formation of Tibetan dance aesthetic characteristics of the "root", is relatively stable aesthetic feeling **** the same reflection. Ancient Tibetan texts (Note: The Wise Man's Primer [M], Beijing: Nationalities Publishing House, 1981). The book turns the "Nine Artistic Techniques of Dance" into the "Nine Poetic Writings", requiring the writers of poetry to write poems about the dancer's posture, rhythm, and richness of emotion. Similarly, the dancers are also required to express poetic feelings during the dance, integrating poetry and dance into one, having dance when there is a song, bringing feelings with words, and promoting feelings with postures, so as to make the Tibetan dance full of vitality and passion. In the Tibetan ballad, it is sung that to dance, "we must dance the boundless sky", to dance "the unshakable dance of the mountains", and to dance "the rhythm of the Zhuo dance is as fast as the lightning in the night sky". This is as described in the book of Saban Gonggar Khyentse (Note: Saban Gonggar Khyentse: A Treatise on Music [M], p. 10, Beijing: Nationalities Publishing House, 1986). : "People dress up, people sing and dance with joy, there is no sadness there, sacred music reigns supreme." This is the embodiment of the Tibetan people's aesthetic consciousness of song and dance, and the charm of Tibetan song and dance. Tibetan dance also with the region, time, age, men and women and other different objects have different dance posture and dance law, such as the former Tibetan dance, lively and powerful, passionate and elegant, soft and agile, with a strong pure agricultural areas and towns and cities of citizens; after the Tibetan dance, unrestrained and dashing, in the "Zhannian" accompanied by dexterous footwork, changing, and fully displaying the character of the western alpine people. The dance of the latter Tibetans is unrestrained and dashing, with dexterous and varied steps to the accompaniment of the "Zanian" zither, fully demonstrating the character traits of the western alpine people; the dance of the Ali region has elegant and steady steps and graceful and free dancing posture, fully reflecting the flavor of the ancient Elephant and Male culture; and the dance of the eastern Tibetans of the Khamsar people is powerful and rugged, bold, dashing and vigorous, fully demonstrating the temperament traits of the Khamsar people.

About the beauty of the form of Tibetan dance, in addition to the Tibetan ancient books have a large number of records, there are also many accounts in the folk ballads. For example, in the chapter of "The Collection of Chinese Ballads--Tibet Volume "Open the Song Door", a large number of songs about the posture of dancers have been recorded. From these, we can realize the basic aesthetic characteristics of Tibetan dance. For example, in the song "Wishing the Dancers a Three-Storey Door," sung in the Gohon of the Linzhi region, it reads:

The chest is the storehouse of the potshuang, and today I want to open the door of the storehouse;

The arms are the wings of the Zhuo Dance, and today I want to show off my wings;

The waist is the place where the song and the dance sway, and today I want to relax and loosen up;

Knees are the wind wheels of the potshuang, and today I want to relax and loosen up. My knees are the wind wheels of the potsherds, today I will turn them;

My feet are the balls of the potsherds, today I will roll them.

Tibetan ancient texts (Note: Gongzhu Yundeng Gatso, General Knowledge, Middle Book, p. 292, Beijing: Nationalities Publishing House, 1985.) The morphological requirements for dancers include:

The upper body moves like a lion, and the waist moves enchantingly.

The joints of the limbs should be dexterous, and the tendons should move loosely.

The posture of the whole body should be soft, and the performance expression should be arrogant.

The demeanor should be like the slow step of flowing water, and the curved joints of the knee sockets should be trembling.

The feet should be flexible on the toes, and the general demand for a majestic posture.

......

From the above basic requirements for all parts of the human body during the dance, it is not difficult to see the basic aesthetic ideas of Tibetan dance. Physical beauty, rhythmic beauty, and the harmonious use of movement are the basic features of dance beauty. Tibetan dance emphasizes the cooperation and unity of the feet, knees, waist, chest, hands, shoulders, head and eyes during the dance. The lyrics of many old Tibetan folk songs about specific form requirements and theories of ancient books are so consistent that it cannot be said that it is a nation's aesthetic feeling about the form and posture of the dancers **** the same. The above requirements on the dance form are not vague and detached from reality, but are still retained in many Tibetan dances, such as the "Reba Dance", Chamdo "Guozhuo", Tingri "A Harmonized", Gonpo "A Harmonized", and Gonpo "A Harmonized". ", Gombo "arrow dance" and other dances, the upper body movements of the male dancers are very elaborate, regardless of props in hand or not, their "upper body movements like a lion" majestic, very rich in the plateau of the man's pugilistic and strong temperament, giving a person to conquer The upper body movements of the women's dance are subtle and elegant, giving people a sense of health and beauty. At the same time, "Guo Zhuo", "Guo Harmony" and many other dances in the male and female dancers of the chest or upper body movements slightly forward, this is not the performance of the back of the dance, this phenomenon in addition to the fat clothing, decorations and so on, from the point of view of the analysis of choreography, the forward slightly bent with the size, strength and strength of the movement, the upper body movements. This phenomenon, in addition to the fat costumes, decorations, etc., from a choreographic point of view, the forward slightly bent and the size of the action, strong and weak, high and low contrast is closely related.

The Tibetan dance is very rich in waist movements, and both male and female dancers are very particular about the use of the "enchanting" waist and the "swaying" waist. Whether it is to the foot of the point of the main "pile of harmony", or pay attention to the lines of dynamic "harmonic", the waist is light and soft swaying, in the seemingly moving non-moving to give a person to fully show the beauty of the human body lines. Women's waist movements in the "hot bar dance" and pastoral "Guo Zhuo" in the performance is very rich. Their various turn-over movements, side waist, lower back movements with the waist to the best state. The "enchanting" waist movement is a prominent aesthetic feature of Tibetan dance. In addition, in folk songs and ancient books, the "knee nest" and "knee" are considered to be "the most spiritual place" and "should be trembling" and described as "wind and wind". They are also described as "wind wheels" and "wheels". The "knee" movement of many Tibetan dances is indeed one of the most typical local and %C