What are the characteristics of Qiang dance style?

Preserving the rough and simple style of the original music and dance, dancers can not only please their ancestors and gods through dancing, but also entertain themselves, with percussion instruments such as sheepskin drums and hand bells. The performance of dance movements is not directly related to the content of lyrics. Most dances use songs to promote the cycle of dance steps. The same sentence is combined with men and women, and the action is completely repeated. The ups and downs of rhythm are skillfully coordinated with the ups and downs of dance.

Types of Qiang Dance

Yelong dance is a funeral dance, which is performed by wizards around the fire pit. The wizard bent down, clapped his hands and strode. He tiptoed forward, his hands trembling, his movements mysterious and fearful. Some of his dances are similar to those of cats.

Dragon jumping is a dance performed by wizards when they pray for rain. The dancer holds a faucet with a handle, and the dragon body is made of more than 6.7 meters of thick hemp rope. When diving into the faucet, the long hemp rope hovers and flutters, making it difficult to move. The dance steps are mostly squatting and jumping drums.

Jumping in armor, dancers are dressed in armor made of raw cowhide, pheasant feathers and turf helmets, with crossbows and spears in their hands, and the wizard who leads the dance should hang a shoulder bell. The dance teams formed two opposing rows. Before jumping, they sang battle songs symbolizing victory. Action jumping, imitation and killing, crossbows and spears flying, accompanied by huge roar and jingle, show the strong spirit of Qiang people.