What are the characteristics of Lao dance?

Most people in Laos believe in Buddhism, with many nationalities and rich social life, so dance and music have the characteristics of tradition and diversity. According to the form of dance, it can be divided into court dance, folk dance and drama dance.

There are two kinds of traditional music used in the court dance in Laos, namely "Ka" popular in the upper Liao area and "Nan" popular in the lower Liao area. "Nan" and "Ka" are different in different regions. For example, near the Mekong River, "South" includes "Nansong" and "Nanbanshao"; The "cards" of Shangliao include "Ka Xianggong" and "Ka Xiao Ye". They show their own characteristics in timbre processing, rhythm application, style and color. The material of the court dance in Laos mainly comes from two famous traditional court dramas, The Story of Fobenson and the heroic epic The New Match. They are all written in Pali and Lao and handed down in the form of palm leaves. Most of them are four-character poems, and the accompanying music has strict rules in phonology, mainly in alliteration and waist rhyme. Judging from the remaining music scores, the rhythm of the court dance in Laos is melodious and slow, with the royal spirit of the court.

Folk dances in Laos are mainly about love and pay attention to rhythm. Most of the tunes come from "South", sometimes decorated with drawling, and the dance movements are lyrical. Singing forms are often duets between men and women, with dance as the mainstay and sheng as the accompaniment.

Many folk dances, music and songs in Laos originated from Indian myths and legends. Traditional music is played by bamboo sheng, cymbals, drums, xylophone and some stringed instruments. In some important religious ceremonies, in addition to the above-mentioned musical instruments, two drums and a clarinet were added to play music. Most monasteries have bands and dance teams, and monks are good musicians. Folk songs and dances in Laos have developed continuously and become an indispensable part of people's daily life, especially in festivals. There are various forms of folk dance in Laos, among which the most popular and popular is a folk song and dance called "Ram". Its performance form is a man and a woman singing and dancing accompanied by strings. I often sing and talk, and the dancers' movements are very funny.

Classical drama and dance in Laos are mostly transplanted from Indian stories, and dance is also an Indian model. The plot comes from a fragment of Ramayana. The content of modern drama is mainly about chivalry and love stories performed by men and women. The story mostly comes from ancient Buddhist scriptures, such as Jambaston (meaning "four Jamba trees").