Li Dance: Why is the Li "Chai Dance" also known as the "Bamboo Dance"?

The Li language "turn the brake", originated in the ancient Yazhou (now Sanya City) Li funeral activities, the Li people in ancient times in the death of the body protection, to drive away wild animals, pressure and ancestor worship of a funeral dance. Contemporary Li villages have a funeral law called "dry race". That is, after the death of a person into the coffin, stopping the coffin for 12 days, 24 days, a month, and then into the ground. In the coffin "dry race" period, the funeral home and the village related to men, women and children every night to the funeral home to dance firewood. Qing Dynasty "Yazhou Zhi" on this custom recorded: "Funeral. Poor said to eat tea, rich said to make eight, the heart of the cattle and sheep low lamps drums and blow beams to pay tribute. Make eight, the heart is divided into flowers and trees, jumping mortar and pestle". "Jumping Mortar and Pestle" refers to the dance of firewood, which is now the only recorded Li dance of ancient literature. The posture of the pole holder varies from sitting, squatting to standing. The Chai Dance consists of nine relatively independent steps, such as the flat step, the knife grinding step, the small step, the small frog step, the big frog step, the dog chasing the deer step, the rice sifting step, the monkey stealing the grain step, the crow step, etc. The rhythmic and regular touching of the pestle and mortar is the only ancient record of the Li Dance. In the rhythmic and regular clanking sound, the dancers should not only jump in and out of the bamboo poles at the moment of splitting and closing, but also do all kinds of beautiful movements in a natural and elegant way. When a pair of dancers deftly jumped out of the bamboo pole, the pole holder will shout out "hey! Heh heh heh!" The occasion is extremely bold and unrestrained, and the atmosphere is warm. If the dancers are not skillful or timid, they will be caught by the bamboo pole feet or hit the head, the pole holders will use the bamboo pole to lift the people caught to fall out, and the group rose and laugh. On the contrary, the young man who is good at dancing at this time, often because of the quick wit, adaptable and won the favor of the girl. Chai dance rhythm is strong and powerful, the action is simple and rugged, vivid image, art infectious force is strong, there is a strong entertainment, is to carry out the masses of cultural and sports activities in a better way. 1957 Beijing to participate in the Minority Cultural and Arts Performance, known as the "Five Fingers Mountain Art Flower"; to Romania, Yugoslavia, Pakistan, Japan and other countries performances, and is known as the "world's rare aerobic exercise".