*Chaoyang Ying-Ge Dance

*Chaoyang Ying-Ge Dance

Nominating Unit: City of Shantou

As the continuation of the plaza dancing among the Han people and the Exorcising culture but varied a little, Chaoyang Ying-Ge Dance became a folk dance art with unique characteristics in Chaoyang district after assimilating some elements of the north Daguzi Yanko. As a combination of opera, dance and martial art, Chaoyang Ying-Ge Dance is full of masculinity. In practice it grew into several schools with different styles, mainly of three types: Manban Ying-Ge Dance, Zhongban Ying-Ge Dance and Kuaiban Ying-Ge Dance according to the dance rhythms.

Using a relatively longer dancing cudgel, Manban Ying-Ge Dance is performed to a slow rhythm with the basic motion of three or four rapping constituting a set of actions. The dance is slow yet vigourous, imposing, classic and elegant. Besides, there is a school called “Zuichui Ying-Ge Dance”, which is performed by people resembling a drunkard, thus having its particular charm. Manban Ying-Ge Dance is popular mainly distributed in the areas of Wenguang, Mianbei and Chengnan.

Zhongban Ying-Ge Dance is performed a little faster than Manban Ying-Ge Dance with its set of actions constituted by five raps or seven raps, also some others by eight, ten eleven or thirteen raps. The playing of gongs and drums, a constant beating, is distinct from that of the Manban Ying-Ge Dance with pauses or protractions. Steady but free, elegant but vigorous, Zhongban Ying-Ge Dance is also popular mainly in areas of Wenguang, Mianbei and Chengnan.(https://www.daowen.com)

Kuaiban Ying-Ge Dance is fast in rhythm, tight in playing gongs and drums and changing according to the concrete situations of the team. Dancers of Kuaiban Ying-Ge Dance use a short cudgel handy and easy to play. Kuaiban Ying-Ge Dance can be generally divided into three types: Duidataoshi, Nanshanwenpai and Nanshanwupai.

Till now Chaoyang Ying-Ge Dance is still spreading and developing with many successors such as Hong Feiying, Guo Yaoyang, Chen Hanlong, Yao Xinta, Yang Wei, Zhou Xiuxing, Chen Kunlik Lin A’bao. With strong radiometric force, Chaoyang Ying-Ge Dance is popular in a wide area. Nearly every town has its Ying-Ge Dance team, some even have several teams of different styles or with people at different ages. In November 1996, Chaoyang was named “Homeland for Folk Art in China”.

However, Chaoyang Ying-Ge Dance has lost its old splendor and may vanish with the economic and social development and rapid cultural transformation. Rescuing and protection measures are urgently needed.

Chaoyang Ying-Ge Dance was selected into the list of the first batch of state-level intangible cultural heritage in 2006.