Jiazi Ying-Ge Dance

Jiazi Ying-Ge Dance

Nominating Unit: City of Shanwei

Ying-Ge Dance is a type of traditional folk dance in the Jiazi County, City of Lufeng in eastern Guangdong Province. According to experts, Jiazi Ying-Ge Dance shares the same origin with the Puning Ying-Ge Dance, and has a history of more than 300 years. However, it has developed its own unique features with its transmission.(https://www.daowen.com)

The Jiazi Ying-Ge Dance depicted a splendid dancing scene of Liangshan heroes besieging Damingfu government building in disguise, mainly accenting a sense of justice, wisdom, and heroic spirit. The troupe consists of 107 people, one person fewer than the 108 heroes of Liangshanbo moor. The troupe is divided into a front team and a back team. The front team can be further divided into a martial group of 25 people who all wear painted masks on their faces, and a civil group of 12 people, who all wear martial masks. It also includes two drum men and two drum ladies. The back team consists of members for minor plays, the band, and flag holders.

Jiazi Ying-Ge Dance features dramatic roles and plots. During the performance, Shiqian (one of the 108 heroes) will lead the formation and charge forward, waving a silver snake in his hand. Then the 24 martial dancers with double staffs in their hands, and 12 civil dancers, with belled drums in their hands and straw shoes tied with small bronze bells on their feet follow up in two lines led by Li Kui (another one of the 108 heroes). One line of the dancers would wave their staffs, with the other spinning their belled drums, going up and down in line with the rhythms of the drums. The banging sound of the staffs, drums, shoe bells, and accompanying gongs and drums resonate with the dancing steps of the dancers, presenting a special vigor and charm. Li Kui also directs the separation, unifi cation and changing of the formation, including body movements such as directing the formation and waving the gavel. There are also martial style dancing movements such as hitting, stepping, body turning and backing. During the dancing, two drum ladies would stand on the shoulders of the two drum men, going alongside the dancing formation back and forth, adding a light element to the powerful and heroic performance.

Jiazi Ying-Ge Dance is a vigorous play, with breath-taking plots and unique styles and characteristics, and is deeply loved by the locals. It has been transmitted generation after generation. However, now it is faced with a breakdown in transmission and a lack of transmitters. Immediate care and protective measures should be given to this cultural heritage.