Yunnan Sun Dance 2/2

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• published: 24 Dec 2007
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"Dynamic Yunnan" is filled with songs and dances that celebrate the sun, the moon and the region's folk legends. Ms. Yang said part of the show's popularity stems from its authenticity: nearly all the performers are young people from Yunnan's ethnic minorities. And like her, few have had formal training. One young man, she said, was selected after she heard him crying out for his runaway cow. A young girl was chosen after pleading for the opportunity to dance so she could earn the $48 it would cost her family to buy a cow. Ms. Yang said the girl's story moved her to tears. "I picked her even though I thought she was too short," Ms. Yang said, laughing. "But she works hard. I can always hear her singing in the back. She puts all her energy into it. You see, this show is nothing but real life." To prepare the show, Ms. Yang said she spent more than a year traveling to remote villages in her native Yunnan, studying local dances, recording disappearing folk songs and recruiting dozens of young people from ethnic minority groups. Yunnan is China's most ethnically diverse province. Many of the villages she visited were wedged between mountains and seemingly lost to the modern world. There she encountered the folk rhythms of farmers and villagers who seemed to have a natural aptitude for song and dance. "In these villages, people have songs and dances for every event - when they're happy, at harvest time, when they're getting married or mourning," she said. "It's not a choice, it's a lifestyle." 　　云南鼓的传说和种类堪称中国之最。鼓在云南，不仅仅是一种乐器，而是民族的一种崇拜、一种图腾。它或象征母体，或形似女阴。云南的鼓从材料上分，有皮鼓、石鼓、铜鼓、木鼓；从归属的民族上分，又有太阳鼓、芒鼓、热巴鼓、大背鼓等等。 　　云南佤族的木鼓分"公鼓"、"母鼓"，配成一对；要砍树制鼓，先要举行祭祀仪式。佤族人说，木鼓的花纹是无法画完的、歌也是无法唱完的，舞也是无法跳完的...... 　　太阳鼓(西双版纳州基诺族) 　　鼓舞反映出云南远古先民的生殖崇拜。鼓槌、鼓面很有男女生殖的形似特征，打鼓更具明显的交合象征意味。 　　太阳鼓，是基诺族最神圣的器物，传说洪荒年代基诺族的祖先阿麦腰白造了一只太阳鼓，麦黑与麦妞藏在鼓内躲过了灾难，繁衍了基诺族的后代。太阳鼓只有节日才能敲，太阳鼓舞是基诺族最具有代表性的舞蹈。太阳鼓的正面似一轮太阳，鼓身插有17根木管，象征太阳的光芒，基诺人在除夕敲鼓，据说能带来吉祥。 　　芒鼓(建水县哈尼族) Manggu Drum 　　哈尼族的舞蹈大多与芒有关。鼓声是人们向"摩米"(即天神)对话的道具，鼓里放有五谷及象征人丁兴旺的青草。芒舞是哈尼族在传统的"昂玛吐"节上表演的祭祀性喜庆舞蹈。 　　唯建水龙岔河一带独有。芒鼓舞有清山净寨、驱邪避鬼、祈求丰收之意。 　　铜芒(沧源县佤族) Bronze Gong 　　佤族对芒锣如对木鼓、铜鼓一样尊崇和喜爱。但木鼓、铜鼓既是乐器又是通天的"神器"，而芒锣则伴随着人们的日常生活。 　　铜镲舞 　　流行于西双版纳州哈尼族爱尼支系的一种舞蹈。先民们用两片铜镲相撞发出的洪亮声音来与神灵沟通。 　　象脚鼓(德宏州景颇族) Elephant-foot Drum 　　因形似大象的腿故名象脚鼓，演奏时用糯米饭粘在鼓面中心调试音的效果，象脚鼓流行于德宏、西双版纳、临沧及云南周边的东南亚各国。群众说："象脚鼓一响，脚杆就痒"。《象脚鼓舞》是傣族在喜庆佳节或是迎接远方来的客人时表达美好祝福的一种民间舞蹈。 　　神鼓(绿春县牛孔乡彝族) Divine Drum 　　"神鼓"流传于云南绿春一带，当地人叫"热波比"。现在，绿春县牛孔乡只有一个妇女能打这种鼓，"神鼓"有24套打法，概括了祭祀、生殖繁衍、祈求丰收、婚丧嫁娶等内容。 　　打鼓前要"祭鼓"。打"神鼓"庆贺生育的唱词是："刚生下来的娃娃，听不见，看不见，话也不会说；敲一下，耳朵就听见了；再敲一下，眼睛就看见了......"。