Daur Lurigelei Dance
01 · Historical Records
'Luriger' derives from the labour, production and life of the Daur people, so the dance contains content and dance images of gathering, drawing water, fishing, soaring into flight, and the scuffling of fowl. With regard to researching and exploring the course of development and change in the primitive hunting songs and dances of the northern ethnic groups, the Hakumailer song and dance is like a piece of 'living fossil'.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
'Luriger' is a representative folk dance of the Daur people. Its name varies from place to place, with several different appellations such as Ahanbo, Langtudabai, Hakumai and Hagenmailege. In the Daur-inhabited areas of Inner Mongolia and of the Nen River basin in Heilongjiang, 'Luriger' is the collective term for their folk dance, a self-amusing dance mostly performed by women. Research shows that 'Luriger' means 'burning' or 'prosperity' in Chinese, while the Daur expression 'Lurigerbei' can be extended to mean 'let's dance'. Because the performers call out 'hanbo, hanbo' while dancing, 'Luriger' is also known as the 'hanbo dance'. The 'Luriger' dance has a long history. Historical records state that in ancient times, on nights when the first stirrings of spring were felt, the Daur gathered on the grassy ground at the head of the village and danced hand in foot around a blazing bonfire, calling to one another; in the interval after labour they expressed their feelings in dance form, steadied their spirits and dispelled their fatigue. It can be seen from this that 'Luriger' is closely related to the production, life and customs of the Daur people. The Daur are a people who sing and dance well. 'Luriger' takes the form mainly of group dance and mostly depicts hunting life and scenes of labour. In performance the movements of the upper body and arms are relatively rich, the side-sliding step forms the basic step of the feet, and the dance opens with a slow, light and lively dance song; the dancers move gently to the song, onlookers may join the ranks at will, and as the atmosphere grows ardent the quickens, the dancers repeatedly interchange positions, and at the climax of the dance all of them give out together short, witty calls such as 'zheheizhe' and 'dehuda', stamping out forceful beats with their feet. The Daur are a people skilled in riding and archery and accomplished in song and dance. The Luriger dance of the Daur settled in Heilongjiang Province is also known as 'Hakumailer'. On the one hand it retains the characteristics of traditional hunting song and dance, such as the circular formation and the calls imitating the roaring of beasts and the calling of birds preserved from the primitive hunting bonfire songs and dances; on the other hand it has developed greatly, with many changes of formation, a larger number of newly composed tunes, broader song-and-dance content, and vocal interjections that are richer and more distinctive. More remarkable still, the Hakumailer song and dance has formed a fairly clear three-part performance procedure: the first part, 'comparing songs', is song-led with dance as support; the second, 'competing in dance', is dance-led with song as support; the third, 'combat', centres on fighting, as the performers, following a loud and stirring call, raise their arms and strike towards one another, wheeling about and fighting together, and finally a victor is decided to end the song-and-dance performance.
The three-stage Hakumai programme
In Heilongjiang the dance has a clear three-stage form: song contest, dance contest and finally mock combat.
The combat section and Manchu mangshi
In the combat stage performers wheel and strike at one another to loud calls; the movement closely matches the Manchu mangshi of a sleeve to the brow and a hand behind the back.
Growing refrains and formations
It keeps the hunting circle and animal calls while multiplying formations, new songs and distinctive nonsense refrains.
What ruzhigelebei means
The Daur phrase can be rendered come, let us dance; a gentle song opens the dance before the tempo quickens and dancers weave past one another.
Village dance along the Nen river
Chiefly a women's self-amusement dance, the term covers the folk dances of the Daur villages along the Nen river at festivals and leisure gatherings.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
In Heilongjiang, Luriger is also known as 'Hakumailer'. Its main centres of transmission are the Meilisi Daur District of Qiqihar City and the Daur villages along the banks of the Nen River, and its three-part procedure of 'comparing songs, competing in dance and combat' is preserved relatively completely in this area.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Daur Lurigelei Dance.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
Today, in the regions where the Luriger dance originates, this folk dance is badly neglected, faces the danger of being lost, and urgently needs protective measures. It should also be noted that the Hakumailer song and dance resembles the Manchu 'Mangshi' palace song and dance in many respects, particularly in that the combat movements appearing in the Hakumailer song and dance are basically identical with the Manchu 'Mangshi kongqi' gesture described as 'in the main raising one sleeve to the forehead, turning the other hand behind the back and wheeling about in a posture'. This resemblance is well worth studying. At present the Hakumailer song and dance, like other folk arts, is in an endangered state and urgently needs the necessary measures for protection.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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