Yi Zuojiao Dance
01 · Historical Records
The left-foot dance is called “guzhe” in Yi and was known in ancient times as “duo zuo jiao”, taking its name from the fact that the left foot must always be raised first when the dance begins. According to local tradition, it arose from the slash-and-burn farming life of the Yi forebears and is related to the Yi people’s primitive worship of heaven, earth, sun, moon, fire, the tiger and nature; it has been practised for a long time in the Mouding area.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
The Yi left-foot dance, called “guzhe” in Yi and known in ancient times as “duo zuo jiao”, is a representative traditional dance of the Yi people. It formed gradually within the long-standing slash-and-burn life of the Yi people, integrating song, dance and music, with the aims of giving pleasure, of social intercourse and of physical exercise. The Yi left-foot dance circulates mainly in Mouding County, Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, and has an important influence on the Yi people of Mouding County and on the politics, economy and culture of the county as a whole. When the Yi left-foot dance is performed, there are varied vocal styles; the dance posture always raises the left foot first, cushions three steps and kicks one, the basic steps being the straight step, the swing step and the cushion step, while the special movements include the stringing of flowers and the turn-over. Young men pluck the long-necked four-stringed lute and draw the small two-stringed fiddle, young women sing the left-foot tunes, and all dance the left-foot dance together — sometimes a dozen or more people, sometimes hundreds or thousands, in a magnificent display. The dance is highly spontaneous: there is no limit on the number of people, no distinction of sex or age, and no restriction of time or place; its content touches on every aspect of Yi culture, production and life, and its rhythm is lively, its meaning plain and easily grasped, and its expressiveness rich. The Yi left-foot dance records the Yi people’s primitive worship of heaven, earth, sun, moon, fire, the tiger and nature, and reflects the national spirit of the Yi people — united and striving, bold in creation — through their long course of historical development. It is deeply rooted in the production and life of the Yi people and is spiritual sustenance for the Yi of Mouding and for the people of all ethnic groups in the county; its distinctive instrument-making craft and costume features fully demonstrate the Yi people’s superb level of craftsmanship and creative talent.
Dragon-head fiddle and left-foot songs
Young men play the dragon-head four-string lute and two-string fiddle while women sing, in groups from a dozen to a thousand.
Three padding steps, one kick
The dance starts on the left foot with three padding steps and a kick; special moves include threading and turning.
Triple stamp and dog chases goat
The more demanding routines include the triple stamp, eight sways, dog-chases-goat and threading.
The Guyan village troupe
Founded in 2008 by Pu Qingrong, the Guyan troupe teaches dance, lute playing and local singing to over forty members.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
The left-foot dance circulates mainly in the Yi-inhabited townships of Mouding County such as Panmao, Fengtun and Gonghe, and the Mouding County Cultural Centre is the protecting unit. Pu Qingrong of Guyuan Village, Panmao Township, thoroughly masters the basic movements of the traditional left-foot dance and such demanding styles as “three stamps of the foot”, “swaying eight times”, “dog chasing the sheep”, the “stringing of flowers tune” and the “turn-over”. In 2008 he took the lead in forming the Guyuan left-foot song-and-dance troupe, teaching in fixed sessions the traditional left-foot dance skills, the playing of the long-necked four-stringed lute and the singing in the yeque and baihua styles, and trained more than forty members.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
The Yi left-foot dance contains such a wealth of cultural content as Yi folk customs, traditional crafts and ethnic dress, and it has research value in such fields as anthropology, ethnology and folklore. For a long time the Yi left-foot dance has not received organised, planned protection; under the influence of modern social trends such as the urbanisation of festival activities and the commercialisation of folk customs, its cultural traditions and customs have gradually faded, and inheritors possessing all-round song, dance and music skills are becoming ever fewer. In these circumstances the survival of the Yi left-foot dance faces crisis upon crisis and it urgently needs rescue and protection. Pu Qingrong (as recorded in the official dossier of the associated inheritor): Male, of Yi ethnicity, born in March 1960, a native of Mouding County, Yunnan Province. He thoroughly masters the basic movements of the traditional left-foot dance and such demanding styles as “three stamps of the foot”, “swaying eight times”, “dog chasing the sheep”, the “stringing of flowers tune” and the “turn-over”. From the 1980s of the twentieth century to the present he has led teams many times to take part in prefectural and county-level left-foot dance performances. In 2008 he took the lead in forming the Guyuan left-foot song-and-dance troupe of Panmao Township, teaching in fixed sessions the traditional left-foot dance skills, the playing of the long-necked four-stringed lute and the singing in the yeque and baihua styles, and trained more than forty members. Representative inheritor of the Yi left-foot dance, a national-level intangible cultural heritage project in the fifth national-level batch.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Puqingrong 05-2269
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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