Dongjing Dragon Dances
2023-01-30
Dongjing Dragon Dances is popular around Dongjingpu Town, Changsha City, Hunan Province. In 2008, Dongjing Dragon Dances was listed in the second batch of intangible cultural heritage items in Hunan Province.
There are many types of Dongjing Dragon Dances, each of which boasts distinctive style.
“Bulong” is a popular group dance popular with the masses. This dragon, with a small head, is divided into 9 and 11 sections at intervals of 2 meters. The head and the second handle, the tail and the eighth handle are at intervals of about 2.3 meters, and the sixth section is the main handle. The movements largely include playing buttons, posing patterns and character formation.
“Renlong” is a large-scale freehand dance without any props, and is completely connected by adults and children. The movements are simple when dancing, mainly including S-shaped walking and undulating marching. Its modeling movements are largely circling, mainly composed of adults and children freehand staggered construction.
“Changlong” is also known as “Bailong”. Its head is heavy and large, and its body is thick. Its length is generally 13 sections to 15 sections. The dance is performed to display the grandeur of the dragon with running as the main movement.
The performance of “Sanjielong” is mainly the cooperation of dragon dancers on the high platform, where people and dragons can neither collide nor fall off. The dance steps, movements and rules of play are similar to “Bulong”. Because of the small number of people, the movements are simpler.
Products involved in dragon dances
The colored dragon head and tail are generally made of bamboo, pasted with leather thread and coated with varnish. The dragon head is slightly larger than one third of the dragon handle, and the dragon tail is a little larger than the dragon handle. The dragon head and tail can be designed in various sizes for the convenience of play.
The dragon coat is made of fine and soft cloth. With red, yellow and other festive and noble colors as the mainstay, people can also use dark blue to make a green dragon, and silver to make a white one, but the head must be decorated with red flowers, and the dragon clothes are painted with scales in a wavy pattern.
The clothes of the dragon dancers are generally trimmed with colored cloth, leggings, stockings and straw shoes, as well as a triangular scarf on the head. Nowadays, more fashionable performance clothes are generally used, featuring bright colors, uniformity, beauty and being easy for performers to dance.
“Bulong” is a popular group dance popular with the masses. This dragon, with a small head, is divided into 9 and 11 sections at intervals of 2 meters. The head and the second handle, the tail and the eighth handle are at intervals of about 2.3 meters, and the sixth section is the main handle. The movements largely include playing buttons, posing patterns and character formation.
“Renlong” is a large-scale freehand dance without any props, and is completely connected by adults and children. The movements are simple when dancing, mainly including S-shaped walking and undulating marching. Its modeling movements are largely circling, mainly composed of adults and children freehand staggered construction.
“Changlong” is also known as “Bailong”. Its head is heavy and large, and its body is thick. Its length is generally 13 sections to 15 sections. The dance is performed to display the grandeur of the dragon with running as the main movement.
The performance of “Sanjielong” is mainly the cooperation of dragon dancers on the high platform, where people and dragons can neither collide nor fall off. The dance steps, movements and rules of play are similar to “Bulong”. Because of the small number of people, the movements are simpler.
Products involved in dragon dances
The colored dragon head and tail are generally made of bamboo, pasted with leather thread and coated with varnish. The dragon head is slightly larger than one third of the dragon handle, and the dragon tail is a little larger than the dragon handle. The dragon head and tail can be designed in various sizes for the convenience of play.
The dragon coat is made of fine and soft cloth. With red, yellow and other festive and noble colors as the mainstay, people can also use dark blue to make a green dragon, and silver to make a white one, but the head must be decorated with red flowers, and the dragon clothes are painted with scales in a wavy pattern.
The clothes of the dragon dancers are generally trimmed with colored cloth, leggings, stockings and straw shoes, as well as a triangular scarf on the head. Nowadays, more fashionable performance clothes are generally used, featuring bright colors, uniformity, beauty and being easy for performers to dance.
Soundtrack in dragon dances
The soundtrack of Dongjing Dragon Dances does not have a fixed tune, and national percussion instruments are generally used to play some familiar folk music and minor tunes. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, some modern music began to be played. In short, the music of the dragon dances should be cheerful and lively, and the music rhythm should be light, bright, crisp and full of festive atmosphere.
Team of dragon dances
There is the leading team, the dragon and the rear guard in the dragon dances. The leading team is equipped with long horns, big gongs, big drums, 6 to 8 triangular flags and card lights, on which such auspicious words are written as “Wishing You Prosperity” and “Happy Chinese New Year”. National percussion bands can be either in the vanguard or the rearguard. The formation of the bands can be determined by the performance requirements.
The soundtrack of Dongjing Dragon Dances does not have a fixed tune, and national percussion instruments are generally used to play some familiar folk music and minor tunes. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, some modern music began to be played. In short, the music of the dragon dances should be cheerful and lively, and the music rhythm should be light, bright, crisp and full of festive atmosphere.
Team of dragon dances
There is the leading team, the dragon and the rear guard in the dragon dances. The leading team is equipped with long horns, big gongs, big drums, 6 to 8 triangular flags and card lights, on which such auspicious words are written as “Wishing You Prosperity” and “Happy Chinese New Year”. National percussion bands can be either in the vanguard or the rearguard. The formation of the bands can be determined by the performance requirements.
