The use of sleeves in classical dance of the Han and Tang Dynasties
Sleeve dance is a danceable element in Chinese dance that incorporates emotions and connects emotions. It has beautiful modeling and expresses characters to enrich the inner world. of lyricism. Below is what I have searched and compiled for you about the use of sleeves in classical dances of the Han and Tang Dynasties. Welcome to read it for reference. I hope you like it!
Sleeve dance is a unique dance in China. The beautiful sleeve dance is like calligraphy. In the moving clouds and flowing water, in the ethereal and misty atmosphere, sleeve dance gives people infinite beauty in a unique way.
1. The origin of sleeve dance
When it comes to sleeve dance, the first thing people usually think of is "water sleeves". The term "water sleeves" comes from opera costumes, and its earliest name is "Water jacket", with the development of increasingly rich stage performance situations, the sleeves of the water jacket gradually become longer and wider, and because the sleeves dance techniques become increasingly rich, its shape sometimes looks like ripples in the water, sometimes like an arrow, so it is called "water jacket". "Water Sleeves". The earliest form of sleeve dance in dance is the "long-sleeved dance". As early as "Historical Records", there are records of "long-sleeved dancers". " records, "hand sleeves are a sign of dignity", that is, bare-hand sleeve dance. This kind of dance is mostly used in banquets of nobles in the palace, so there is a folk proverb that "long sleeves are good at dancing, and money is good at being a good official" [1].
In the unearthed cultural relics, jade pottery figurines and grotto portraits of the past dynasties, sleeve dances can be seen everywhere. It can be seen that the performance form of "sleeve dance" has a long history, especially in the Han and Tang Dynasties. Historical data It is recorded that Madam Qi, the favorite concubine of Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, was "good at dancing with raised sleeves and bent waist"; during the Sui and Tang Dynasties, there was also a saying of "slim waist to make the moon shine, long sleeves to dance in the spring breeze", so the "sleeve dance" became a unique feature in the classical dance of the Han and Tang Dynasties. A unique and indispensable art form.
2. Classification of Sleeves
In dance costumes, sleeves of varying sizes, lengths, and uneven fat and thinness have become body extensions for dancers to express their thoughts and emotions. . Different sleeves have different ways of expression and use in classical dance, and have different usage techniques. For example, the Han and Tang classical dance "Feihong Duigu" uses one-foot long sleeves; the Han and Tang classical dance "Ta Ge" has sleeves that are only one foot longer than the fingertips and are called small sleeves; there are also some special sleeves such as Han Dynasty The broad sleeves of the classical dance "Xie Gong's Clogs" and "Chu Yao" of the Tang Dynasty.
3. Flowing sleeves
(1) Rhythm of sleeves
The rhyme of sleeves comes from two aspects: momentum and rhythm, the movement of sleeves Momentum is the extension of the arm, which is generated through the rhythm of the dancer's body. The rhythm of the body is derived from the principle of movement: "If you want to go left, go right, if you want to go front, you must close when you open, and when you hit, you must rely." The momentum drives the changes of the sleeves and shows the changes in the rhythm of the sleeves. The rhythm of the sleeves is controlled by the strength of the dancer, whether strong or weak. The spatial changes of height and height and the morphological changes of opening and closing reflect the rhythm of the sleeves. Therefore, the rhythm of the sleeves enriches the rhythm of the dancer's body. The rhythm affects the rhythm of the sleeves, and the sleeve rhyme is formed by the interaction between the two.
(2) The strength of the sleeves
The strength of the sleeves refers to the dancer’s control of the strength of the sleeves. First of all, the strength of the sleeves comes from the cooperation of various parts of the body. Generally, the waist is lowered, the shoulders are lowered and the elbows are lowered. The arms, wrists, and fingertips use the force to lift the sleeves, and the force is transmitted to the sleeve tips. From the collar to the waist is the transition from the internal force of the body to the external force. From the shoulder sinking to the elbow movement is the reception of the external force on the arm. The rising position of the forearm determines the direction of the sleeve, and the force of the wrist determines the strength of the sleeve. Finally, the The fingertips penetrate the connection between the body and the sleeves [2]. This series of processes of connection and cooperation, accompanied by the condensation, movement, release and extension of breath, form a rich and colorful change of sleeve strength.
(3) The shape of the sleeves
The shape of the sleeve dance is the route of the sleeve during the flow process, such as straight line, curved shape, arc shape, spiral shape, circle, etc. Various forms change, it relies on a series of cooperation from the waist to the fingers. The waist drives the shoulders and upper arms, the elbows guide the direction, and then the forearms drive the wrists and fingers, forming a shape in which the sleeves flow in space. Finally complete the shape of the sleeves in action. In other words, the cooperation direction and route of the waist, shoulders, elbows, arms, and wrists determine the shape of the sleeves.
The completion of the form not only relies on the skills of the sleeve dance, but also relies on the complete knowledge and understanding of the sleeve shape, posture, route, and process in the mind. The various forms reflected in the dancing sleeves are the design route of the sleeve dance in the mind. The corresponding crystallization of the cooperation of mind, energy and force.
(4) Sleeve techniques
Each type of sleeve has its own rules and changing patterns, as well as its own method of use. This method is called sleeve technique. The various morphological changes produced by the sleeves during the flow process form the unique expressive power of the sleeve dance in the transformation of time and space. This expressive power is reflected in the clear route, round transition, clear shape and neat connection of the long sleeves. The running process, trajectory and shape reflected in the space of the sleeves all determine the quality and appreciation of the sleeve dance. of beauty.
1. Sweeping sleeves, it is not only the starting movement of various sleeve dance techniques, but also the connecting movement of various sleeve dance techniques. Sleeve flicking is a technique in which the arms are used to move the long sleeves by lifting the wristband and the back of the hand and fingers.
2. Shake the sleeves. Shaking the sleeves is to use the breath to quickly throw the sleeves along the direction of the arm. The method is to lower the shoulders and lift the elbows, exert force on the wrists, and quickly shake the sleeves out, and then sink the sleeves. Put your shoulders down, relax your wrists, and loosen the sleeves far away. Pull your body and breath in opposite directions so that the sleeve tips are unfolded at the farthest point. We call it sleeve dropping. The most important thing about this action is the effect of breath on the sleeve body. To control falling,
3. Raise the sleeves, with the elbow as the axis, or the shoulder as the axis of the arc motion trajectory. The method of exerting force is to raise the Qi and stand up at the waist, use the arms to wrap the wrists, and measure to the outside or inside of the body. Throw up the middle part of the sleeve and flick it outward with your wrist and inward with your fingertips. Keep the sleeve in an arc while holding the breath. In this movement, you need to pay attention to the coherence of the force exerted by the arms, wrists, and fingertips, master the strength, relax the wrist to the fingers after exerting force, and control the trend of the sleeves to maintain an arc state.
4. Sleeve wrapping. This action is divided into outer sleeve wrapping and inner sleeve wrapping. Use your fingertips to drive the wrist and move it inward or outward in a spiral shape, lowering the shoulders, raising the elbows, and twisting the forearms. The sleeve body forms an inward or outward spiral shape. At the same time, the breath can be concentrated while holding the breath, and can also be freely expanded and expanded with the rise and fall of the sleeve, making the sleeve an extension of the arm.
5. Putting on the sleeves, through the response and cooperation of the sleeves and the body, the process of "putting on" is completed simultaneously. When the sleeves fall to the predetermined position, the body should always run through two words: "connect." " and "Ying", that is, while putting up the sleeves, use the corresponding parts of the body such as "wrists", "elbows", and "arms" to cooperate with the formation of the sleeve method. It is reflected in the posture and posture of the body when lifting the sleeves. In the falling position of the body in the sleeve-joining pose, the rise and fall are guided by the inner breath. In the coordination of the body and the sleeves, the body and the sleeves are dependent on each other, and the inner relationship of mutual complementation and mutual concession is fully realized. manifest.
4. The use of sleeves
In the dance "Feihong Duigu", the use of sleeves is the most extensive. For example, the unfolded sleeve body is used as an extension tool of the arm to form a swinging throw. Sleeves, sleeve shaking, sleeve raising and sleeve wrapping in a streamlined state formed by drawing circles or spirals, sleeves closing, grasping, flushing, etc. by sometimes stretching and sometimes grasping.
The sleeves of the costumes in the dance "Take Song" are shorter than those in "Feihong Duigu". In the hand-down position, the sleeves are one foot past the fingertips, so the movement of the sleeves in "Take Song" is mainly based on lines. During the movement of the sleeve, the unfolded sleeve serves as an extension tool for the arm, forming a streamlined state of swinging, throwing, and shaking. Relying on the extension of the sleeves, the momentum of the movement is amplified, and the range of movement and performance of the body is expanded. Sleeve shaking and sleeve raising are often used in dance movements. The theme movement of "Tap Song" has been changed several times, but they all appear with linear sleeves. For example, the side shaking sleeves used in the theme movement, the original movement is a leaning tower of the body, with the right foot pointing 3 Step forward, step forward with your left heel, shake your sleeves with your right arm to the furthest point at 3 o'clock, tilt your body toward 7 o'clock, turn your back to the audience, and stretch your sleeves flatly with both arms toward 3 o'clock and 7 o'clock. The current movement is half moon. First, use the arm to put the sleeves on, and put the sleeves of the right arm horizontally on the left arm. At the same time, tilt the body with the center of gravity and shake the sleeves toward 3 o'clock. Both movements use sleeve shaking. This movement uses the waist to drive the upper limbs (shoulders, upper arms, forearms, wrists), causing the sleeve tips to unfold at the farthest point, forming an instant static stop and showing dynamic movement. The connection process with static, flowing and dance postures reflects the beauty of the harmony of movement and stillness in classical dance of the Han and Tang Dynasties.
The sleeves of the dance "Xie Gong's Clogs" are different from those in "Feihong Duigu" or "Ta Ge". The sleeves of the latter two are only divided into lengths, while the sleeves of "Xie Gong's Clogs" are generous Broad, the perfection of the sleeves can best be shown when the arms are stretched flat. The long sleeves are not an extension of the sleeves themselves, but a thinner long silk attached to the wide sleeves. Such dancing sleeves are not easy to wave. It would be too heavy and look particularly elegant. The main movements of the wide sleeves of Bobao include sleeve wrapping, sleeve draping and sleeve shaking. Therefore, when used, it must match the body method, highlight the characteristics of the body giving way to the sleeves, the body hiding the sleeves, and the fit of the sleeves, and combine with different ways of step coordination to fully reflect the ingenious cooperation between the sleeves and the body, forming various changes and flows.
In short, sleeve dance, with its unique lyrical style and freehand characteristics, creates an ethereal and vast and profound artistic conception like calligraphy in the soothing flow of flowing clouds and the elegant and free wandering in the clouds, expressing Unexpectedly, people's endless reverie and far-reaching thoughts about nature, in the turbulent moments like a dragon stirring the sea, and in the rapid changes of the wind and clouds, the sleeves use its vigorous and vigorous momentum to write excitement and pride.
5. Expression forms of classical dance in the Han and Tang Dynasties
The styles of classical dance in the Han and Tang Dynasties are different, so their expression forms will also be different.
Specific manifestations are:
1. Expression forms of Han Dynasty dance
Han Dynasty dance not only has this characteristic of Chu dance, but also absorbs After years of development, foreign dance has gradually formed a national folk dance. From the perspective of performance characteristics, Han Dynasty dance mainly has the following characteristics:
(1) Dance sleeves;
(2) Dance feet;
( 3) Dance waist.
Among the classical dances in my country, Chu Yue Dance is one of the wonders, so the dances of the Han Dynasty borrowed some stylistic features of Chu dances, which laid a good foundation for the development of dances in the Han Dynasty. As for the stylistic feature of dancing feet, it is also relatively typical in the dances of the Han Dynasty. For example, in the dance "Pan Drum", the dancers dance by stepping on the drum and the pan. In the dance, the dancers need to be fully accurate. As well as being loud and clear, there can be no mistakes during the process of "croaking" and "floating"[3]. In addition, in the dances of the Han Dynasty, waist dancing was also a relatively distinctive form of expression. Although the waist dance of the Han Dynasty borrowed some expressions from Chu dance, it has its own characteristics. In Chu dance, there is the expression of "bending the waist", and its range of movements is relatively large, but the dance of the Han Dynasty dance has its own characteristics. The waist is more graceful. In the dance of the Han Dynasty, dance sleeves were a very important form of dance expression. During the performance, the dancers moved their arms to form a beautiful "S"-shaped curve through the two long sleeves, and then added the dancers Its own "S" shaped figure gives people a good visual impact.
2. Expression forms of dance in the Tang Dynasty
The classical dance of the Tang Dynasty can be said to have learned from the strengths of others. It not only absorbed the dance style of the Han Dynasty, but also absorbed the dance elements of the music and dance of the Western Regions, and It absorbs some dance elements from Korean music and dance and Central Plains music and dance, and forms a unique dance system through the organic integration of various dance elements. Especially with the support of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, the development of dance in the Tang Dynasty was further promoted, especially "Jinghong Dance". This dance uses bionic elements, so the dance gives people a light and elegant feeling. During the dance, it is like a swan goose in the sky, and people in the Tang Dynasty often used the word "Jinghong" to describe the posture of dancing, using this word to express the elegant and light dancing posture. Tang Dynasty dance is used in many film and television dramas. For example, in "The Legend of Zhen Huan", Wan Guiren won the favor of the emperor because of dancing "Jinghong Dance". From here, we can easily find that the charm of "Jinghong Dance" is so great, even when modern dance is popular Today, this kind of classical dance can also make people have endless aftertaste.
Conclusion
In summary, as one of the most classical dances in my country, classical dance of the Han and Tang Dynasties can well highlight the charm of Chinese classical music. Classical dance of the Han and Tang Dynasties was characterized by lightness, elegance and beauty, so it was loved by people at that time. It has been spread to this day and is still highly praised by people. If Chinese dance art wants to achieve further development, in addition to inheriting traditional dance forms, it also needs to carry out continuous innovation, so that it can form its own characteristics and then go global. ;