Yang Ge
Encyclopedia
Yangge or "Rice Sprout Song," is a form of Chinese folk dance
originating from the Song Dynasty
. It is very popular in northern China
and one of the most representative form of folk arts. It is popular both in the countryside and cities in northern China. It is especially popular among older people. Crowds of people go on street in the evening and dance together in a line or in a circle head-to-tail.
Some dancers dress up in red or green, or whatever colorful costumes, and typically use a red silk ribbon around the waist and swing the body to music played by drum, trumpet and gong
. More people will join as they see Yang Ge going on and dance along. Some dancers use props like waistdrum, dancing fan, fake donkey and litter. In different areas Yangge is performed done in different styles, but all express happiness.
In the 1940s, the Chinese Communist Party adopted the dance as a means of rallying village support, and is sometimes known as "reform yangge."
Another version of the yangge is a village play, an anthology of which was published by Sidney D. Gamble
in 1970, based on transcriptions made by Li Jinghan as part of the Ting Hsien Experiment's surveys in the 1930s.
Folk dance
The term folk dance describes dances that share some or all of the following attributes:*They are dances performed at social functions by people with little or no professional training, often to traditional music or music based on traditional music....
originating from the Song Dynasty
Song Dynasty
The Song Dynasty was a ruling dynasty in China between 960 and 1279; it succeeded the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period, and was followed by the Yuan Dynasty. It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes or paper money, and the first Chinese government to establish a...
. It is very popular in northern China
North China
thumb|250px|Northern [[People's Republic of China]] region.Northern China or North China is a geographical region of China. The heartland of North China is the North China Plain....
and one of the most representative form of folk arts. It is popular both in the countryside and cities in northern China. It is especially popular among older people. Crowds of people go on street in the evening and dance together in a line or in a circle head-to-tail.
Some dancers dress up in red or green, or whatever colorful costumes, and typically use a red silk ribbon around the waist and swing the body to music played by drum, trumpet and gong
Gong
A gong is an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet....
. More people will join as they see Yang Ge going on and dance along. Some dancers use props like waistdrum, dancing fan, fake donkey and litter. In different areas Yangge is performed done in different styles, but all express happiness.
In the 1940s, the Chinese Communist Party adopted the dance as a means of rallying village support, and is sometimes known as "reform yangge."
Another version of the yangge is a village play, an anthology of which was published by Sidney D. Gamble
Sidney D. Gamble
Sidney D. Gamble was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, to David Berry and Mary Huggins Gamble; grandson of James Gamble, who, with William Procter, founded Procter & Gamble in 1837. in 1912 he graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University with a Bachelor of Literature degree and was elected to Phi...
in 1970, based on transcriptions made by Li Jinghan as part of the Ting Hsien Experiment's surveys in the 1930s.
See also
- Dance of ChinaDance of ChinaDance of China may refer to:*Dragon dance*Dunhuang dance*Er Ren Zhuan*Lion dance*Yangge...
- List of ethnic, regional, and folk dances sorted by origin
- PungmulPungmulPungmul is a Korean folk music tradition that includes drumming, dancing, and singing. Most performances are outside, with tens of players, all in constant motion. Pungmul is rooted in the dure farming culture. It was originally played as part of farm work, on rural holidays, at other village...
& Samul noriSamul noriSamul nori is a genre of traditional percussion music originating in Korea. The word samul means "four objects" and nori means "play"; samul nori is performed with four traditional Korean musical instruments:* Kkwaenggwari...
of the ethnic Koreans in China
External links
- Yangge
- "Rice Sprout Songs," (Princeton University History 325) http://www.princeton.edu/~his325/week5/Yangge/yangge.html