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Baishou Dance
The Baishou Dance or baishouwu (摆手舞, literally 'hand-waving dance') is a 500-year-old historic group dance of the Tujia, one of 55 ethnic minorities in China. The dance uses 70 ritual gesture A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication or non-vocal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of, or in conjunction with, speech. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or ot ...s to represent war, farming, hunting, courtship and other aspects of traditional life. Literature The Tujia nationality Baishou dance in Xiangxi, Hunan province best reflects the ethnic flavor and ancient customs of the Tujia nationality. It is popular in Longshan county, Baojing county and Yongshun county, Xiangxi Tujia-Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hunan province. The dance is usually performed from the third to the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. It originates from an ancestor worship ceremony and dates back nearly 1,000 years ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Group Dance
Group dances are danced by groups of people simultaneously, as opposed to individuals dancing alone or individually, and as opposed to couples dancing together but independently of others dancing at the same time, if any. The dances are generally, but not always, coordinated or standardized in such a way that all the individuals in the group are dancing the same steps at the same time. Alternatively, various groups within the larger group may be dancing different, but complementary, parts of the larger dance. An exception to this generalization must be pointed out where groups of individuals are dancing independently of each other, but with the purpose of creating a "group" feeling or experience, such as might accompany various forms of ritual dancing. Group dances include the following dance forms or styles: * Folk dance ** Circle dance ** Contra dance ** English Country Dance ** Maypole dance ** Square dance *** Traditional square dance *** Modern western square dance ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tujia People
The Tujia ( Northern Tujia: ''Bifjixkhar'' / ''Bifzixkar'', IPA: , Southern Tujia: ''Mongrzzir'', ; ) are an ethnic group and, with a total population of over 8 million, the eighth-largest officially recognized ethnic minority in the People's Republic of China. They live in the Wuling Mountains, straddling the common borders of Hunan, Hubei and Guizhou Provinces and Chongqing Municipality. The endonym ''Bizika'' means "native dwellers". In Chinese, ''Tujia'' literally means "local families", in contrast to the Hakka (), whose name literally means "guest families" and implies migration. Origins Although there are different accounts of their origins, the Tujia may trace their history back over twelve centuries and possibly beyond, to the ancient Ba people who occupied the area around modern-day Chongqing some 2,500 years ago. The Ba Kingdom reached the zenith of its power between 600 BC and 400 BC but was destroyed by the Qin in 316 BC. After being referred to by a long suc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ethnic Minorities In China
Ethnic minorities in China are the non-Han Chinese, Han population in the People's Republic of China (PRC). The PRC officially recognizes 55 minority group, ethnic minority groups within China in addition to the Han majority. As of 2010, the combined population of officially-recognized minority groups comprised 8.49% of the population of mainland China. In addition to these officially-recognized ethnic minority groups, there are Chinese nationals who privately classify themselves as members of unrecognized ethnic groups in China, unrecognized ethnic groups, such as the very small Chinese history of the Jews in China, Jewish, Tuvans, Tuvan, and Ili Turk people, Ili Turk communities, as well as the much larger Oirats, Oirat and Japanese people in China, Japanese communities. In Chinese, 'ethnic minority' has translated to (), wherein () means 'Nationalities (ethnic affiliations), nationality' or 'nation' (as in ethnic group)—in line with the Soviet concept of ethnicity—a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gesture
A gesture is a form of non-verbal communication or non-vocal communication in which visible bodily actions communicate particular messages, either in place of, or in conjunction with, speech. Gestures include movement of the hands, face, or other parts of the body. Gestures differ from physical non-verbal communication that does not communicate specific messages, such as purely expressive displays, proxemics, or displays of joint attention.Kendon, Adam. (2004) ''Gesture: Visible Action as Utterance''. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Gestures allow individuals to communicate a variety of feelings and thoughts, from contempt and hostility to approval and affection, often together with body language in addition to words when they speak. Gesticulation and speech work independently of each other, but join to provide emphasis and meaning. Gesture processing takes place in areas of the brain such as Broca's and Wernicke's areas, which are used by speech and sign language. In ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
