The Lusheng Dance is the most representative and favorite dance of the Miao people.
Different tunes have different meanings and are played in different
circumstances. People dance differently and take different activities according
to them. It can be generally divided into three categories: for entertainment,
for show, and for seeking love.
The first kind is for entertainment. On
special festivals of the Miao ethnic group, all the people, including old people
and children, will join the Lusheng Dance.
The second kind is for show, which demands
more tunes and more skillful dancers. For instance, the Tianbu dance is
performed by two people who stand on three stakes. They have to change positions
again and again during the performance while standing on one foot. The scene is
very exciting. In the dance called "cock-fighting", two performers must show the
whole process of the fight. The performance is remarkably true to
life.
The third kind and also the most important
kind of Lusheng Dance is to seek love. According to Miao custom, it is
important for the youth to play the Lusheng and dance in choosing lovers.
The custom is recorded in an ancient book, in which a young man held a reed pipe
wind instrument, playing freely while dancing. Meanwhile, he called for girls in
the room to dance together with him. The love expression today by playing a
Lusheng is similar to that of 3,000 years ago. Girls tie one end of
strips around the waist of the young men they like and hold the other end, and
then follow the young men. Young men who are followed by several girls in a fan
shape look like a peacock. However, some young men are followed by no girls. The
scene is very interesting.