Performing styles

The Kasi Dawen Dance is based on the "Dazang Dance" of the ancient Qiang people, and is also influenced to some extent by the Shaman Dance of Tibetan Buddhism . Therefore, it is safe to say that the Armature Dance in E'en Village is actually the result of the blending of Tibetan and Qiang cultures.

The basic dance movements, such as bowing the waist, arching the back, moving in quick, short steps, shaking small bells, and so on, typically featured the straightforward, sonorous, extraordinarily brave and warlike dance characteristics of ethnic groups in mountainous regions; its vivid dance rhythms also left a deep impression on spectators. During the dance, the moves combined syncopated and mixed beats, which made the rhythm wild and free.

Due to the special cantus of the Armature Dance, the dancers can make better use of the rhythm to produce grand and forceful artistic glamour. However, some scholars say this kind of glamour is actually a common characteristic of all dances performed by the Qiang people.

 Religious and social functions

The Kasi Dawen Dance has many religious and social functions, such as social control, conforming society, regulating behavior, adjusting people's mentality and refining people's sentiments.

The religious functions can be defined in terms of three aspects: alliance among villages, showing off military exploits and enhancing friendship among different ethnic groups, and offering sacrifices to gods or ancestors.

In history, different villages frequently waged wars against each other due to disputes over grasslands, religion, etc. To ensure safety and to increase power, alliances between two or more villages often took place. On the ceremony of the alliance, the performance of the Kasi Dawen Dance was a must, which aimed to create an ardent atmosphere in an artistic manner.

When war broke out, the Kasi Dawen Dance was performed to see off fighters to the battlefield. In this case, the dance was used to flaunt military exploits, boost the morale of warriors and increase the friendship among people of the same ethnic group.

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