Sheep to the head to encourage: "dance" into the folk dance of the intangible heritage

The art style of sheep to head encouragement is extensive, simple and unique

The sheep to the head to encourage the performers need to have strong physique and endurance

The content and form of the sheep-to-head encouragement are rich and colorful, both ornamental and entertaining

Dancers mostly use "lunge", the movement is fast, striding forward

In heze Dongmingwang Caiyuan Village, there is such an encouragement, the dancers in groups of four, sometimes withdrawing their own knocks, sometimes gathering drums to shake the sky, accompanied by the sound of trombones, like a flock of sheep crying, this is the intangible cultural heritage of the Yellow River - sheep against the head to encourage.

Sheep to head encouragement is a kind of folk dance, according to research originated in the Warring States period, is a popular drum music in the ancient army, belongs to a branch of the Shanxi Pan drum, because the dance is strong, majestic, the movement is like a sheep to the head and named. In the fourth year of Ming Yongle (1406 AD), a large number of people moved from Hongdong County, Shanxi to Wangcaiyuan Village in the current Dongming Datun Town, and the encouragement of sheep arriving at the head was also introduced. In 2009, the Sheep Tou Encouragement was listed as an intangible cultural heritage project in Shandong Province.

The artistic style is unique

Sheep to head encouragement was originally called "four flip drums", the band is small, because the local villagers love to learn martial arts, so the martial arts into the dance, increase the amplitude of movements, enrich the dance content and expression language, after several generations of artists inheritance and development, sheep to head encouragement basically mature. The dancers are neat, well-accompanied, skilled, and artistically primitive, rough, simple and distinctive. The traditional drum beats of "jumping up and four drums", "lunging in the face", "throwing drumsticks" and "five steps and four flips" are known for their coarseness and elegance. There is a local saying that "watch the drum team, listen to the drum hammer, and see the sheep against the head and do not sleep".

According to research, the sheep to the head is a popular drum music in ancient armies, originated in the Warring States period, and was later passed down as an ancient folk dance performance. In the last years of the Yuan Dynasty, the ruling class brutally squeezed the people, flooded, natural disasters and man-made disasters, and the people in Shandong and Henan became refugees. At that time, there were fewer wars and natural disasters in Shanxi, so refugees fled to Shanxi, and Hongdong County, Shanxi, which was relatively wealthy at that time, became the most emigrant area. Later, after the establishment of the Ming Dynasty, in order to consolidate the regime, large-scale people migrated to Hongdong County because of its dense population and convenient transportation, so many people were moved to Shandong and Henan. It was during this period of cultural integration that the encouragement of the sheep was spread to Heze Dongming County and was carried forward.

In the process of development and evolution, the sheep to the head inspiration integrates dance, martial arts, instrumental music, etc., and the content and form are more colorful, both ornamental and entertaining. The instruments played by the sheep are mainly drums, but there are also percussion instruments such as the tip trumpet, cymbals, cymbals and gongs. The drum used is very large, the large cymbal weighs 8 kg, the sharp trumpet is 1.2 meters long, the accompaniment sound is high-pitched and rough, the dance movement range is large, the performance atmosphere is lively, the physical fitness of the dance team members is very high, and it is necessary to have a strong physique and endurance.

Dancing while playing, the scene is spectacular

When dozens of large drums, bronzes and spikes are played together, the momentum is very grand, the distance sounds like thunder, and the close hearing is like the roar of a thousand cannons, which has a kind of artistic appeal that urges people to forge ahead and shock people's hearts. The sheep against the head is full of momentum, the style is calm and rough, the dance movement is very similar to two rams resisting each other, the drum team performers carry the drum cross-body on the waist and abdomen, the drum face up, and use the two drumsticks to play according to the drum beat while changing various formations.

Its performance form is generally divided into in-situ performance and marching performance. When performing in situ, the drummers are divided into groups of two and two crossed each other, and the array is lined up in a square line. Musical instruments such as cymbals, cymbals, and gongs are arranged on both sides, and the spikes are divided into four groups, placed in the four corners of the phalanx, and the audience is surrounded by them. The performance was performed, the gongs and drums shook the sky, the momentum was grand, and the scene was spectacular. When marching and performing, the drum team is lined up in four columns, the front is the drum, the middle is the percussion instruments such as cymbals, cymbals, gongs, etc., and finally the tip trumpet, playing while dancing while walking, the steps follow the drums, pay attention to the coordination of movements, and are uniform.

When the sheep arrives at the head to encourage the performance, the drum is crossed on the left shoulder, the drum is placed on the waist and abdomen, the drum is facing upwards, and the double drumstick is played, the right hand is in front, the high blow is hit, the left hand is behind, the drum surface is tapped, and the drumming methods are "drumming surface", "drumming side", "drumming frame" and so on, and the drum rhythm is complex and diverse. Because the drum is large and heavy, so the dancers have a low frame, mostly use "lunge", the right foot is in front, the left foot is behind, the right leg is close to the lower edge of the drum frame, which enhances the stability of the drum, the footwork is mostly moving back and forth, the pace is calm, the foot is rooted, the foot is dusty, solid and powerful, the action is swift, the stride forward rush, the four drums are connected, like a ram offsetting. At the climax of the performance, the four people jumped up at the same time, threw drumsticks in the air, rotated and hit, and were mighty and majestic, with superb acting skills. The drum beat of the sheep to the head is a set of song structure, the change of the drum and the way of the set have obvious regularity, and the dance steps are played continuously with the drum beat during the performance, and at the same time, they are full of changes and have a certain degree of improvisation.

Inheritance protection is urgently needed

Sheep to head encouragement is a relatively primitive drum dance that currently exists, and it is also a rare living specimen of folk dance research, and the performance and drum music and accompaniment are organically combined, which has a high appreciation value. In ancient times, the sheep-to-head encouragement was mostly used in celebrations, sacrifices and other activities, and the themes involved myths and legends, folk legends and many other aspects, and it is a precious material for studying local humanistic customs and folk customs.

Wang Yousheng is the fifth generation of Dongming Yangtou Encouragement, and has been learning drumming with his elders since he was 14 years old. When the adults were beating the drums, he sat next to watch, couldn't touch the drums, just learned to beat the drums on his knees, and after slowly learning, he began to perform with the drum team everywhere. To this day, several nearby villages will find them to play a song.

In order to pass on the playing skills of the sheep to the head, Wang Yousheng broke the old rules, taught the playing and dance skills of the sheep to the women in the village, and set up a women's drum team to pass on and develop this ancient dance culture. This women's youth drum team has also participated in many large-scale festivals and performances held by provinces and cities, and has received unanimous praise.

In 2009, the sheep to the head encouragement was listed as an intangible cultural heritage project in Shandong Province, and the Dongming County government attached great importance to the excavation and protection of this intangible cultural heritage project, sorted out the relevant materials, and invited experts to guide the drum team, and provided material support for the drum team, made the drum team performance costumes, and actively supported the activities of the drum team, so that the number of drum teams has been further developed and expanded.

Heze Newspaper all-media reporter Wen Jie