The Yingge dance, also named “Dance of the Heroes”, has a history dating back to the Ming Dynasty. It is a folk art form that mixes opera, dance and martial arts (武术). It is quite popular in Guangdong Province in south China and Puning is home to over 100 Yingge teams. In 2006, Puning Yingge dance was listed as part of China’s national intangible cultural heritage (非物质文化遗产).
The Yingge dance usually gets inspiration from The Water Margin, one of China’s Four Great Classical Novels. During major festivals, the sound of Yingge drums fills cities and villages. The dancers wear colorful traditional costumes, put on beautiful facial makeup (化妆) and dance joyfully. When watching the dance, people can always feel the spirit of fighting for the good besides a lively air with energy and youth.
Typically, in the Yingge dance, the lead dancer acts like a snake as the snake means being flexible (灵活的) and wise, which gives the dance deep cultural importance. Holding a cloth snake, the lead dancer copies the snake’s movements. When he makes his way through the dance team, he also guides the team’s direction. His fine steps and skillful movements make him the focus of the performance.
During performances, dancers hold the Yingge sticks at their mid-points, waving them and forming the shape of number 8. At the same time, their fingers create continuous movements. Moreover, each dancer jumps sideways and hits the sticks to the drum beats as if they are riding a horse. Their heads and bodies move naturally to the beat too.
Traditionally, only adult men could join the Yingge teams. Today, the Yingge dance has greeted both men and women. Also, modern dance is added while the most important part of traditional dance is kept, which suits the taste of people today.
