Being-Shilong Bawang Whip Dance

Being.石龙霸王鞭

When I was a child, my grandfather used to perform the Bawang Whip Dance. He could strike the ground so hard that dust would fly, and even break his waistband with the force of the whip. That was the spirit of Bawang Whip Dance I remember.

Bawang Whip Dance is a Bai tradition from Shilong Village, Jianchuan, Yunnan. The twenty-four strikes correspond to the twenty-four solar terms of the lunar calendar, and the twelve steps to the twelve months, The dancers’ paths of motion hide within them the figures of the Hetu and Luoshu. Within this dance, it carries the ancient people’s grasp of the cosmos, lies the ancestors’ hopes for life and their understanding of existence, shaped by the turning of the seasons and the passing of years

Creatives
Choreographer / Director: DONG Jilan
Producer: MA Xun
Dramaturg: Adel Andalibi
Music Production / Arrangement: Chun
Playwright: MA Qina
Dancers: YANG Bixi, TAN Yuyang, JI Tuo, ZHANG Guoqing, ZHANG Ruijun, LI Genfan, JIANG Yushan
Stage Manager: CHEN Qin

Being.石龙霸王鞭