Tibetan people are good at dancing. For example, the well-known Guozhuang dance is one of the three major Tibetan folk dances. Another dance that I want to introduce today is unique in Suo County and has become an intangible cultural heritage. It is Xuereba.
Thousands of years old dance
Xuereba was originally a religious dance with a history of more than 1,800 years. Later, this dance slowly evolved and became the performance content of the wandering artist troupe.
Xuereba in Suo County has formed its own unique style through continuous improvement through the long-term efforts of Xuereba actors for hundreds of years. Its entire performance is bold and unrestrained, requires superb skills, and is very rich in content.
In terms of props, Xuereba's usual decorative props include: bells, drums, mesh skirts, masked boots, raw silk underwear, etc. Suoxian Xuereba's costumes and props are relatively cumbersome, and the performers are generally male. The actors' waists need to be tied with black and white ox hair flower ropes. When dancing, one actor beats a drum on a chair, and some other actors hold bells. Some hold drums and sing while dancing.
In addition, when dancing, Suoxian Xuereba first emphasizes the coordination of facial expressions and limb movements, and expresses thoughts and emotions through movements; The bold posture expresses the masculinity of men, thus reflecting the Tibetans' brave struggle against the harsh living environment.
It is precisely because of this spirit of inheritance and various dance forms that Suoxian Xuereba formed an independent school and passed it down.
Become an intangible folk art
The artists of Xuereba are all vigorous and agile, and their singing is sonorous and powerful. The dancers express the deep-rooted national culture with their agility. This folk art, also because of its artistry, was included in the autonomous region-level intangible cultural heritage list in 2009.
There are quite a few programs in this traditional dance. There are thirty-three programs in total. Today, in Yala Town, Suo County, there are two representative inheritors of Shereba. With the efforts of the inheritors, Xuereba has spread to various places.
Now, Suoxian Middle School has also included Xuereba in the school-based curriculum, and the teenagers have vividly expressed Xuereba's bold and rough side in singing and dancing.
Excellent art embodies our life and culture. The dance of Xuereba in Suoxian County allows people to see the innovation and openness of the people in Tibetan areas and their belief in life.