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Final Exam Paper

The Li Ethnic Group: Tiao Niang Dance

Tiao Niang Dance, also known as the "Bowl-Tapping Dance", is an ancient folk dance passed down through the Li ethnic villages in areas like Lingshui, Baoting, and Sanya in Hainan Province. This dance is rooted in the primal beliefs of the Li ancestors. With female dancers at its core, using bowls and chopsticks as instruments and the body as language, it has formed a unique artistic expression. Evolving from a secluded folk ritual for blessings, it has undergone millennia of transmission and has been endowed with new vitality in the contemporary era. In 2023, it was included in the sixth batch of Hainan Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage List, becoming a shining emblem showcasing the cultural charm of the Li people.

Historical Origin and Evolution

Tiao Niang Dance is a female dance originating from the Li people's folk blessing rituals, which are born from their reverence for nature. For the Li people, the dance served as a connection between humans and heaven and earth (Wang Yingchun, 2025). The dancer is respectfully called "Niangmu" by the Li people. In the past, the ritual practitioner "Niangmu" acted as a bridge between humans and nature. "Niangmu" was typically a woman believed to possess the ability to communicate with deities. When a family encountered illness or misfortune, they would invite "Niangmu" to their home. Through a complete ceremony involving bowl-tapping, chanting, and specific dance steps, she would pacify ancestral spirits, expel evil causing the ailment, and pray for the family's safety and peace (Cheng Yunyan, 2014). Therefore, the original Tiao Niang Dance was highly functional and sacred; it was not meant for entertainment but was a crucial social practice related to survival and cosmic order. Every aspect of the dance, from the choice of ritual objects to the direction of movements, contained the sincere wish for divine intervention to restore harmony to the human world.

Due to its strong ritual exclusivity, women other than the "Niangmu" were strictly forbidden from performing this dance. It was not until 1951, when a central government delegation visited the Wuzhishan area, that local authorities organized public performances by "Niangmu" to showcase this distinctive dance. This marked a turning point that Tiao Niang Dance was separated from its previously closed and often stigmatized as "superstitious" ritual context. Its unique value as an ethnic art form began to be recognized and appreciated by the wider world (Ding Sili, Zhang Xuanhao, 2025).

Since then, the Tiao Niang Dance has embarked on a transformative journey from a sacred altar to public life. Its function has fundamentally expanded, which has shifted from primarily "entertaining deities" and "healing" to "entertaining people", "educating" and "fostering cultural identity". The dance form has also evolved from solo or small-group rituals performed by "Niangmu" to collective joyous dances where dozens of participants join hands in a circle, and the atmosphere has transformed from solemnity to cheerful openness, making it an integral part of Li ethnic festivals and community events. Professional artists have further refined it, adapting it into a staged "Bowl Dance", which allows it to reach broader artistic platforms (Baidu Encyclopedia: Tiao Niang).

Cultural Connotation

Tiao Niang Dance is deeply embedded in the Li people's primal religious system, which centers on ancestor worship and nature worship. The Li ancestors believed that mountains, rivers, plants and ancestral spirits all possessed spiritual power capable of influencing earthly life. Dance, especially ritual dance, was the most direct and vivid way to communicate, converse with, and seek blessings from these supernatural forces. Therefore, Tiao Niang Dance is far more than a set of physical movements; it is the embodied expression of the Li people's cosmology and philosophy of life—a cultural practice of "using the body as an offering and dance as a medium to communicate with the divine". While venerating ancestors, it also prays for favorable weather, peace for people and livestock, and the continuity of the community for the living. It carries the Li ancestors' wisdom of "harmony between humanity and nature" and embodies their fundamental yearning for a harmonious order and a happy life (Zhang Ming, 2023).

Dance Characteristics

The artistic charm of Tiao Niang Dance lies in its use of highly quotidian props and a highly stylized physical language to construct a complete and unique expressive system. Its core features can be summarized as "using bowls as instruments and dancing with same-side sway".

The core props of the dance are everyday ceramic bowls and bamboo chopsticks. The bowl, often an ordinary rice bowl painted with Li ethnic patterns or rooster motifs, is endowed with sacred significance in the dance—it serves both as a vessel receiving blessings and as an instrument producing sounds to reach the divine. Dancers balance the bowl on their heads and tap it with chopsticks, creating crisp, steady, and penetrating "ding-dong" sounds. This sound is the soul of the dance. In the ritual context, it was a signal conveying messages to heaven, earth, and spirits; in artistic presentation, it forms the most primitive and pure rhythmic foundation of the dance(Ding Sili, Zhang Xuanhao, 2025).

The movement rhythm of Tiao Niang Dance is slow and dignified. Its most distinctive physical characteristic is the "same-side sway" movement. Dancers keep their upper bodies steady while their waists and hips naturally sway to the same side as their stepping foot, creating a unique coordination where the arm and leg on the same side move together. Basic steps like the Pingbu step (an even steady step) and the Dianbu step (a light connecting step) follow a cycle of "two steps forward, two steps back". Through the left-right natural sway of the waist and hips, a visual rhythm that is graceful, subtle, and continuous is produced. This "same-side" dynamic differs markedly from the pursuit of "hip twisting" or "cross-body lines" in many other dances, forming the irreplaceable physical signature of Tiao Niang Dance (Ding Sili, Zhang Xuanhao, 2025).

The traditional Tiao Niang Dance is not merely physical movement but an integrated whole combining song, dance, incantation, and ritual. Dancers chant ancient Li language prayers while dancing, with content often related to health, harvest, and community propagation. Their attire is originally the daily dress of Li women, highlighting the fusion of ritual and daily life. These elements work together, imbuing the deceptively simple dance form with rich cultural connotation and emotional resonance.

Current State of Inheritance

The reason this ancient dance art continues to thrive today can be attributed to two main aspects. Firstly, the Tiao Niang Dance itself is a profound condensation of Li history and culture. Having endured through long ages, it continues to be deeply embraced by the Li people and enjoys a solid popular foundation, being passed down orally and physically through generations within villages. Secondly, the functions of the Tiao Niang Dance have continually enriched with societal development. Evolving from its initial purposes of worship and healing, it now also fulfills various needs such as entertainment, physical fitness, aesthetic experience, and fostering community bonds. This expansion and transformation of functions enable the Tiao Niang Dance to integrate into modern life, maintaining its vitality as a living heritage (Cheng Yunyan, 2014).

Of course, ensuring its continuity also faces challenges: few elderly "Niangmu" who fully understand the complete ritual procedures and chants remain; during artistic adaptation, its original ritual context, unique essence, and details risk being simplified or lost; and the younger generation's distance from traditional culture also poses a risk of broken continuity. In response, government and cultural departments have implemented a series of measures to safeguard this intangible cultural heritage. First is living transmission. Identifying representative inheritors and establishing training courses in primary and secondary schools to ensure the intergenerational continuity of the skills. Second is documentation and research. Utilizing digital means to comprehensively preserve the skills, chants, and memories of elderly dancers. Third is innovative integration. Encouraging creative adaptations that retain the core movement principles and cultural spirit while catering to modern aesthetics, allowing it to gain new vitality in tourism, cultural performances, etc., which in turn feeds back into and supports its transmission within local communities. Today, Tiao Niang Dance is not only a symbolic representation of Li culture but has also become an important link promoting community solidarity and strengthening cultural confidence (Wang Yingchun, 2025).

Conclusion

Tiao Niang Dance is more than just a dance; it is a vivid epic written in body language about the beliefs, history, survival wisdom, and adaptive capacity of the Li people. Its clear, resonant bowl sound is not merely a rhythm but the profound cultural heartbeat of an ethnic group. Protecting and transmitting Tiao Niang Dance means safeguarding the continuation of this cultural heartbeat, so that human beings can continually comprehend the spiritual character of the Li people and understand the precious value of human cultural diversity through its unique rhythm.

Finally, I highly recommend watching Sheng Sheng Hui Xiang, a performance of Tiao Niang Dance. In it, dancers tap the bowls to converse with heaven and earth. The wheat ears in their hands transform from withered yellow to lush green, evoking a resonance between ancient traditional culture and new life. This work is a tribute to nature, expressing the Li people’s love, reverence, and praise for it. It represents an excellent act of inheritance and innovation for Tiao Niang Dance and Li traditional culture!

Terms and Expressions

the Li ethnic group 黎族

Tiao Niang Dance 跳娘舞

Bowl-Tapping Dance 敲碗舞

Niangmu 娘母

same-side sway 顺边/顺拐

cosmology 宇宙观

harmony between humanity and nature 天人合一

Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage List 省级非遗名录

living transmission 活态传承

safeguard and transmission 保护与传承（《保护非物质文化遗产公约》官方术语）

Questions

1、What are the original primary functions of Tiao Niang Dance?

2、What are the features of Tiao Niang Dance?

3、What are the reasons for the transmission and development of Tiao Niang Dance in contemporary times？

4、What are the main challenges of the transmission?

5、Please briefly explain the cultural significance of the dance according to this article.

References

[1]Cheng Yunyan程云燕. 浅析黎族舞蹈跳娘舞的艺术特征[Brief Analysis of the Artistic Characteristics of Tiao Niang Dance in the Li Ethnic Group][J]. 音乐时空[Music Space-Time], 2014(09): 43.

[2]Ding Sili丁思力, Zhang Xuanhao张烜皓. 黎族跳娘舞的艺术形态与审美特征研究[Research on the Art Form and Aesthetic Characteristics of Tiao Niang Dance in the Li Ethnic Group][J]. 尚舞[Dance Fashion], 2025(15).

[3]https://baike.baidu.com/item/跳娘[Tiao Niang]/5046957

[4]Wang Yingchun王迎春. 与碗共舞[Dancing with Bowl][N]. 海南日报[Hainan Daily], 2025-09-06(A07).

[5]Zhang Ming张明. 仪式、身体与话语：海南黎族跳娘舞的话语分析及文化内涵研究[Ritual, Body and Discourse: Discourse Analysis and Cultural Connotation Research on Tiao Niang Dance of the Li Ethnic Group in Hainan][J]. 粤海风[Yuehaifeng], 2023(05): 96-104.

期末论文

黎族跳娘舞

跳娘舞，亦称“敲碗舞”，是流传于海南陵水、保亭、三亚等地黎族村寨的古老民间舞蹈。该舞蹈根植于黎族先民的原始信仰，以女性舞者为核心，以碗筷为乐器，以身体为语言，形成了独具一格的艺术形态。它从隐秘的民间祈福仪式走来，历经千年传承，在当代被赋予了新的生命力，于2023年入选海南省第六批省级非遗名录，成为彰显黎族文化魅力的一张闪亮名片。

历史起源与演变

跳娘舞是一支源于黎族民间祈福仪式的女性舞蹈，发轫于黎族先民对自然的敬畏，在族人看来，舞蹈连接着人与天地。舞者，族人们尊称为“娘母”。过去，作为仪式执行者的“娘母”，是人与自然沟通的一条纽带（王迎春，2025）。“娘母”通常是被认为具有沟通神灵能力的女性。当家庭遭遇病难时，延请“娘母”至家中，通过一系列包含敲碗、吟唱、特定舞步的完整仪式，来安抚祖灵、驱赶病魔，为家庭祈求平安（程云燕，2014）。因此，最初的跳娘舞是高度功能性和神圣性的，它并非用于观赏，而是关乎生存与秩序的重要社会实践。舞蹈的每一个环节，从器具的选择到动作的走向，都蕴含着祈求神灵介入、恢复人间和谐的朴素愿望。

因带有浓厚的仪式专属性，除执行仪式的“娘母”外，其他妇女皆被禁止跳此舞。直至1951年中央访问五指山地区，当地政府组织娘母们公开表演这一富有特色的舞蹈，跳娘舞才得以从封闭的、被标签为“迷信”的仪式语境中剥离出来，其作为民族艺术形式的独特价值开始被外界认识和欣赏（丁思力，张烜皓，2025）。

自此，跳娘舞踏上了一条从神圣祭坛走向大众生活的转型之路。其功能发生了根本性的拓展：从主要为“娱神”、“治病”，转向了“娱人”、“育人”与“凝聚认同”。舞蹈形式也从“娘母”的单人或少数人仪式，发展为数十人手拉手围成圆圈的集体欢舞，气氛从肃穆转为欢快开朗，成为黎族节日庆典和社区活动中不可或缺的组成部分。专业文艺工作者也对其进行了艺术提炼，改编出舞台化的“碗舞”，使其登上了更广阔的艺术殿堂（百度百科：跳娘）。

文化内涵

跳娘舞深深植根于黎族以祖先崇拜和自然崇拜为核心的原始宗教信仰体系之中。黎族先民相信山川草木、祖先灵魂皆具有灵力，可影响现世生活。舞蹈，尤其是祭祀舞蹈，便是与这些超自然力量沟通、对话、祈求庇佑的最直接、最生动的途径。因此，跳娘舞远不止是一套身体动作，它是黎族宇宙观和生命观的肢体化表达，是“以身为祭，以舞通神”的文化实践。它在祭祀祖先的同时，也为生者祈求风调雨顺、人畜平安、族群延续，承载着黎族先民“天人合一”的生存智慧，承载着黎族人民对和谐秩序与美好生活的根本向往（张明，2023）。

舞蹈特征

跳娘舞的艺术魅力，在于它用极其生活化的道具和高度风格化的身体语言，构建了一套完整而独特的表达系统。其核心特征可概括为“以碗为器，顺边而舞”。

舞蹈的核心道具是日常所用的瓷碗与竹筷。碗，常是绘有黎族特色纹样或公鸡图案的普通食碗，在舞蹈中被赋予了神圣性——它既是盛接福泽的容器，也是发出通神之音的乐器。舞者将碗顶于头上，以筷击碗，发出清脆、稳定而富有穿透力的“叮咚”声。这声音是舞蹈的灵魂，在仪式语境中，它是向天地神灵传递信息的信号；在艺术呈现中，它构成了舞蹈最原始而纯粹的节奏基底（丁思力，张烜皓，2025）。

跳娘舞的动作韵律舒缓而庄重。其最鲜明的身体特征，在于“顺边”动律。舞者上身保持平稳，腰部和胯部随着步伐自然地向同一侧摆动，形成手脚同边的独特协调感。基本舞步如平步、垫步，在“向前两步，后退两步”的循环中，通过腰胯的左右自然摆动，产生出一种柔美、含蓄而又连绵不绝的视觉韵律。这种“顺边”动态，迥异于许多舞蹈对“扭胯”或“交叉线条”的追求，形成了跳娘舞不可替代的肢体标识（丁思力，张烜皓，2025）。

传统的跳娘舞并非单纯的肢体运动，而是歌、舞、咒、仪紧密结合的整体。舞者在跳动时口中吟唱古老的黎语祷词，内容多关乎健康、丰收与族群繁衍。其服饰最初即为黎族妇女日常装束，凸显了仪式与生活的交融。这些元素共同作用，为看似简单的舞蹈形式注入了丰富的文化意蕴和情感共鸣。

传承现状

这门古老的舞蹈艺术之所以能在今天继续焕发生机，主要原因有两个方面。首先，跳娘舞本身是黎族历史与文化的高度凝聚。它经历了漫长的岁月，依然被黎族民众深深认同和喜爱，在村寨中口传身授，代代相传，具有坚实的群众基础。其次，跳娘舞的功能随着时代发展而不断丰富。它从最初以祭祀、驱病为主要目的，逐渐演变，如今同样满足了人们娱乐身心、强健体魄、审美体验以及凝聚社区情感等多方面的需求。这种功能的拓展与转化，使得跳娘舞能够融入现代生活，保持其活态传承的生命力（程云燕，2014）。

当然，传承也面临着一些挑战：真正通晓完整仪式规程、唱词的老一辈“娘母”已寥寥无几；舞蹈在艺术化改编过程中，其原生的仪式语境、独特的神韵和细节可能被简化或丢失；年轻一代对传统文化的生疏，也使得传承面临断层的风险。为此，政府与文化部门已开展了一系列保护工作：一是活态传承，通过认定代表性传承人、在中小学校园开设传习课程，确保技艺的代际延续；二是记录研究，利用数字化手段全面保存老艺人的技艺、唱词与记忆；三是创新融合，鼓励在保留核心动律与文化精神的前提下，进行适应现代审美的创作，使其在旅游文化、文艺演出中焕发新的活力，反哺其在本土社区的传承。如今，跳娘舞不仅是黎族文化的象征符号，也成为了促进社区团结、增强文化自信的重要纽带（王迎春，2025）。

结语

跳娘舞，不仅仅是一种舞蹈，更是一部用身体语言书写的关于黎族信仰、历史、生存智慧与适应能力的鲜活史诗。它那清越的碗音，敲击出的不仅是节拍，更是一个民族深沉的文化心跳。保护与传承跳娘舞，意味着守护这种文化心跳的延续，让世人在其独特的韵律中，持续读懂黎族人民的精神气质，理解人类文化多样性的宝贵价值。

最后，推荐大家去看跳娘舞剧目——《生生回响》。舞者通过碗的敲击，探寻与天地对话，手中麦穗从枯黄到绿意葱茏，唤起的是古老传统文化与新生活的碰撞。此作品寄托着黎族人民热爱大自然、敬畏大自然、歌颂大自然的情感，是对“跳娘舞”，对黎族传统文化一次非常好的传承与创新！

术语表达

黎族 the Li ethnic group

跳娘舞 Tiao Niang Dance

敲碗舞 Bowl-Tapping Dance

娘母 Niangmu

顺边/顺拐 same-side sway

宇宙观 cosmology

天人合一 harmony between humanity and nature

省级非遗名录 Provincial Intangible Cultural Heritage List

活态传承 living transmission

保护与传承 safeguard and transmission （《保护非物质文化遗产公约》官方术语）

问题

1、跳娘舞最初的主要功能是什么？

2、跳娘舞的特征有哪些？

3、跳娘舞在当代得以传承发展的原因是什么？

4、跳娘舞在当代传承中面临的主要挑战有哪些？

5、请结合文章内容，简要说明跳娘舞的文化意义。

参考文献

[1]程云燕. 浅析黎族舞蹈跳娘舞的艺术特征[J]. 音乐时空, 2014(09): 43.

[2]丁思力, 张烜皓. 黎族跳娘舞的艺术形态与审美特征研究[J]. 尚舞, 2025(15).

[3]https://baike.baidu.com/item/跳娘/5046957

[4]王迎春. 与碗共舞[N]. 海南日报, 2025-09-06(A07).

[5]张明. 仪式、身体与话语：海南黎族跳娘舞的话语分析及文化内涵研究[J]. 粤海风, 2023(05): 96-104.