Shoulder Pole dance
traditional Chinese folk dance
The Shoulder Pole dance (Chinese: 扁担舞), also known in the Zhuang language as Da Lu Lie (打虏列), is a traditional Chinese folk dance of the Zhuang ethnic group in China. It originated from the labor activity of pounding rice and evolved into a unique performance form using bamboo poles to rhythmically strike benches or troughs. The dance portrays agricultural scenes such as transplanting rice seedlings, harvesting, threshing, and pounding grain.
Origin
According to local legend, the dance traces back to a period of Zhuang and Miao migration. In one story from Zhangpi Village, Leishan County, during a difficult migration, a man started to beat his shoulder pole and sickle in the silence of the night, sparking others to join him in rhythm and dance. Over time, this evolved into a communal form of expression that passed down generations. Initially, the dance involved striking a wooden plank over a pounding trough, but due to the trough's heaviness, long benches later replaced it.
Performance style
The costumes for the performance are the daily clothes worn by Zhuang women, with a flowered headscarf, a slanted-collared top, traditional trousers, and a chest pocket. The dance is performed with even numbers of dancers, with performers standing on both sides of a bench, holding shoulder poles. They strike either the bench or each other's poles in synchronized rhythms, imitating various agricultural tasks.
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