Recently, a video of college boys dancing the Bai "Overlord Whip" dance at the graduation thesis defense went viral on the Internet. In the video, a boy wearing blue short-sleeves is seen standing on the podium, facing the defense teacher, and starts a dance performance with music accompaniment. He dances gracefully, smiles throughout the whole process, and has full confidence.
Netizens left comments after watching: "What a great expression management!" "What gave you such a strong belief to continue performing?" "Now the defense is so complicated?"...
danced the "Overlord Whip" dance in his hometown Du Yufeng. Photo by Zhao Yong
The reporter learned that the boy in the video is named Du Yufeng, from Eryuan County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, and studied at Yunnan Normal University.
Du Yufeng revealed that In his hometown, the Bai people would dance the "Overlord Whip" on the spot on festive occasions such as weddings, festivals, and harvests. Under the influence of his ears and eyes, he learned to dance the "Bawang Whip" when he was 8 years old. As time went by, his love for "Overlord Whip" continued unabated, and he took an exam for a dance-related major in college. When he is at home, he will learn from local cultural stations and farmers' art troupes, and actively participate in some local intangible cultural heritage dance performances.
When deciding on the topic for his graduation thesis, Du Yufeng did not hesitate to focus on the "Overlord Whip" as the research object. In order to let the defending teachers understand the "Overlord Whip" dance more intuitively, before the official start of the thesis defense, Du Yufeng specially walked on the stage and performed the "Overlord Whip" dance live to a Bai suona tune, which was recognized by the teachers and students present.
Du Yufeng said that in his hometown, in addition to "Bawang Whip", there are also dance forms such as "Li Ge Gao", "Dou Hoo Shell" and "Bench Dragon". These are developed and inherited by the ancestors of Dali from ancient times to the present. They are Belongs to Dali's "treasure".
Du Yufeng participated in the "Bench Dragon" performance in his hometown. Photo by Zhao Yong
"Many young people are unwilling to jump now. I want to let more people see the charm of national culture through my own efforts." As graduation approaches, Du Yufeng has a clear goal when faced with employment choices.
Source: People's Daily Online
