CHINAHOY

HOME

2014-November-7

Wan Zhengwen: Champion of the Miao Wooden Drum Dance

 

Sharing the Miao Legacy with the World

Wan has led the Fanpai Wooden Drum Dance troupe to perform at numerous events outside his village. After winning first prize at the 1986 National Traditional Ethnic Minorities Sports Games, the troupe was invited to perform in Xi’an, Beijing, Guangxi, Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, where Wan earned the reputation as a “dancing king.”

Wan is a versatile artist. He has mastered the drumbeats that accompany the dance and he has his own distinctive understanding of it. Wan not only knows all the movements of the dance, he also fully comprehends its cultural and historical connotations. His postures are elegant, and his movements vigorous. In addition, he knows many traditional love songs of the Miao ethnic group.

The Wooden Drum Dance is a treasure of the Miao culture. Wan is always thinking about ways to preserve it and is proactive in this regard. From 1991 to 1993, Wan tutored residents of the Miao community at the Red Maple Lake in Guiyang, Guizhou Province, on various Miao dances, including the Wooden Drum Dance. Wan also takes every opportunity in his home village to teach young people about the dance.

In order to better preserve and pass on the Wooden Drum Dance of Fanpai Village, the government of Taijiang County has sponsored performances and launched classes in this performance art at vocational high schools. Often invited to instruct workshops, Wan happily accepts such offers and tries his best to pass on the dance to younger generations.

Today, Wan is still the head and chief instructor of the Fanpai Village Wooden Drum Dance troupe. He also has a regular teaching position at his village’s elementary school. In the past the wooden drum was reserved for playing only at grand ceremonies because it was so cherished. Now, Wan has transformed tradition and brought the drum to each of his classes, hoping to introduce the fascination of the Wooden Drum Dance to a new generation.

 

      1   2   3