Axi Dance to the Moon is one of the folk dances of the Sani and Axi people of the Yi ethnic group.

Popular in the Yi ethnic areas of Yunnan. The main movements include three steps and one jump, clapping, jumping, etc. The rhythm is sharp and the mood is cheerful. Also known as dancing music.

Chinese national musician Peng Xiuwen once wrote the national orchestral music "Axi Dances to the Moon" based on the music of this dance.

Axi's dance to the moon is called "Gasby" in the Axi language, which means "joyful dance". It is the most representative national folk dance of the Axi people of the Yi ethnic group. It is derived from the ancient "Axi Dance Music" of the Axi people. Because it is often danced next to the bonfire under the moonlight, it is named "Axi Dance to the Moon".

The Axi Dance on the Moon originated in the Xishan area of ??Mile County, Honghe Hani and Yi Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province. It is widely spread in the villages where the Axi people of the Yi ethnic group in Mile County live, as well as in Luxi, Luliang and other places.

The number of participants in Axi Moon Dance ranges from a dozen to as many as a thousand. It is mostly performed at sacrifices, festivals, and ceremonies, and is highly spontaneous, self-entertaining, and popular.

It integrates singing, dancing and fun, and has standardized dance steps and routines. Its dance can be divided into old people's dance and youth dance. The dance steps include kicking, crane step, one-legged jump, bouncing step and running. Dances include jumping, turning around, clapping and dancing. The music is in the major third and five beats of the palace style. During the dance, Axi folk instruments such as the big sanxian, large, medium and small bamboo flutes, small sanxian, sanhu, yueqin, suona and whistle are used. accompaniment.

Axi dances to the moon with a warm and joyful rhythm, bold and rough movements, vigorous and elegant dance postures, strong rhythm, magnificent momentum, shocking and powerful charisma.

The Axi Moon Dance has distinctive ethnic and regional characteristics and is a typical representative of the traditional mountain culture of the Yi people. It plays an important role in strengthening ethnic unity and strengthening ethnic cultural exchanges. Due to the impact of foreign culture, many traditional dance routines in the Sanxian Dance of the Yi people are on the verge of being lost. Axi Dance on the Moon is on the verge of survival and needs urgent protection.

Legend

There are many legends about the origin of Axi jumping on the moon. In ancient times, a man named "Mu Deng" drilled fir trees to make fire and found a way for people to preserve fire. People were overjoyed, gathering firewood, setting up fires, and dancing around the bonfire to celebrate. This is the origin of Axi dancing to the moon. People call it "Woodenby", which means "jumping on the bonfire".

As for why the Axi people always keep jumping in the "Three Steps" dance, there is also a legend: a long time ago, the people in the Axi area have been living a slave life of slash and burn farming.

Every time it is sowing season, in order to save time, people start working barefoot in the hot fields before the fires are extinguished. In order to protect his feet from the burning of the remaining fire in the field, he jumped and worked at the same time. Later, on the basis of this non-stop jumping dynamic, people added kicking the feet, swinging the upper limbs left and right, and clapping, gradually forming the "Axi Jumping to the Moon".

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Axi people became the masters of the country and the nation. "Diao Le" gradually got rid of various taboos and became an indispensable mass folk entertainment activity during festivals or festivals.

Reference for the above content-China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network-Sanxian Dance of the Yi Nationality (Axi Dances to the Moon)