The Yi and Hani people living in the Honghe area of ??Yunnan like to smoke Longzhu large-diameter pipes, and they also carry cigarette boxes containing shredded tobacco with them. The earliest cigarette cases were sewn with leather, and later changed to wood. The clever Yi people used their fingers to tap the lid or bottom of the box to make a loud sound. Later, after being beautified, this cigarette box, which was originally a daily utensil, became the accompaniment instrument and dance tool of the folk dance "Cigarette Box Dance" .
In the Chinese Musical Instrument Museum of the Music Institute of the China Academy of Arts in Beijing, there is a cigarette box from Yunnan folk on display. It is exquisitely crafted, small and exquisite, with copper hoops and copper bells inlaid on the edge of the box. It has been included in the "Illustrated Book of Chinese Musical Instruments".
Accompaniment of "Cigarette Box Dance"
The combination of playing cigarette boxes and dancing is the accompaniment of "Cigarette Box Dance". "Cigarette Box Dance" is also known as "Tiao Xian", which uses the Yi four-stringed string as the accompaniment instrument for the dance. The Cigarette Box Dance can be performed by two men and women simulating animal forms, or it can be performed by a dozen or dozens of men and women in a collective dance. The dancers form a circle and move counterclockwise. They dance slowly and dance while bouncing.
Jumping strings
Cigarette boxes are also used in folk instrumental ensembles.
"Cigarette Box Dance" is also called "Tiao Xian" and is accompaniment with four strings or Yi Yueqin. Often a man and a woman dance in pairs, or dozens of people can dance in a group.
During the performance, the dancer opens the cigarette box, holds the lid and bottom of the box with his left and right hands respectively, and flicks the cigarette with his index finger and big finger respectively, dancing gracefully while playing. Dancers usually flick the cigarette box while turning their wrists and elbows, which can produce various rhythms, and the pronunciation is crisp and sweet. At the same time, the small copper bell on the side of the vibrating box vibrates to enhance the rhythm and joyful atmosphere.
In the Nisupo settlement area, a branch of the Yi ethnic group in Yunnan, people like to smoke large-diameter hookahs made of dragon bamboo. Cigarette boxes are naturally a must-have container for tobacco. But I don’t know when it began, people accidentally discovered that cigarette boxes, which are inseparable from their daily lives, can make a pleasant sound when they are lightly tapped with their fingers, just in time with the rhythm of dancing. The Yi people who are good at singing and dancing Deeply inspired, the cigarette case was used in dance situations, and the cigarette case was played by hand to control the rhythm. On the one hand, it was used to unify the rhythm, and on the other hand, it was used to add to the lively atmosphere of the dance. Therefore, the cigarette case became a special musical instrument. Passed down to this day, this corresponding dance is also habitually called the cigarette box dance and has become a famous dance form of the Yi people.
Cigarette boxes, as a folk finger-playing instrument, are popular in Yi-inhabited areas in Gejiu, Kaiyuan, Mengzi, Jianshui, Shiping, Yuanjiang and other counties in Yunnan. It is made of thin strips of watermelon wood or bamboo, with a diameter of about 90 mm and a height of about 60 mm. The top cover is tightly fitted with the bottom of the box, and the edges are decorated with colorful tassels, making it look exquisite and unique. When dancing, first open the lid of the box, hold one in each hand, and tap the surface of the box with your fingers while dancing, making a clear and graceful sound.
The movements of the Cigarette Box Dance are complex and changeable. It not only involves the upper part of the body, but also has a large number of lower part movements. The head, hands, waist, legs and feet are often performed in conjunction, which is beyond the lower part dance of this nation. Several other dances for the Lord. Cigarette box dance is usually divided into two categories: sine and miscellaneous. Sine is a basic dance method, which can better display the style and characteristics: such as three-step string, two-step string, one-step string, etc., which only dances but does not sing; miscellaneous string is generally danced and sung, and the dance form and content are relatively rich and random. powerful.
It is said that there are more than a hundred sets of cigarette box dances, most of which reflect or simulate the living habits of animals, people's production work and living conditions. Each set of dances has a specific name, such as Mute Chopping Wood, Butterfly Playing in the water, fairy wrestling, egrets fishing, dragonflies touching the water, crabs fighting, phoenix nodding, vigorously splitting bamboo, monkeys breaking buds, magpies building nests, flies treating feet, etc., all fully demonstrate the magical artistic imagination of the Yi people. There are many changes in the steps of the Cigarette Box Dance, including circles, straight rows, horizontal rows, four flowers, six flowers, etc. There are single dances, double dances, and dozens of people dancing together. The movements are soft, tough, and strong. , crisp and combined with each other, like a dragonfly touching water, the dancer takes off from the bump step, sucks the feet at the same time, stretches the legs forward or sideways to touch with the toes, makes the hands touch the water accordingly, and then sucks back the legs to return to the original shape.
When the phoenix nods and dances, one hand is raised and the other is flat. When playing the cigarette case with both hands, the palms of the fingers are hooked downward, protruding the back of the wrist. The raised hand seems to be the phoenix nodding. The egret fish is also more vivid and very skillful. When dancing, stand up straight with your hands apart, bow your upper body forward, and pick up the fish (cigarette case) placed on the ground with your mouth; the two people kick their feet toward each other (or with their backs to each other), like a donkey and a horse fighting; in addition, , monkeys breaking buds, crabs fighting, etc. are also very realistic.
Today, the cigarette box has become a famous musical instrument of the local Yi people, and the cigarette box dance has become a widely circulated dance form of the Yi people, and has been performed many times in various art festivals And was highly praised.