Dongba Dance is a classical dance of the Naxi ethnic group. It is a type of religious dance performed by Dongba priests during various rituals of the Dongba religion, following specific ceremonial rules depending on the type of ritual. The dance expresses the ancient Naxi people’s struggle against the forces of nature and evil spirits in society. Originating from the daily life of ancient Naxi society, many of the movements in Dongba Dance imitate the gestures and behaviors of animals, making them vivid and expressive.
Dongba Dance is an important part of Dongba culture. In the Dongba scriptures, there are dedicated dance notations such as the “Dance Teaching Manual” and the “Origins of Dance”, which are referred to as “Cuomu”, meaning the standard or mode of the dance. These manuals record more than 60 distinct dance movements in detail. The Dongba Dance specifically describes the origins, types, steps, gestures, movements, and functions of the dance. It is the only ancient dance notation in the world written in pictographic script, making it a rare and invaluable text for studying the origins of human primitive dance and the early formation of dance notation.
Among the eight major categories of ritual sites in Dongba religion, Dongba dances are performed in all but the “Heaven-Sacrificing” category. In the other seven types of sacred rituals, Dongba priests dance as part of the ceremony. The origin of Dongba dance dates back to ancient times, when Naxi ancestors performed rituals to summon back the souls of the sick. Dongba priests imitated the movements of tamed animals, danced wildly in front of deity statues while carrying colorful feathers and baskets of white ash, sending feathers and ash flying through the air. In the worldview of the time, people believed that such dances could flatter and please the spirits. Just like humans, the spirits would be overjoyed and laugh with delight, becoming grateful for the offerings and thus bestowing blessings upon the people.
Besides dances meant to please the spirits, Dongba dance also includes dances to expel or subdue certain spirits. When performing such rituals, Dongba priests wear “eagle feather hats” adorned with eagle plumes and dance by mimicking the movements of eagles. In the Naxi myth “The Battle of the Eagle and the Spirit”, the eagle is seen as a divine being capable of subduing evil spirits. It rescues humanity from danger, serving as a guardian deity and an object of worship among ancient Naxi people.
Dongba dances, whether to delight or repel spirits, also carry on the folk tradition of combining singing and dancing. Most Dongba dances are a blend of strength and grace, liveliness and ease, with agile variation and refined elegance. With their rich primitive flavor and strict movement patterns, Dongba dances form a unique style distinct within the Lijiang region. They also stand out as a rare gem among ethnic minority dance traditions in Yunnan and beyond.
Dongba dance is an important part of the traditional dance heritage of the Naxi ethnic group and can be divided into five categories in terms of content and form: Divine dances, Bird, beast, and insect dances, Object dances, War dances, and Kicking dances.
Dongba dance reflects the early way of life of the Naxi people, who migrated with their livestock and lived closely with birds and animals. It is a vivid expression of Naxi spiritual culture. The dances often imitate animals, such as the eagle dance, roc dance, peacock dance, silver pheasant dance, elephant dance, and green dragon dance.
In form, Dongba dance may appear to mainly consist of ritual movements to summon gods and expel evil spirits, but in essence, most of its content portrays the ancient Naxi people’s struggles against the forces of nature and social evils. The sources of Dongba dance material are largely rooted in folk traditions. Many elements were adapted from folk dances and reinterpreted through ritual performance infused with the stylistic essence of the Dongba religion. Thus, Dongba dance maintains a strong folkloric character, as Dongba priests themselves never separated from everyday life—they lived and worked like ordinary people.
Two ancient dance manuals written in pictographic script, called Cuomo (蹉模), record nearly forgotten dances—60 types with hundreds of variations. The dances described in Cuomo can be categorized into several types, including animal dances, sword and bow dances, and great deity dances. The sword and bow dances include sword dances, archery dances, and barefoot dances.
image from The Dongba Culture Museum of Lijiang