Anti Row, "said" Dance

"Dance" is usually explained as a cultural activity created by human bodies in time and space. Dance and culture are inseparable from each other. Different from ethnographers and dance artists, anthropologists not only pay attention to the actions and forms of dance, but also to the meanings represented by dance in various situations. The analysis of folk dance can not be isolated from its relevant cultural context.The present study places Fanpai wooden drum dance into the wider cultural context. By investigating the logical interrelationship between the dance vocabulary, tonal structures and body semiotics of Fanpai wooden drum dance, and the views held by Fanpai ethnicity toward the universe, time and space, their value systems, ethnic identity, historical memories and subsistence systems, the study summarizes that the movements of Fanpai wooden drum dance are an artistic form created by Fanpai ethnicity under the influences of the local ecological environment, geographical conditions, belief systems, and aesthetic cognition. The movements of this folk dance are also the symbols and exhibitions of the ethnic origins, their migrations in history, ethnic identity, historical memories and cultural traces.In methodology, the study employs the relevant theories of anthropology of arts, anthropology of dance, and cultural tokens. On the one hand, the study emphasizes the holistic description andcontextualized illustration of folk dance, explaining the detailed artistic and technical materials of Fanpai wooden drum dance such as the dance vocabulary and dance parts in broader cultural and historical context; on the other hand, it also emphasizes the deepened understanding and illustration of the wider social meanings and symbolic meanings of folk dances. Juxtaposing Fanpai wooden drum dance with the cultural concepts, behavioral manners, historical memories, and cultural reproduction, the study aims to reveal the underlying socio-cultural meanings and varied symbolic meanings under different circumstances.In terms of research methods, I use the participant observation typical in anthropology to gain a close and intimate familiarity with Fanpai wooden drum dance. By studying Fanpai wooden drum dance from folk artists, I have investigated this dance both as an observer and a participant. Especially, I attempt to use Labanotion and its analytic methods to describe Fanpai wooden drum dance and analyze its effort-shapes. The purpose of doing this is to draw more attention to the importance of Labanotion.In sum, the study combines various theories and methods with a purpose of viewing dance as an important perspective and dimension to understand the local cultures. This perspective will finally lead us to the contemplation on the basic questions of anthropology: how to appreciate art as a process of modern society and as a cultural reproduction?...