A Study Of The Narrative Function Of Folk Dances In The Bama Yao Autonomous County Of Guangxi

This paper has done a fieldwork in Bagen Hamlet, Kaqiao Village, Dongshan Township, Bama Yao Autonomous County of Hechi, Guangxi. In 2007, this county was successfully identified as the inheritance base for the significant "Zhuzhu Festival", which has been listed in Intangible Cultural Heritage of Guangxi. Moreover, the bronze-drum dance and the Tuofan dance performed during this holiday receive great popularity among the Fanyao nationality in Dongshan Township. The "Zhuzhu Festival" is celebrated on May,29th of the lunar calendar each year, commemorating the birthday of the Goddess Miluotuo who created the Fanyao nationality. And natives in costumes traditionally greet this festival by dancing "Tuofan Dance" and "Harvest in Bronze-drum Dance". This paper is designed to relate dancing arts to narratology, and view, analyze and explain folk dances from the perspective of narratology folk dances are considered a folk and soundless "language" to be analyzed-in the context of the ethnic history and its culture with two traditional and typical folk dances of the Zhuzhu Festival in the Bama Yao Autonomous County of Guangxi as research subjects. The study is a kind of fieldwork, concerned with literature research, surveys, interviews, theoretical analysis and so on and guided by relevant academic theories in the field of narratology, semiotics, aesthetics, etc. Specifically, this paper analyzes folk dances step by step, dialectically, scientifically and systematically at three progressive and interactive levels of dancing narrative discourse, which are the semiotic level (shapes, movements, formations, etc.), the structural level (phrases, schemata, internal structures, etc.) and the functional level (themes, cultural connotations, etc.). Meanwhile, this paper raises three questions of different levels, like "What are folk dances with narrative characteristics?" "How do folk dances perform their narrative function?" "Why do folk dances narrate something?" Then, it explains them in detail. Therefore, people can grasp the roots of movements, structures, deep themes and cultural connotations expressed by discourse of folk dances, avoiding a separation between the study of folk dances and ethnic culture. Finally, a conclusion can be made that the study of the narrative function of folk dances contributes to people's understanding of folk dances, and helps to restore, protect and inherit folk dances.The paper consists of the following five sections. The introduction section expounds the reason for the subject selection and its significance, current research status, research content and methods. Chapter one mainly is involved with the delineation with regard to the definitions, characteristics, and categories of folk dancing in the folk culture as the whole system, and probes further into the demarcation of narration, the application of relevant narratology theories to dancing, as well as the definition of narrative folk dancing. Meanwhile, the very existence of narrative folk dancing in the Yao nationality of Bama in Guangxi province is justified through the fieldwork in the Bama County of Guangxi, which answers the question "What are folk dances with narrative characteristics?" It provides definite research subjects for the study of the narrative function of folk dances in this paper. Chapter two focuses on the three parts. What first follows is the presentation of narrative cultural background on the whole level, associated with regional culture, Bunu Yao culture, festivals and language. Afterwards, based on the theories of narratology, narrative discourse analysis of ontology is carried out in terms of sacrificial rites and semiotic forms in the folk dancing. In addition, a supplementary narrative discourse analysis is conducted, and the subjects include the Tuofan ballads, dancing music by bronze drums, dancing clothing like girls'strips with embroidery, silver necklaces, as well as dancing devices such as bronze drums and dustpans. All these help to summarize the features of ontic narrative discourse like narrative actions and narrative rhetoric of folk dances, which are the semiotic level and the structural level of dancing narrative discourse, so as to give an answer to the question "How do folk dances perform their narrative function?" Chapter three deals with five narrative functional features belonging to the folk dances of the Yao nationality in Bama concluded from the preceding demonstration, namely the narrative texts based on myths of the ethnic group, the narrative surroundings concerning rituals, images and symbols constructed by dance language, the narrative structure unfolded by schema program and the inner world shown by unique costumes and props, proving the cultural connotations of folk dances are embedded in Chinese aesthetics and Chinese great traditional culture and explaining deeply "Why do folk dances narrate something?" The narratology used in the final chapter helps us to go on the narrative functional analysis of folk dances and then summarize it in a scientific and all-around way so as to avoid the division between dance movements and their significance, and between dance language and the ethnic culture, and help us better preserve and inherit folk dances. Moreover, the narrative functions of folk dances are analyzed comprehensively and scientifically in this paper. According to the author, at present, the performance of folk dances and the meaning offolk dances are separated. So are dance language and the ethnic culture. These lead to the disappearance or the possible disappearance of many great narrative folk dances though they are still alive in words. However, analyzing folk dances from the perspective of narratology and studying and summarizing their narrative functions helps to restore, protect and develop folk dances. In a large sense, it contributes to developing the ethnic culture.As one part of the ethnic culture, folk dances are of narrative functions. In this paper, folk dances are regarded as language, which has been alive for thousands of years. In other words, the paper is designed to study how folk dances narrate folk stories by their unique, fascinating and irreplaceable narration. However, we long believe that dance is a good way to express feelings rather than narrate a story so that the narrative functions of folk dances have been neglected. Thus, it is necessary and imperative to study the narrative functions of folk dances.