Scene Four: Fire

Hair Dance

Since most of the Va women have very long hair, swaying one's hair has become a common gesture in their daily lives.

Gradually, the custom has become a dance form expressing the women's strong inner sentiments and to symbolize fire.

Gourd Pipe Dance

This ancient dance prevails among a number of ethnic minorities like the Lahu, Va, Naxi, Yao and Miao. On the 2,000-year-old bronze drum unearthed in Yunnan in 1958 is an image depicting the Gourd Pipe Dance.

Mask Dance

The mask dance was originally a sacrificial ceremony used to drive away evil spirits. Ancestors wore masks to ward off demons and disease. The mask dance gradually developed into the Nuo Opera, which is still popular in some parts of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan province .

Bull's Head Dance

The bull was a source of worship for the ancient people of Yunnan. Dancers holding bulls' heads first appeared on a fresco in a stone cave in Yunnan. The bull's head usually symbolizes power and fortune.