Lulong Stilt Yangko Dance
(Translator:Song Jie, Proofreader: Chen Xiaofeng)
As a traditional dance in the intangible cultural heritage, Lulong Stilt Yangko dance was listed by Qinhuangdao Municipal People's government as the "fourth batch of municipal intangible cultural heritage" on December 11, 2015, and was enrolled in the "sixth batch of provincial intangible cultural heritage list" project by Hebei Provincial People's government on March 27, 2017.
Lulong Stilt Yangko dance, commonly known as "high feet (gaojiao)" in Lulong, is a folk dance widely performed in the northern part of Lulong County. It is named for performers dancing on two wooden stilts which are usually one or more than one meter high. The performers tread on the treadles, tie the stilts onto the legs, dress themselves in different costumes, and organize Yangko dance matches and performances spontaneously to the accompaniment of suona (trumpet-like wind instrument).
Lulong Stilt Yangko dance is usually divided into civil stilt and military stilt in terms of its performing styles. The civil stilt focuses on twisting (the waist), stepping (with the stilts), teasing (each other) and other situational performances while the military stilt is featured with dazzling martial art skills. Current performances are mostly civil stilts.
Lulong stilt Yangko dance has profound cultural connotation, stressing five basic skills such as twirling (red handkerchiefs), striding, rubbing, blocking and twisting. For each pair of performers, one teases and the other stooges so as to amuse the audience.