Care to Dance: Yao village keeps traditions alive

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02:15

Yao ethnicity village in southern China keeps its tradition of dance alive and well to this day. Despite the changing times, this deeply rooted element of their culture is passed down from the old to the young through practice, and word of mouth. CGTN's Sun Ye shows us why this type of dance is so special to the Yao.

Bamboo dancing.

The goal here is to have students master the kind of dancing the Yao ethnicity is known for. Traditionally, it's for festive occasions, and passed down within the family. But these ten-year-olds have been learning it in school.

DENG JIAMIN SIX-GRADER "The trick is getting the beat. Twice on the outside, twice on the inside."

And the kids have taken to it.

SUN YE SHENDUSHUI VILLAGE "They don't usually dress this fancily. But dancing IS part of their life. The students dance after school. The grown-ups, well, they dance after a few drinks."

As tradition has it, singing toasts is also part of Yao culture. The lead Deng Yingfa is also responsible for keeping and demonstrating the Yao essentials at the school.

DENG YINGFA YAO CULTURE TEACHER "Our culture is very precious. And for example, the dances and songs we sing don't have scores, they can only be passed down by word of mouth, to the next generation. It's important for the young to know them, before these arts are known by others."

The village HAS a plan to make its traditions better known to the outside. Many hope that with better recognition, even the more difficult arts like embroidery could be well kept.

LU YUNJUN OFFICIAL, SHENDUSHUI VILLAGE "We have the unique Yao ethnic culture, we are surrounded by green mountains, and we plan to build our village into a tourist spot with these characteristics in the coming years. It's development for preservation."

For the primary schoolers though, they just have to tap into their cultural genes, and dance. SY, CGTN, GUANGDONG PROVINCE.