Abstract
Introduction
Research Status of Hand Dance in Chinese
Classical Dances
1.1 The Existent Forms of Chinese Classical
Dances
1. Basic Hand Shapes of the School of Shen
Yun of Chinese Classical Dances
2. Basic Hand Shapes in the Han-Tang School
of Chinese Classical Dances
3. Basic Hand Shapes in the School of
Dunhuang of Chinese Classical Dances
4. Modes of Motion of Hand Dance in Chinese
Classical Dances
5. Practices of Hand Dance of Chinese
Classical Dances in Training
1.2 A Case Study of Hand Dances in the
Dance Creation of Chinese Classical Dances
1. Tang Mancheng: The Typical Application
of Hand Dances in the Shen Yun School in Ru Ci Duo Jiao So Rich in Beauty
2. Sun Ying: An Analysis of the Hand Dance
in the Han-Tang, School from Stepping Dance to Tong Que Ji
3. Gao Jinrong: The Application of Typical
Hand Dances in The Rain of Flowers on the Silk Road, the Predecessor of the
Dunhuang School
The Realistic Basis from Life and Cultural
Basis of the Hand Dance in Chinese Classical Dances
2.1 The Realistic Basis from Life of Hand
Dance
1. The Main Means of Expression of Sign
Language
2. Nouns and Verbs in Sign Language
3. Various Sentence Patterns in Sign
Language
2.2 The Cultural Basis for Hand Dance in
Chinese Classical Dances
1. An Analysis of the Hand Dance Movements
in Grotto Statues and Unearthed Cultural Relics
2. The Preaching and Singing Culture of the
Temples in Tang Dynasty
3. A Case Study of Thousand-handed
Bodhisattva Avalokite?vara Guānyīn
2.3 The Gestures and Movements in Dances of
Chinese Traditional Operas
1. The Materials of Movements in the Hand
Dance of Liyuan Opera
2. The 53 Moves in Mei Lanfang School of
Peking Opera
3. The Extraction and Application of Hand
Movements in Liyuan Opera
The Artistic and Cultural Features of Hand
Dance of Chinese Classical Dances
3.1 The Characteristics of Artistic
Expression of Hand Dance of Chinese Classical Dances
1. Artistic Representation: The Features of
Narrative Hand Movements
2. Artistic Presentation: The Features of
Lyrical Hand Movements
3.2 The Characteristics of Cultural Symbols
of Hand Dance of Chinese Classical Dances
1. Basic Modes of Hand Dance of Chinese
Classical Dances
2. Cultural Features of Hand Dance of
Chinese Classical Dances
Conclusion
Bibliography
Appendix
Acknowledgements
內容試閱:
2.1 The Realistic Basis from Life of Hand
Dance
Sign language is an important tool for the
deaf to communicate. As a language, it has been increasingly applied in various
kinds of communications among this group of people. Although deprived of the
ability to communicate orally, they gradually have developed this unique medium
for communication, sign language, throughout the long history of human
civilization. Its importance for their survival and life is self-evident. Its
connections and combination with body movement in dancing is not by chance at
all. Dance, this old art form full of youth and vigor, has been passed
down until today along with the ceaseless and never-ending human cultural evolution.
During the process that human beings have created culture and have been
recreated by it, they have gradually developed this category of art with
independent character and aesthetic value which has an irreplaceable social
function. The ways of being and of presenting of the body movement of human
beings themselves as a medium determines that dance is one of their oldest
artistic forms. It has long been valued as the mother of human arts. From its
exposition at the very beginning of On Chinese Dances by Zi Huajun, dance is
not only a self-entertaining activity, but also a means of expression to convey
messages and emotions. Usually, people use medium such as languages and words
to express emotions and convey information. As for the art form of dance, the
medium of expression is the body of the dancer. Just to express more effective
body language information, the choreographer should think about diligently how
to construct a richer and more accurate movement itself and how to help the
performer express his or her own ideas or emotions after those are combined
with artistic and aesthetic appreciation. The deaf with various needs to
express themselves have continuously developed and enriched the movement
content of sign language. As an instinctive desire of individuals for their
living space or domain, peoples sign language first expressed friendly and
sincere messages and yearnings for those from the same group or sharing the
same social network. Reaching out hands forward embodies this friendliness and
sincerity. With regard to expression, although there are some differences
between the movements applied in sign language by the deaf and those used by
the dancers, they share some elements in common to some extent.
China embarked upon the undertaking to
regulate the sign language for the deaf people as early as 1950s. In May 1987,
at the third National Sign Language Conference convened in Taian, Shandong
Province The Chart of General Sign Language for the Deaf and Mute was renamed
Chinese Sign Language. For the unity and standardization of Chinese sign
language, experts and professionals of our country have long devoted their
unremitting efforts. The book Chinese Sign Language was compiled after their
repeated siftings and careful considerations, including 3330 words. The
following analysis and research are based on 30 basic hand shapes enumerated in
this book, highlighting the hand motion itself and its function to express and
communicate. Reviewing the hand motions used in Chinese sign language in a
rational way, it is not difficult to notice that sign language itself is a
source to enrich the dance language.
1. The Main Means of Expression of Sign
Language
Due to different social conventions, sign
language varies from countries and regions. For instance, American sign
languages have formed by the 26 alphabets while Chinese sign languages have
derived from the Chinese pinyin. Therefore, the deaf people in the two
countries have developed relatively distinct sign languages. However, the sign
languages for the deaf people without linguistic competence in various
countries and regions do share many elements in common. In different parts of
China, the learning and application of sign languages are relatively unified.
But the differences caused by social conventions and regional divergence are
hard to be unified. Such as speech, both Beijing dialect and Shanghai dialect
are Chinese. But the regional accents themselves tell the differences between
the two. Thus, Mandarin has become Chinas official tongue. With regard to the
sign language for the deaf, acknowledging the diversified variants caused by
social customs in different areas, Chinese Sign Language aims to unify its
learning and using.
From the communications of deaf people with
the outside world, it can be seen that they imitate the daily actions. For
example, they imitate the action of eating to express the idea of eating. By
spreading five fingers with palm facing upwards of the left hand, they imitate
the action of holding rice bowl with one hand. By holding the right hand in a
natural palm shape, they imitate the action of taking a swallow of rice. They
also imitate some pictographic movements. Take dragon for example. They
clench fists with both hands while reaching out the index fingers and sweep two
curves simultaneously under the nose in front of the face to imitate the palpi
of the dragon. This is the way for the deaf people to express. Sometimes, there
are different sign languages to indicate the same meaning. For example, for
convey the word of apple there are two different sets of hand motions. The
first one is to use the right hand to sweep a parallel line from left to right
in front of the body with the five fingers drawing close to each other and palm
facing downwards to indicate the first character of the Chinese word apple pinyin: png guǒ since the
Chinese word of a parallel line pinyin: png xng xin shares
the same sound with the first character of the Chinese word apple. Then
clench fists while reaching out the thumbs and index fingers to form a circle
to indicate the shape of the fruit. The second set of hand motions is to use
the right hand to spread and slightly curve the five fingers just like holding
a round object in ones hand and then place this hand against the body to
imitate the movement of rubbing. Then keep the same hand shape still and place
the right hand near the mouth to imitate the movement of eating. There are many
words like apple which have multiple expressing methods. The forming process
of these different methods is noteworthy. For instance, the first method
mentioned above is the sign language developed by people with linguistic
competence according to the pronouncing habit of the word apple while the
second one is naturally formed by the congenitally deaf-mute people.
To communicate with others in sign
language, the deaf people use many more hand motions beyond the scope of those
included in the textbook of Chinese Sign Language. Since we cannot calculate
these hand motions quantitatively, this text will put those aside for the
moment. The 30 basic hand shapes on which this text is based derive from the
Chinese pinyin. One hand shape stands for one Chinese phonetic alphabet.
However, some special education teachers of sign language do not suggest using
the 30 basic hand shapes of Chinese pinyin. The reason for this is simple: it
is very hard for the congenital deaf-dumb to learn this kind of Chinese sign language
based on pinyin since they have no concept of the ways of pronunciation of
pinyin and they find it difficult to memorize the 30 basic hand shapes. It is
thus more difficult for those congenitally deaf-dumb people to learn the
textbook of Chinese Sign Language than those with adventitious deafness. The
former find it easier to learn from the everyday movements and imitate those
into sign language to communicate with others. These two different ways are
actually the two different methods of Chinese sign languages developed in many
years. This text will not judge which method is more reasonable but to point
out that the 30 basic hand shapes are already unified and included in the
textbook and thus more representative and typical with regard to the hand shapes
applied in Chinese sign languages. The following is a graph of Chinese
alphabets in fingers and also the 30 hand shapes evolved in Chinese sign
language.