The Naxi Dongba priests use dance as an integral part of their rituals. When they are called upon to help send a recently deceased soul on its long, arduous path to the afterlife, or exorcise a ghost, or indeed perform sacrifices to the Gods; ritual dance is invariably involved, alongside recitation of the relevant scriptures.

The dances are well recorded in the extant literature, and although regional variations exist in and around Lijiang and its environs, the dances are fairly standardised. The 100-volume collection of Naxi scriptures includes a number of instructional dance charts, but they are by no means comprehensive, and within a few generations many traditional dances will be lost – especially because Continue reading →