Errenzhuan
Errenzhuan or Two-people Rotation (simplified Chinese: 二人转; traditional Chinese: 二人轉; pinyin: Èrrénzhuàn) is a genre of local folk dance and song from Northeast China. It usually involves two performers, one male and one female. They sing and dance, using folded fans or square-shaped red handkerchiefs, which are twirled along as the songs are performed, during the dancing portion. It is very popular due to its humorous dialogue and sketches, which have eclipsed the old dances and songs.
In earlier times, the Errenzhuan has been both criticized and loved due to its “vulgarity,” which involves profanities and sex. This also led to the reforming works of Zhao Benshan, who made the genre more appealing to the modern crowd by making it "greener." Errenzhuan is now becoming better known in the rest of China, because many Errenzhuan performers appear on television and act in TV serials.
Popular routines include "Fowling", "Selling Thread", "Reward for Detective Dee's Deeds", "Ancient City", "Blue Bridge Tryst", "Romance of the West Chamber", "At Ba Bridge", "Shuangsuo Mountain", "Huarong Pass", "Palace", "Baohao", "Pandao", "Chanyu Temple" and "Spring Trip of Miss Yang the Eighth".
After the foundation of the People's Republic of China, the government cared for and supported the prosperous development of Errenzhuan, organizing training courses for both old artists and new learners. It invites old artists to pass on their art to the new learners, and organizes performers of Errenzhuan to watch each other perform and learn from one another, which leads to more improvements of the art form.
See also
- Errentai
- Dance of China