Singing and dancing is one way for ethnic group people to express themselves. The miao people communicate with the gods and communicates between earth and heaven through dancing. People there sing while working and dance around the bonfire to offer sacrifices. They don't dance as part of a performance; instead, dance is a ritual about life, their children or sacrifice. The 2007 Guizhou Dances Competition is underway, which is a good way for us to learn local culture.
The "Dynamic Yunnan", presented by Yang Li-ping and other dancers, is very popular in USA. Composed of the prelude and five scenes: the Sun, the Earth, the Home, the Fire, the Pilgrimage and the Spirit of Peacock, the 120-minute-long show features dance numbers from 20 ethnic groups in Southwest China such as the Yi, Dai, Bai, Jingpo, Va, Hani and Jino. All the costumes, props and masks are original ones and 70 per cent of dancers are native ethnic people.
In our research, Miao seniors told us the legend of ethnic dance, showed us the action, which strengthened our realization of local culture.