Wang La – Inheritor of Dai Peacock Dance in Ruili City Dehong
Individual Profile
Wangla(旺腊), male, Dai ethnic minority, was born in 1946 in Guangla village(广拉寨), Mengmao town(勐卯镇), Ruili city(瑞丽市), Dehong dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture（德宏）. He is one of the inheritors of Dai peacock dance(傣族孔雀舞).
Career
In 1957, Wangla learned Dai folk dance from peacock dance masters Ruiban(瑞板) and Mao Xiang（毛相）. With the careful teaching by teachers, and he was clever and studious, he was good at observing animals since very young.In particular, he got a lot of inspiration from observing the peacock’s habits such as splashing, foraging, looking in the eyes and opening its screen. The peacock dance he performed has a unique style. The peacock’s life habits can be vividly expressed by his eyes and shaking his shoulders.
In 1979, he took part in Yunnan provincial art performance and won the first prize for his performance The Peacock Dance(《孔雀舞》). In 1982, he participated in the national minority dance competition and won the second prize for his performance Elephant-foot Drum(《象脚鼓》). In 1995, he acted as the main choreographer in the dance “Flower Umbrella Dance”(《花伞舞》).
Achievements
Wang la has been dancing peacock dance for more than 40 years, and has taught more than 400 students, among whom Xiaoyu(晓玉), Kunlong(昆弄), Lichuan(丽川), Lixing(丽兴) and Mengjie(孟杰) are well-known for dancing peacock dance. After retirement, Wang la as the backbone of the Senior Art Troupe of Ruili city , he is recognized as the inheritor of peacock dance by Dai people in Dehong and plays an important role in the inheritance and development of peacock dance.
Chinese Version: http://www.ynich.cn/view-ml-13110-824.html
