QINGCHENG YANGGE DANCE OF GANSU PROVINCE IN CHINA: FEATURES OF THE REGIONAL MUSICAL TRADITION

The article is devoted to the yangge dance, which is a part of the ritual procession during the New Year celebration according to the lunar calendar. The history of its origin in antiquity and special agricultural dominants of the ritual are shown. An overview of sources that take into account the Gansu tradition is given, unexplored aspects are identi ed, including the peculiarities of Qingcheng yangge, its musical side. The close connection with the rituals and attributes of shamanism is emphasised through two comic characters, improvising in communication with the audience. The author of the article considers the features of the choreography of Qingcheng yangge, which relate it to the martial arts and dance culture of Gansu and China, the instrumental composition of the accompaniment, in which percussion and wind instruments predominate, rhythm with a polyphonic combination of even and dotted beats, a modal system built on the principle of adding small three-four note modes into complex ones. It is concluded that there are four functions of the ritual - magical, practical, educational and aesthetic ones, and that this type has great historical value, since it makes it possible to adapt to life’s di culties and high social demands.