Chapter 383 Cao Shuang who doesnt understand the fun of horse dancing
The afternoon time passed slowly, and the horses' hooves marched rhythmically on the bluestone road. There are usually very few pedestrians on this road. People in Luoyang would not take this road when going out to the city for outings or farming.
, only the sound of cicadas and birds chirping on the willow trees on both sides of the road kept them company...
This reminded Cao Shuang of some horse-riding dances and equestrian skills, so he said: "I once heard that Cao Zijian liked horse dancing very much in the past. Nowadays, many children of wealthy families also like horse dancing.
It’s a pity that I have never seen him a few times.”
Ma Jun answered: "I was born in a poor family, and I don't have much chance to see dancing horses. But with the prime minister's background, I'm afraid he doesn't like it very much if he hasn't seen dancing horses a few times. Besides, he doesn't want to lose his ambition by playing with things."
Cao Shuang continued: "In the eyes of those children from aristocratic families, it's probably not that I don't like horse dancing, but that I don't understand the fun of horse dancing."
During the entire riding process, people dress in costumes, horses perform dance steps, and the rider and the horse become one, showing strength and beauty, tension and rhythm, coordination and unrestrainedness at the same time, and it is highly enjoyable to watch.
No matter how complex and changeable the movements are, both man and horse appear calm and graceful, showing the highest level of riding art.
This sport was called "Dancing Horse" in the Tang Dynasty. It is a cultural performance project that combines humans, horses and dance art. This project originated in the Western Regions of the Han Dynasty. Later, it was introduced to the Central Plains by Zhang Qian and gradually became popular.
For a time, it was a cultural activity that was popular among literati and officials.
In the past, Cao Cao's son Cao Zhi was a fanatical "horse dancing" fan.
He once presented a beloved Dawan horse to his brother. After careful training, the horse was "taught and practiced in worship, and now it can match the rhythm of the drums." It can jump, spin, and dance on the beats of the drums.
, constantly changing footwork, very artistic and ornamental.
Horse dancing activities were very popular among the noble families at this time. The horses chosen at that time were called "Qinghai Cong" and were produced in the Xiping County area (Tuyuhun in the Western Regions).
In the winter, the people of Tuyuhun "put their female horses on the mountains, hoping to get dragon seeds. They also tried to put Persian horses in Qinghai, and they gave birth to colts that can travel thousands of miles in a day."
In people's minds at this time, "Qinghai Cong" is a combination of dragon and horse, a real dragon and horse, so it can be trained to understand the key points of music and dance and perform artistic performances.
Horse dancing is a communication between humans and animals, and is a project that uses dance and acrobatics to perform together. The original dancing horses were cultivated by the Tyuhun people. After training, they were presented to the royal family as tribute, "Southern History", "
There are relevant records in Northern History.
For example, "History of the North" records the deeds of King Tuyuhun in the early years of the Western Wei Dynasty when he sent envoys to offer dancing horses, sheep, cattle and other livestock. In the fourth year of Tianjian in the Liang Dynasty, the Liang Dynasty granted Tuyuhun the title of King of Henan.
At that time, Tuyuhun also presented a dancing horse to Liang Dynasty, and the Liang Dynasty ordered Zhang to write a poem to remember it.
In the Tang Dynasty, due to the Li royal family's love for horses, especially "Hu horses", a large number of Hu horses came to the Central Plains. In addition to military purposes, many Western horses became horses for dancing.
These wild horses came to the Tang Dynasty and were put into royal stables such as Feilong Stable, Xianglin Stable and Tongyiyuan Stable to be carefully trained and trained so that they could perform at any time.
Horse dancing in the Tang Dynasty began in the late Taizong period and reached its climax during the reigns of Gaozong and Xuanzong. Whenever foreign envoys came to the Tang Dynasty to pay tribute or pay tribute, Emperor Gaozong and Wu Zetian of the Tang Dynasty liked to have horse dancing to entertain them.
According to the "Zi Zhi Tong Jian" records: "The Tibetan envoys were given a banquet, and a horse play was played in the palace. The music was played, and the horses followed it. They meditated to the tune, drank to the music, held the cup in their mouths, lay down and got up, and the envoys
Everyone was shocked.”
Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty was a huge fan of horse dancing. He would perform horse dancing performances at every grand event. His stables had more than 400 fine horses from various countries in the Western Regions. They were all carefully trained horses. During major festivals, he would perform them in the palace.
performance.
Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty personally composed a song for the dancing horses, "The Music of the Pouring Cup". The dancing horses danced to the music. When the music stopped, the dancing horses actually held a wine glass in their mouths and toasted to Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. The spectators all clapped their hands in amazement.
In addition to horses, the performers at the large banquet held by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty also included rhinos, white elephants and other exotic animals that were paid tribute by their respective countries.
These strange beasts and dragons and horses may follow the music at the same time, step on the drums, advance or retreat, bow their heads, or half-stand and bow, which is very lively and interesting.
If Xuanzong wanted to show off at first, he was really fascinated by these animals later on.
During the Tang Dynasty horse dance performances, the horses had to be decorated. The bits of the dancing horses were decorated with various patterns with gold threads, and they were also covered with gorgeous cloaks. Various jade pieces were hung on the bridles. During the dance, these jade pieces interacted with each other.
Collision and clanking sound.
The horse's reins are also made of special cowhide, wrapped with colorful ribbons, just as the literati at the time described: "The clothes are embroidered with Chinese embroidery, the webs are embroidered with gold and silver, and the manes are made of plutonium, interspersed with beads." These fine horses from the Western Regions are full of energy.
He held his head high and twirled his hooves, and the golden bell on his neck was crisp and sweet, just like a celestial horse descending from the sky.
If we say that from the Han Dynasty to the Wei Dynasty, horse dance performances were dominated by solo dances due to the number of horses. In the prosperous Tang Dynasty, due to the great power of the country, the number of horses increased from less than 10,000 in the early Tang Dynasty to 400,000 by the time of Xuanzong. Therefore, horse dance performances
Transition from solo dance to group dance.
Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty had 400 dancing horses. Among them, his two most beloved horses were named "Li Jia Chong" and "Li Jia Jiao" respectively. These two horses had strong musical rhythms and were full of musical cells. They danced in a coquettish way.
Tail, especially being good at holding a cup to toast, was simply the lifeblood of Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty.
These two horses are descendants of the "Tianma" brought back from the Western Regions when Duan Zhixuan, the general of Zuo Xiaowei, conquered Tuyuhun. After several generations of horse herders' teachings, their musical genes have become stronger and stronger, and they are the pinnacle of dancing horse domestication technology.
do.
Wang Jian, a poet of the Tang Dynasty, had the honor to watch a horse dance performance by Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty. He also wrote a poem "In front of the building" to record the scene at that time: "During the Tianbao period, the Qinzheng Building was built for three days every year. The flying dragon and the old horse
I once taught dance and always raised my head when I heard the sound.”
On that day, he watched the horse dance performance of Tang Xuanzong's "Thousand Autumn Festival" in front of the Qinzheng Building in the palace, and saw the dragons and horses dancing with their heads up to the rhythm. Wang Jian later told his friends that the silver pots they drank from at that time were all engraved with
A pattern of dancing horses.
There are two dancing horses on the front and back of the silver pot, both with long manes and tails. The hind legs are slightly bent, the front legs are standing, holding cups in the mouth, which is very gorgeous. It can be seen how popular the art of horse dancing was in the Tang Dynasty.
Loved by nobles.
There are generally three ways to perform horse dancing. One is to jog along with the music, which is very similar to today's "dressage". The dancing horses coordinate with the music and use neat steps to create a sense of beauty, "or advance and retreat."
Ruler, move from left to right."
The second type is the dancing horse holding a wine cup in its mouth, sometimes lying down, sometimes jumping, sometimes kneeling, sometimes soaring, but at the end of the song, the head must be raised to offer the cup to express blessings, which is somewhat similar to today's acrobatics.
The third type is groups of dancing horses forming a formation, constantly changing with the music, just like today's large-scale group gymnastics performances.
We can imagine that four hundred dancing horses are on the stage at the same time. Accompanied by different music rhythms, they are running or standing, dancing or squatting, just like what is written in a Tang poem: "Suddenly, the dragon is standing, and you are stunned and turned over; suddenly
"When the tassel is tasseled, the lightning falls off the tassel, and when you look at the head, the stars are white." It is truly ever-changing and dazzling.
Of course, such a scene can only be seen in the prosperous Tang Dynasty in later generations. The current Wei Dynasty does not have this condition. After all, the world is not yet in peace and prosperity.