The charm of the Cham people's fan dance.

In their traditional culture, besides clothing, writing, rituals, and preserved artifacts, the Cham people also possess another unique cultural form: Cham dances.

Fan dance - An indispensable dance in the cultural rituals of the Cham community in Lam Dong.

Cham dance takes many forms: religious dances, court dances, but all originate from folk traditions.

Among the folk dances, the Cham people most favor fan dances, which are characteristic of the Cham culture. However, the most representative and significant is the Bi Yen dance (peacock dance).

The Bi Yen dance (peacock dance) is often performed during major festivals of the Cham people.

The Bi Yen dance is a widely popular dance among the Cham people, passed down through many generations. Besides its pure, wholesome, and innocent nature, the Bi Yen dance also expresses the peaceful joy of the countryside through the image of a peacock soaring gracefully and fluidly through the sky.

For the Cham people, the Bi Yen dance is also a beautiful tribute to the Divine Kings, those who contributed to the Cham nation.

The Cham community thoroughly enjoyed watching the Cham dance performance.

Mr. Thong Minh Loi, Chairman of the Po Tam Temple Association in Ham Thuan commune, said: "The fan dance in Cham culture has special values. It is graceful, powerful, yet very captivating in every movement. This is a traditional dance of the Cham people that needs to be preserved and passed on to future generations."

Fan dancing is commonly performed at Cham festivals. For generations, the Cham people have continuously taught this dance, which is deeply rooted in their spiritual life, to younger generations.

The colorful traditional Cham costumes, combined with the fans in the hands of the young women, create vibrant scenes.

The captivating sight of high-flying birds mesmerizes viewers, and Cham artisans observe, imitate, and creatively transform them into dances using fans as props for evening festivities.

It is from this that Cham fan dances were born, based on the names of each type of bird. Cham artisans named each dance: Bi Yen dance (peacock dance), Kaman dance (ostrich dance), Morai dance (pheasant dance), Chron dance (goose dance).

Although many fan dances have been created, only the Bi Yen dance is preferred and performed in significant festivals, such as the large Cha Va festival, the Ka Te festival today at the temple tower when offering sacrifices, or festivals commemorating major local holidays...

Peacock Dance

Depending on the dance style, the dancer manipulates their hands, turning their wrists, bending and twisting, combining this with fan movements that conceal, reveal, sweep over the head, or vibrate the fan. All movements follow a closed, rhythmic, and graceful process, enhancing the dance's smooth and captivating beauty.

Cham village girl

Based on these aesthetic values, Cham artisans of the past refined and adapted fan dances, especially the Bi Yen dance, and introduced them into the royal court to entertain kings, queens, and nobles. As a result, the fan dancers became even more captivating.

Today, the Bi Yen dance is continuously being adapted, improved, perfected, modernized, and diversified by experts into many individual or group dances such as the Cham Rong dance, the Climbing the Tower dance, etc., contributing to the richness of dance art in the Vietnamese community.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/net-quyen-ru-trong-dieu-mua-quat-cua-nguoi-cham-411693.html