Fengting's enigmatic Zaoli dance captivates during New Year celebration
As a branch of the ancient Nuo dance, the Zaoli dance retains an aura of mystery, involving interactions between "man, heaven, earth, gods, and ghosts".
According to Chen Zunhua, head of the Fengting Lingshan Temple Zaoli Dance Study Center, the performance during the first lunar month is a local custom involving divine worship, exorcism, and epidemic prevention. The dance symbolizes the people's aspiration to ward off evil spirits and ensure peace; a tradition passed down for more than seven centuries, Chen said.
On the eighth day of the lunar new year, the Zaoli dancers arrive at the square at sunset. Eight dancers take the stage, adorned with five-colored paper flowers atop their heads and wearing masks with fierce expressions and protruding teeth.
