Dance and Martial Arts

[Nungali]

Most of us have heard  stories of at least one culture where, due to some type of suppression  they could not practice their cultural martial arts so preserved some of its memory in practice in cultural dance .  This is especially so in Okinawan Martial Arts  ( a system  I study and practice ) , which gave birth to the modern sport of Karate .

 

All  peoples have their original martial arts , Okinawans where fond of wrestling, later  influence came from China   and 'Te'  developed ( Hand ;  Kara-te - Chinese hand )  . Before long 'Okinawan Te' became a  mix of adapted  ' Chinese Hand ' (and foot)   , grappling joint locks throws wrestling and 'anything goes'  'dirty street fighting' ' .  Weapons where also used ; by the police class ( swords, sais, etc ) and others, with whatever might come to hand  ( Staffs, spears, wooden weapons modelled on the some Chinese ones, farming tools { hoes, sickles ),   oars) . Eventually  they where invaded by Japanese and at other various times, the practice of these arts was forced underground but also  some was codified into dance forms .

 

One kata we practice has a series of moves that show various methods of fighting unarmed  against a bo or long staff.  We have long recognised some of the  movements one sees in a common Okinawan dance, done in the street during festivities ; lines of dear old grandmothers in traditional costumes , painted smiling faces.  Their hands come together , they hold their palms one behind the other   and press them out , fling one arm up and then down while  they do a cross step and a little squat, rise up , and make a big circle with that hand , the other follows , they hold their hands out steady and step and do a little kick , start again , the hands  come together .... and so on .

 

In the  application of the first part of the kata   your opponent  comes in with the bo in a side strike ,  you step in and enter ( the first step in the dance )  inside his strike zone,  the palms coming  together absorb the blow down the shaft, near the others lead hand . Immediately  fling one hand up and whip the finger across their eyeball , punch down, lowering your centre (in a way to break their grip )  and make a big sweeping circle catching their wrist and applying a wrist lock. Continue the movement in a big circle with that hand while your other has gripped the bo shaft and trapped the others thumb  or little finger against the shaft  while rising up ( and make a big circle with that hand , the other follows , in  the dance )  .  Now your left  hand has the bo and their hand, your right has their outstretched other hand with a wrist lock on, arm slightly bent with the bo staff mid point as a fulcrum just above the elbow bone near the 'funny bone'  'weak spot   ( they hold their hands out steady, in the dance )   applying pressure with the wrist lock, the middle of the staff on their elbow nerve and the other end up between their legs giving the family jewels a wedgie . The other will be bent over forward now with their head lowered  (  step and do a little kick , in the dance )   a big toe kick into their  eye , if they silly enough to have their head turned towards you , or f turned away, into the weak point behind the ear .  ..... nice old ladies !   probably better to just bow to them and smile ,

 

 

Of course that was probably difficult to follow, but recently I found this ;

 

 

watch from 4:50

 

 

 

Also we do two kata with the eku or oar . I won't go into them but here we have an 'oar form' preserved as a traditional dance , then as time has gone on , into more liberal  times  the martial arts have revived but also the dances have become obviously 'martial'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Nungali]

The 'dancing hand'  in a modern Okinawan  karate  'style' ;

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Cleansox]

Scott Park Philips has written a book about that, related to the IMA. @Sketch tipped me about it. 

 

Basically, it relates movement aestethics from taijiquan and bagwazhang to traditional performance arts, and show similarities to Indian tradition. 

Edited October 21, 2020 by Cleansox
Added stuff

[Sketch]

Scott Park Phillips books - "Possible Origins: a Cultural History of Chinese Martial Arts, Theater and Religion" and "Tai Chi, Baguazhang and The Golden Elixer: internal Martial Arts Before The Boxer Uprising" attempt to create a connection to lost continuity within these forms. A student of international dance as well as a martial artist, he brings a lot of life and energy to the topic. 

 

He expresses his ideas on Youtube as well; 

This one really vitalised my own practices. Injected some fun into the  proceedings.

Edited October 21, 2020 by Sketch
clarity

[Nungali]

4 hours ago, Cleansox said:

Scott Park Philips has written a book about that, related to the IMA. @Sketch tipped me about it. 

 

Basically, it relates movement aestethics from taijiquan and bagwazhang to traditional performance arts, and show similarities to Indian tradition. 

 

I have noticed that during our Hakatsuru ( crane )  form , several times after a deflect and trap with a  strike and  kick, for a moment the 'after pose'  ( the end of a movement with a short 'rest' before the next movement in the series )  the pose is very much like

 

 

 

with only two arms     the two extended outwards  ( the other two arms are shown in the position they take during  the deflect . 

 

Some depictions of this pose show the raised leg in a different position

 

 

 

But in our form the top position  is more accurate - it is an unusual kick that 'goes around corners'  , that is , during the movement  you move off line and to the side of the person, the kick laterally comes around their body from the ' blind side ' like a sort of backhand 'roundhouse' - big toe into groin or inner thigh weak points as the hands lock and strike .

 

Here is an old favourite , 

 

 

 

   

 

[Cleansox]

Thai khon seems to be an expressive art with similarities to the Chinese tradition, but perhaps further away from the martial side? 

[Nungali]

Maybe becasue it incorporates so much of their  other cultural areas  as well, but it definitely has its martial elements .

[doc benway]

Another example is capoeira -

 

 

[dwai]

Nidar Singh Nihang has done a bunch of very impressive videos to show how dance forms have codified Indian martial arts — 

 

https://fb.watch/1pq8kblosL/

 

https://fb.watch/1pqiwNc04E/

https://fb.watch/1pqmEtOzgB/

[thelerner]

When I think of martial art dance I think of Capoeira.  Martial arts might be hidden in a few other indigenous dance forms, not that its hidden in Capoeira.  In Aikido we'd have 2 person katas, called Taigi's,  unarmed and w/ weapons that got pretty dancelike. 

[Nungali]

1 hour ago, thelerner said:

When I think of martial art dance I think of Capoeira.  Martial arts might be hidden in a few other indigenous dance forms, not that its hidden in Capoeira.  In Aikido we'd have 2 person katas, called Taigi's,  unarmed and w/ weapons that got pretty dancelike. 

 

I cant remember the terms  but we did a two person dance like thing in Aiki kai  . Both sort of move in a  an intertwined figure  8 .

 

I wasnt familiar with the term  Taigi ...

 

" (sets of related aikido techniques performed with an emphasis on harmony and flow, rather than competition between two opponents)."

 

Hmmm .... that was always the focus in Aiki-kai , we had no competition .  

 

What I am talking about above is ;  1practices a  technique on 2 .  2  does not 'allow' it  and   counters or converts it so  the technique is reversed back on to 1 and  turns into  the same technique but now 2 is practicing that technique on 1 ,  who does not 'allow' it  and   counters or converts it so  the technique is reversed back on to 2 who  ..... and so on .

 

Ever done that ? No one actually gets thrown . Its very dance like .  I dont the name of this practice so cant demo with a vid .

 

here is something close to it , but they only do it once then the one doing the counter throws the other .  If both where flipping and continuing the movement that would be what I mean

 

 

 

but everything seems a flip escape for this guy .

 

we did all sorts of escapes and counter moves  that flowed one into another ... a bit like  ' aiki-waltzing '    

[Jox]

 

[Jox]

 

Edited October 29, 2020 by Jox

[Nungali]