Stone-Beating Dance


Stone-Beating Dance is named for another Uygur folk instrument. The dancer holds two stones in each hand and claps them to produce clear sounds while he stretches and bends his fingers and shakes his wrists. It is a man's dance, popular in Aksu, Kashi, Shache, and Hotan counties in the southern part of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. The basic movements are those of the Sanam (dance). Stones are also used as percussion instruments for accompaniment. As the music changes, the tempo becomes complex, and the dancer changes his way of beating the stones.