This dance…
is called: mongolian traditional horse dance
This dance is a homage to the horse and reflects their societal relevance in Mongolian culture.
Societal relevance
The horse is essential to nomadic tribes in Mongolia. Since horses can know the way through boundless prairies and help their owners out of trouble during war, they are loyal friends to nomadic tribes. Consequently, horse images are frequently found in folk dances on the pasture lands.
The dancers do not simply imitate the appearance of a horse. They put passion into portraying horse characteristics. Through arm, shoulder and body movements, they reveal the valiant and heroic bearing of horse riders and various horse images.
Music
The dance is accompanied by traditional throat singing, a special technique of singing popular in Mongolia.
Costume
The clothing and accessories featuring color combinations, artistic patterns, embroidery, knitting, quilting and leather techniques, and gold and silver jewelry specific to their ethnic group and community.
[1] Toursmongolia.com, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://www.toursmongolia.com/about-mongolia/mongolian-culture-and-heritage/mongolia-music-and-dance
[2] Chinaculture.org, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, http://en.chinaculture.org/focus/focus/minzuwang/2007-08/23/content_382185.htm
[3] Newsbeezer.com, Letzter Zugriff: 24.02.2022, https://newsbeezer.com/mexicoeng/china-children-in-mongolia-perform-the-horse-dance/
How to dance the dance
Girls part:
Starting pose: The girls run into the space and position themselves centre stage. There while the arms are spreading out to the sides to come into the following arm position: Arms are held up over the head with the elbows bent and hand palms facing up to the sky. From here the body is twisted to the right, the right leg is bent in a forward lunge and the left leg stretched backwards, slightly bent with the toes pushing into the floor. The hip is pushed forward. The right arm is tilted on the hip while the left arm is stretched forward with the hand palm opened up to the front.
From the starting pose rotate front and start with the first pattern:
Pattern 1
With your feet standing parallel shift 4 x the weight between the feet starting to the left by lifting your right foot slightly: Arms are held in a loose lose manner, waving in a parallelly towards the leg you shift your weight to by crossing in front of your body from side to side. The upper body twists away to the opposite side.
Pattern 2
Face your body to the right, kick the right leg 3 times front while jumping on the left leg, turn towards your left side on the 3rd jump. With the 4th jump the kicking leg kicks backwards with the heel of the foot kicking towards your buttocks. There while the arms wave forwards as if holding the reigns of a horse with the left arm held straight forward and its hand palm opened up to the front and the right arm waving loosely above it. On the 4th jump the arms slash around the body`s waist towards the lifted right foot.
Repeat Pattern 1
While slowly turning to your right side.
Repeat Pattern 2
Pose: Face front with the upper body rotating, twisting it to the right while standing on the right leg with only the toes of the left foot touching the floor. The left arm is stretched out diagonally front to the right by crossing the torso. the right arm is tilted with the hand resting on the hip.
Pattern 3
Turning towards the left. Take one and half rounds, thus ending with the body facing to the left: The left arm is bent 90 % with the hand palm facing upwards. The right arm is stretched out. Take 8 steps on the tip of the toes in retiré* starting with stepping on the left foot. With each step the elbows of both arms perform an accent towards the centre of the body and go back into their position. *Retiré: The knee of the stepping leg is lifted so that the toe of the stepping leg passes and touches the knee of the standing leg before taking the step forward.
Standing with the body facing to the left side: Take 2 turns towards the right by turning on the toes of the right foot and the left leg pushing off the floor to give the impetus to turn. There while the arms are held up over the head with the elbows bent and hand palms facing up to the sky.
Repeat Pattern 4
Jump on the spot on your left leg. With each jump kick your right leg front with a flexed foot and the heel touching the floor. The arms are held up over the head with the elbows bent and hand palms facing up to the sky. With each kick your arms laterally shift the to the right in a wave like manner while the head laterally shifts to the left.
Repeat Pattern 3 & Pattern 4 in the opposite direction & side.
Pose: Turn into Pose 1 but kneeling on your left knee, the right knee bent 90 %, both face front
Standing in a stable position with the right foot front in a forward lunge and bent knees. The right arm is stretched forward, the left arm sideward. With the rhythm of the music bent your knees and circle the arms slightly outwards in small movements. After 4 circles open up your torso to the front and turn towards the other side to repeat the same pattern with now the left arm stretched forward.
With your feet standing parallel hip wide shift 4 x the weight between the feet laterally starting to the right. The Arms are loosely stretched out to the side echoing the impulse of shifting your weight from side to side.
While you jump 4 x on your left leg on spot you rotate your whole body to the left with your first jump kicking the right leg slightly lifted from the floor front and letting your arms wave loosely diagonally up. With the second jump you rotate your body back front. Your right foot is placed on the ground with its toes and you open up your arms to your side. Repeat the rotation and kick one more time.
Turn 2 x to the left whereby the right leg crosses over the left leg to turn by pushing the toes into the ground to give the impetus to turn. While turning the left arm is bent in front of the body in a 45 %-degree angle with the hand palm is facing downwards. The right arm is held up over the head bent with a 45 % angle while the hand palm is facing up to the sky.
Put both hand palms on the shoulder while taking a stamping step with the right foot and twisting the upper body to the left. Repeat on the other side and it gives a circular movement.
Repeat 2 x – R/L: On a circle moving towards the right take 2 skip jumps with the right foot and then 2 skip jumps with the left foot front. When starting with the right foot front, the right arm is waving front, the left arm to the side. When starting with the left foot the arms are vice versa. Then join the other dancers to form a circle holding the hands of your left and right neighbour and perform skip jumps.
Repeat 2 x: Open up your body to the right, look backstage. Place your right arm diagonally up and your left arm diagonally down. Now clap both hands onto the side of your upper legs and perform a little jump on the spot before you perform two turns to the back. The turn is performed with parallel legs while the arms are bent in a 45 % angle in front of the body with the hand palms facing downwards.
Shift the weight 8x from the left foot to the right foot which creates a somewhat circular movement. Your arms are stretched out to the side. On the 5th, 7th and 8th shifting of the weight, the arms circle over the side, above the head over to the front of your body where the hand palms touching each other in front of your chest to then open up again to the sides.
Going to your right side. Repeat 2x: Opening the right foot to the side crossing the left leg behind. The arms are held in front of your body in approx. 45 % angle. The arms are shifting side to side opposite to the leg movement to the left/right/ left/right/. Then perform 2 turns towards the right on the toe of the right leg with the left leg giving the impetus to turn. With each turn the left arm performs a circle over the head and comes back down in front of the torso. The right arm is bent in front of the body in a 45 % angle with the hand palm facing down.
Horse racing dance adapted into classroom workout in an elementary school in Inner Mongolia
Girls part:
Starting pose: The girls run into the space and position themselves centre stage. There while the arms are spreading out to the sides to come into the following arm position: Arms are held up over the head with the elbows bent and hand palms facing up to the sky. From here the body is twisted to the right, the right leg is bent in a forward lunge and the left leg stretched backwards, slightly bent with the toes pushing into the floor. The hip is pushed forward. The right arm is tilted on the hip while the left arm is stretched forward with the hand palm opened up to the front.
From the starting pose rotate front and start with the first pattern:
Pattern 1
With your feet standing parallel shift 4 x the weight between the feet starting to the left by lifting your right foot slightly: Arms are held in a loose lose manner, waving in a parallelly towards the leg you shift your weight to by crossing in front of your body from side to side. The upper body twists away to the opposite side.
Pattern 2
Face your body to the right, kick the right leg 3 times front while jumping on the left leg, turn towards your left side on the 3rd jump. With the 4th jump the kicking leg kicks backwards with the heel of the foot kicking towards your buttocks. There while the arms wave forwards as if holding the reigns of a horse with the left arm held straight forward and its hand palm opened up to the front and the right arm waving loosely above it. On the 4th jump the arms slash around the body`s waist towards the lifted right foot.
Repeat Pattern 1
While slowly turning to your right side.
Repeat Pattern 2
Pose: Face front with the upper body rotating, twisting it to the right while standing on the right leg with only the toes of the left foot touching the floor. The left arm is stretched out diagonally front to the right by crossing the torso. the right arm is tilted with the hand resting on the hip.
Pattern 3
Turning towards the left. Take one and half rounds, thus ending with the body facing to the left: The left arm is bent 90 % with the hand palm facing upwards. The right arm is stretched out. Take 8 steps on the tip of the toes in retiré* starting with stepping on the left foot. With each step the elbows of both arms perform an accent towards the centre of the body and go back into their position. *Retiré: The knee of the stepping leg is lifted so that the toe of the stepping leg passes and touches the knee of the standing leg before taking the step forward.
Standing with the body facing to the left side: Take 2 turns towards the right by turning on the toes of the right foot and the left leg pushing off the floor to give the impetus to turn. There while the arms are held up over the head with the elbows bent and hand palms facing up to the sky.
Repeat Pattern 4
Jump on the spot on your left leg. With each jump kick your right leg front with a flexed foot and the heel touching the floor. The arms are held up over the head with the elbows bent and hand palms facing up to the sky. With each kick your arms laterally shift the to the right in a wave like manner while the head laterally shifts to the left.
Repeat Pattern 3 & Pattern 4 in the opposite direction & side.
Pose: Turn into Pose 1 but kneeling on your left knee, the right knee bent 90 %, both face front
Standing in a stable position with the right foot front in a forward lunge and bent knees. The right arm is stretched forward, the left arm sideward. With the rhythm of the music bent your knees and circle the arms slightly outwards in small movements. After 4 circles open up your torso to the front and turn towards the other side to repeat the same pattern with now the left arm stretched forward.
With your feet standing parallel hip wide shift 4 x the weight between the feet laterally starting to the right. The Arms are loosely stretched out to the side echoing the impulse of shifting your weight from side to side.
While you jump 4 x on your left leg on spot you rotate your whole body to the left with your first jump kicking the right leg slightly lifted from the floor front and letting your arms wave loosely diagonally up. With the second jump you rotate your body back front. Your right foot is placed on the ground with its toes and you open up your arms to your side. Repeat the rotation and kick one more time.
Turn 2 x to the left whereby the right leg crosses over the left leg to turn by pushing the toes into the ground to give the impetus to turn. While turning the left arm is bent in front of the body in a 45 %-degree angle with the hand palm is facing downwards. The right arm is held up over the head bent with a 45 % angle while the hand palm is facing up to the sky.
Put both hand palms on the shoulder while taking a stamping step with the right foot and twisting the upper body to the left. Repeat on the other side and it gives a circular movement.
Repeat 2 x – R/L: On a circle moving towards the right take 2 skip jumps with the right foot and then 2 skip jumps with the left foot front. When starting with the right foot front, the right arm is waving front, the left arm to the side. When starting with the left foot the arms are vice versa. Then join the other dancers to form a circle holding the hands of your left and right neighbour and perform skip jumps.
Repeat 2 x: Open up your body to the right, look backstage. Place your right arm diagonally up and your left arm diagonally down. Now clap both hands onto the side of your upper legs and perform a little jump on the spot before you perform two turns to the back. The turn is performed with parallel legs while the arms are bent in a 45 % angle in front of the body with the hand palms facing downwards.
Shift the weight 8x from the left foot to the right foot which creates a somewhat circular movement. Your arms are stretched out to the side. On the 5th, 7th and 8th shifting of the weight, the arms circle over the side, above the head over to the front of your body where the hand palms touching each other in front of your chest to then open up again to the sides.
Going to your right side. Repeat 2x: Opening the right foot to the side crossing the left leg behind. The arms are held in front of your body in approx. 45 % angle. The arms are shifting side to side opposite to the leg movement to the left/right/ left/right/. Then perform 2 turns towards the right on the toe of the right leg with the left leg giving the impetus to turn. With each turn the left arm performs a circle over the head and comes back down in front of the torso. The right arm is bent in front of the body in a 45 % angle with the hand palm facing down.
Horse racing dance adapted into classroom workout in an elementary school in Inner Mongolia