Research on the Method of Physical Actions and Philosophical Thought in Manchu Shamanic Dance
Yin Lyu
Communications in Humanities Research November 3, 2026 DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2026.38569 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Manchu shamanic ritual practitioners performing the tiger-spirit ritual (tiao hu shen) in Qingyuan, Liaoning |
| Topics | Shamanism |
| Key findings | Argues that the core of Manchu shamanic dance lies in the inner impulse preceding action rather than outward movement, and that when the lag between inner impulse and outer reaction disappears the body becomes a channel for spirit power. Contends this process aligns with Stanislavski's "Method of Physical Actions" and its logic of "knowledge is a doing," making shamanic body experience "knowable" rather than "mysterious." |
Abstract
Taking Stanislavski's "Method of Physical Actions" (MPA) as the theoretical lens, this study explores the body practice and consciousness transformation mechanism of Manchu shamanic sacrificial dance. Through literature analysis, field investigation of the tiger-spirit ritual (tiao hu shen) in Qingyuan, Liaoning, and theoretical interpretation, the study finds that the core of shamanic dance is not the outward movements, but the inner energy projection before action, namely the impulse. The ritual presents a progressive structure of "inviting the spirit, possession, sending off the spirit", and its rhythm is jointly governed by the invocation words, drumbeats and waist bells; the shaman's step range, movement rate and breathing accordingly shift from the everyday to the non-everyday, and when the time lag between the inner impulse and the outer reaction disappears, the body becomes a channel for the manifestation of spirit power. This process fits closely with mpa's logic of "knowledge is a doing" and of suspending rational thinking through body action. The conclusion holds that Manchu shamanic dance is a living body philosophy, and that mpa provides an operable methodological path, turning shamanic body experience from the "mysterious" into the "knowable" and sublimating "intuition" into "knowledge"; it not only gives endangered intangible cultural heritage a new dimension of interpretation, but also opens new possibilities for the cross-cultural dialogue between ancient ritual practice and contemporary body training and performance methods, and has important academic value and practical significance.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on shamanism, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Plantas con madre": plants that teach and guide in the shamanic initiation process in the East-Central Peruvian Amazon. Curanderos, apprentices, and herbalists in East-Central Peru, including Mestizo,... | 2011 | Qualitative study | n = 36 |
| Purging and the body in the therapeutic use of ayahuasca Healers and participants in shamanic tourism contexts of the Peruvian Amazon and... | 2019 | Ethnography with literature review | n = 227 |
| The Globalization of Ayahuasca Shamanism and the Erasure of Indigenous Shamanism Western tourists and indigenous peoples in Iquitos, Peru | 2016 | Ethnography | |
| Shamanism and Rock Art in Far Western North America Historic hunter-gatherer cultures of California and the Great Basin | 1992 | Ethnographic review and analysis | |
| Working with “La Medicina”: Elements of Healing in Contemporary Ayahuasca Rituals Ayahuasqueros and Western participants in shamanic tourism in Iquitos, Peru | 2012 | Ethnography |