反弹琵琶
反弹琵琶，是敦煌石窟乐舞壁画的代表形象。佛教壁画中为了表现净土世界的美好、讲经说法的精彩，往往在经变画最前方的平台上绘制乐舞表演的场景。唐代之后，这类画面中居正中的舞者经常为反弹琵琶，其中又以莫高窟第112窟的这一形象最为经典。
画中舞者两侧各有三人组成的乐队，分别演奏琵琶、阮咸、箜篌、鼗鼓、横笛、拍板，伎乐天伴随着仙乐翩翩起舞，举足旋身，使出“反弹琵琶”的绝技。画师妙笔传神，人物造型丰腴饱满，线条流畅，一气呵成，将伎乐天神态悠闲雍容、落落大方之态跃然壁上。其丝帛绕身，璎珞庄严，天衣裙裾如游龙惊凤，摇曳生姿，上身微曲，双手将琵琶置于项背，屈身向右，吸右腿，边弹边舞。画师将伎乐天刹那间动势定格在壁画中，同时也描绘出净土世界的庄严、极乐、热烈与辉煌。反弹琵琵这种极具难度的乐舞表演，在中国人对敦煌舞的不断探索中，已于今天的舞台上得以再现。
Playing the Pipa from the Back
Playing the Pipa from the Back is a representative image of the music and dance murals in the Dunhuang Caves. In Buddhist murals, scenes of music and dance performances are often painted on the platforms at the forefront of the sutra transformation paintings to depict the beauty of the Pure Land and the brilliance of sermons. After the Tang Dynasty, the dancer in the center of such scenes is often depicted as "playing the pipa from the back", with the image from Cave 112 of the Mogao Caves being the most classic.
The painting depicts an ensemble of three musicians on each side of the dancer playing instruments such as the pipa, ruan, konghou, tao drum, flute, and clapper. The musicians accompany the celestial dancer, who gracefully performs the technique of playing the pipa from the back, moving with elegance and poise. The artist's skillful brushwork captures the figures in a full, rich manner, smooth in lines that flow seamlessly, vividly portraying the dancer's leisurely and dignified demeanor. Draped in silk and adorned with elaborate jewelry, the dancer's garments flow like swimming dragons and soaring phoenixes, swaying gracefully. With a slight bend, she holds the pipa against her neck and back, leaning to the right while drawing in her right leg, playing and dancing simultaneously. The artist freezes this moment of dynamic movement in the mural while depicting the solemnity, bliss, warmth, and brilliance of the Pure Land. This challenging dance posture of playing the pipa from the back, through the ongoing exploration of Dunhuang dance by the Chinese, has been brought back to life on today's stage.
