Dance in China

History

A Tang Dynasty dancer from a mural unearthed in Xi'an dancing with a shawl.

Main article: History of Chinese dance

There is a long recorded history of various forms of dance in China. The earliest Chinese character
for "dance", , written in the oracle bones, is itself a representation of a dancer holding oxtails in
each hand.[1] Some Chinese dances today such as dancing with long sleeves have been recorded
since the very early periods, dating from the at least as early as the Zhou Dynasty. The most
important dances of the early period were the ritual and ceremonial music and dances called yayue,
and these dances were performed at the imperial court until the Qing dynasty, but only survive today
as performances in Confucian ceremonies.
The imperial court from the Qin dynasty onward established various departments responsible for the
collection of music and dances, training of performers as well as their performances at the court,
such as the Music Bureau and Royal Academy.[2] During the Six Dynasties era (220 - 589 CE), there
were strong influences from Central Asia in music and dance. The art of dance reached a peak in
the Tang Dynasty, and the dances of the period were highly diverse and cosmopolitan, dances from
Central Asia in particular were popular. A great number of dances were recorded in the Tang
dynasty, for example there are over 60 Grand Compositions alone which are large scale
performances from the Tang court, and there were tens of thousands of musicians and dancers at
the Imperial palaces.[3]
The art of dance however declined after the Tang dynasty. This is due in part to the increasing
popularity of the practice of footbinding, which may have first arisen from dancers themselves but
later tighter binding limited their movements, and greater social restriction placed on women may
have also led to a virtual elimination of female dancers.[4][5] Furthermore, dance was absorbed
into Chinese opera that started to take shape in the Song dynasty and became increasingly popular
and further developed in the following dynasties, and dance as a separate performance art largely
survives in folk traditions. In more recent times, the art of dance in China has enjoyed a resurgence,
and modern developments in Chinese dances are continuing apace.

Traditional dance[edit]
Many of the traditional dances have a long history. These may be folk dances, or dances that were
once performed as rituals or as entertainment spectacle, and some may have been performed in the
imperial court. Among the best-known of the Chinese traditional dances are the Dragon
dance and Lion dance, and both dances were known in earlier dynasties in various forms. A form of
lion dance similar to today's lion dance was described as early as the Tang Dynasty, the modern
form of the dragon dance however may be a more recent development.

Dragon dance.

In some of the earliest dances recorded in China, dancers may have dressed as animal and mythical
beasts, and during the Han Dynasty, some forms of the dragon dance were mentioned. The Dragon
dances of Han Dynasty however do not resemble modern form of the dance. Dragon dances
mentioned include a dance performed during a ritual to appeal for rain at time of drought as Chinese
dragon was associated with rain,[6][7] acts in the baixi variety shows where performers dressed up as
a green dragon playing a flute, and acts where fish turned into a dragon.[8][9] Modern Dragon Dance
uses light-weight structure manipulated by a dozen or so of men using poles at regular intervals
along the length of the dragon, and some forms of the dragon can be very long and involve
hundreds of performers. There are more than 700 different dragon dances in China.[10]

A lion dance

The Lion dance has been suggested to have been introduced from outside China as lion is not
native to China, and the Chinese word for lion itself, shi (獅), may have been derived from the
Persian word šer.[11] Detailed description of Lion Dance appeared during the Tang Dynasty and it
was then recognized as a foreign import, but the dance may have existed in China as early as the
third century AD.[12]Suggested origin of the dance include India and Persia,[13][14] and during
the Northern and Southern Dynasties it had association with Buddhism. A version of lion dance
resembling modern lion dance was described by Tang poet Bai Juyi in his poem "Western Liang
Arts" (西凉伎), where the dancers wear a lion costume made of a wooden head, a silk tail and furry
body, with eyes gilded with gold and teeth plated with silver, and ears that moves.[15] There are two
main forms of Chinese Lion Dance, the Northern Lion and Southern Lion. A form of the Lion Dance
is also found in Tibet where it is called the Snow Lion Dance.[16]

Folk dances of Han Chinese[edit]

Folk dances are important historically in the development of dance in China, some of the earliest
dances in court rituals and ceremonies may have evolved from folk dances. Rulers from various
dynasties collected folk dances, many of which eventually became court dances. However, at
various times there had also been antipathy towards some folk dances and some emperors
attempted to ban them.
Many of the folk dances are related to harvest and hunting and the ancient gods associated with
them. For example, the Constellation Dance was performed to procure as much seed grain as there
are stars in the sky, while the Harpoon Dance was associated to Fuxi who according to the
mythology gave the Han people fish net, and the Plough Dance was connected to Shennong, the
god of agriculture.[10]
Some examples of Chinese folk dance:

 Yangge - a dance that is common in Northern China.

 Lantern Dance - a dance found in Southern China.
 Errenzhuan

Folk dance from a minority group in China.

Folk dances of ethnic minorities in China[edit]

There are many minority groups in China and each have their own dances that reflect their culture
and way of life.[17] A few examples of their dances:

 Baishou Dance - a dance of the Tujia people

 Mongolian Bowl Dance (頂碗舞) - a dance where female dancers balance several bowls on their
heads while dancing.
 Long Drum Dance (長鼓舞) - a dance of the Yao people which inspired the orchestral
composition Dance of the Yao People.
 Sanam - an Uyghur dance.
 Lhamo - a Tibetan opera with dancing and singing
Dance in theatre[edit]

Dance as part of the Peking Operain a performance of "Heavenly Lady Scatters Flowers" (天女散花).

In the entertainment centres called wazi during the Song Dynasty, various theatrical forms flourished
and Chinese opera began to take shape, and dance started to become merged into opera. Dances
such as "Dance Judgement" (舞判, also called the Dance of Zhong Kui, 跳鐘馗) became opera
pieces in the Ming Dynasty, and dances of the Song Dynasty such as Flapping the Flag (撲旗子).
Other dances found in opera include the Sword Dance. Chinese opera became very popular by
the Yuan Dynasty, and dances became absorbed into opera over the following centuries.

Ritual dance[edit]
Most early records of dances in China were ritual or ceremonial dances, and these dances formed
the yayue which were considered to be of great importance in the court. These dances have largely
disappeared from modern Han Chinese culture, although ritual dances are still found in some folk
traditions and the cultures of ethnic minorities in China.

 Yi Dance (佾舞, literally "row dance") was originally a court dance, but adopted to form part of a
Confucian ceremony. This ancient dance may be performed with rows of dancers holding
pheasant feathers and red flutes in a square formation (Civil dance) or they may hold a shield
and a battleaxe (Military Dance). The tradition of dancing holding items such as feather plumes
dated back to Shang Dynasty.[18] The most important ceremony is performed with 8 rows of 8
dancers (the Eight Yi Dance, 64 dancers in all). Originally dances were only performed in 6 rows
of dancers (36 dancers in all) in Confucian temples as 8 rows were restricted to the Imperial
court,[19][20] but permission was later granted to perform the 8-row dance as well on the basis that
he was given the title of a king by an emperor.[21] Modernized version of such performances are
presented for tourists at the confucian temple in Qufu.[22] This confucian dance is also performed
in Taiwan and Korea.
 Nuo Dances (儺舞) - a dance with masks which may be performed in Nuo opera or as rituals
during festivals to drive away evil spirits.[23]
 Cham dance - a Tibetan Buddhist dance

Dancing in park as exercise

Exercise dance[edit]
Main article: Square dancing (China)
According to Lüshi Chunqiu, during the time of Emperor Yao, a dance was created as an exercise
for the people to keep healthy after a prolonged spell of wet weather.[24] Traditionally some Chinese
dances may also have connection with the martial arts that were used to train fighting skills as well
as for fitness, and some martial art exercises such as Tai chi or Qigong are similar to a
choreographed dance.[25] In modern China, it is common to find people using dance as a form of
exercise in parks.

Dance troupe[edit]
 China National Ethnic Song and Dance Ensemble
Modern and Western dances[edit]

1972 production of The Red Detachment of Women by the National Ballet of China.

Ballet[edit]
The first ballet school in China, Beijing Dance School, was established in 1954 with Dai Ailian as the
principal and staffed by some outstanding Russian teachers, including Pyotr Gusev who instituted
the Russian training system.[26] In the following years ballets such as Swan Lake and Romeo and
Juliet were performed.[27] The National Ballet of China was founded on the last day of 1959 as the
Experimental Ballet Company of the Beijing Dance School.[26] During the Cultural Revolution under
the control of Madame Mao, Revolutionary Model dramas came to the fore, and the repertory was
eventually reduced to two ideological ballets - The Red Detachment of Women and The White
Haired Girl. After the fall of the Gang of Four, the ballet company began to reform and change
direction with the classical Western ballets resurrected, and also broadened its range to include
more modern ballets from around the world.[26]
Other ballet companies in China:

 Shanghai Ballet Company

 Guangzhou Ballet
 Hong Kong Ballet
 Liaoning Ballet
 Suzhou Ballet
 Tianjin Ballet

Modern choreography on traditional themes - this one is based on paintings and sculpture of Thousand
Hand Guanyin.

Contemporary dance[edit]
 BeijingDance / LDTX
 Beijing Modern Dance Company
 City Contemporary Dance Company in Hong Kong
 Guangdong Modern Dance Company
 Living Dance Studio in Beijing

Modern traditional[edit]
Many dances presented as traditional in theatres and television are modern imagination of ancient
dances using modern choreography, for example the famous Rainbow-Feathered Dress Dance of
the Tang Dynasty.

 Dunhuang dance - modern composition inspired by frescos from Dunhuang caves.

Social Dances[edit]
Western ballroom dancing became popular in the 20th century, previously it would not have been
permissible for men and women from respectable families to dance together.[28] It was popular in the
1940s Shanghai nightclubs, and early Communists leaders such as Mao Zedong and Zhou
Enlai were also avid Soviet-style ballroom dancers. Ballroom dancing however later disappeared
after the Cultural Revolution to be replaced by massive group dances such as yangge dance.
Ballroom dances however reappeared after the liberalisation of China later in the century, and it is
now commonly found performed by many people in public parks in the morning as exercise.[29]

A Chinese dance.

Dance in China is a highly varied art form, consisting of many modern and traditional dance genres.
The dances cover a wide range, from folk dances to performances in opera and ballet, and may be
used in public celebrations, rituals and ceremonies. There are also 56 officially recognized ethnic
groups in China, and each ethnic minority group in China also has its own folk dances. Outside of
China, the best known Chinese dances today are the Dragon dance and the Lion dance.