Chinese Action Dance
3 min readPrehistoric Chinese dance had its origins in labor, and was often used to recreate the motions of hunting and planting. Starting around the 21st century BC, during the Xia-Shang-Zhou pe-riod(c.2070-256BC), dance came to be formally used in religious rituals, palace ceremonies, and banquets, undergoing a gradual transformation from popular entertainment into a type of performance art. Some of these dance and music pieces were performed by slaves for audiences, and others were performed by priests at magical ceremonies. During the Zhou Dynasty(1046-256BC),a form of dance was used as physical education to train the children of the nobility.
The art of dance underwent major development during the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) and the number of performers increased substantially. During this time, an official government Bureau of Music was established that not only collected and arranged popular music and dance, but also selected outstanding artists from among the people to perform in the palace.
A total of over 1,000 people were members of specialized palace music and dance troupes.A specialized form of dance called jiyue(women’s dance), performed by groups of women, was extremely popular during this time, especially among members of the royal family and military leaders.A number of wealthy families had private jiyue(women’s dance) troupes. The extensive cultural exchange with other countries and nationalities that occurred from the4th to 6th centuries AD led to even greater developments in dance during the Tang Dynasty (618-907AD). There were two main forms of dance during this period-vigorous and power-ful jianwu(hard form), and lithe and graceful ruanwu(soft form). Jianwu(hard form) dance originated primarily with the ethnic groups of the Western Regions(present-day Xinjiang and Central Asia), and was characterized by whirlwind leaping and spinning movements. Ruanwu (soft form) dance was supple and expressive, featuring long flourishing sleeves, graceful gestures, and swaying bodies.
Popular dance traditions of the common people formed another important component of traditional Chinese dance. Regional and ethnic differences resulted in many different styles of popular dance. Despite these differences, all ethnic groups used dance to celebrate various festivals and the changing of the seasons. Dance was used to invoke good weather and abundant harvests, as a form of courtship, and to celebrate marriages.
Extensive evidence has been collected concerning ancient Chinese dance during the period reaching from the Han Dynasty (202 BC-220 AD) through the Tang Dynasty(618-907 AD).
There have even been modern revivals of some of these dance forms. Feitian(Flying Apsaras),a duet for two women by dancer and choreographer Dai Ailian(1916-2006 AD), is adapted from ancient dance murals at the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang. This piece successfully integrates elements of”ribbon dancing”that have been passed down since the Han Dynasty(202 BC-220 AD), using long silk streamers to express a bold and unconstrained spirit. Contemporary Chinese dancers and choreographers have also utilized the diverse forms and techniques of Western dance, drawing from ballet, modern dance, and other forms, to create uniquely Chinese ballet and modern dance compositions.
