Chinese Dance
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TOPGeneral Information
China is an ancient country whose 56 ethnic groups contribute to a diverse cultural heritage, which includes an array of traditional folk dances. Each ethnic group has it's own unique folk dances but the dances share common themes that reflect stories and feelings of happiness, anger, love and hate. Folk dance is a favorite art form in China and is hugely popular with the Chinese people.
This diversity of folk dances was in danger of being diminished as ethnic minority groups became smaller but since the foundation of the People's Republic of China steps have been taken to document and archive the folk dances of all nationalities to ensure that they can never be lost. This exercise has revitalized Chinese folk dancing and has led to a revival which has seen the dances performed in front of new audiences, and receiving world-wide attention.
The following are examples of popular Chinese folk dances.
TOPChinese Palace Dance
Chinese Palace Dances are traditionally performed for occasions such as grand banquets or paying tribute to emperors. These dances, which are continually improved and reinvented by royal artists,are highly artistic and require exquisite skill and professionalism. They tend to be magnificent productions with large casts and are highly appreciated by audiences.
Examples of Chinese Palace dances include:
- Music of Emperor Ying Zheng Breaking the Battle Array, which sang the praises of Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty
- Qipan Dance, a dance requiring high levels of skill
- Bayu Dance, which characterizes the rich atmosphere of local life
- Huteng Dance, a dance with exotic flavor, and
- Nishang Yuyi, a magnificent dance featuring performers dressed in feathers
TOPStilt Walk
Stilt Walk is an artistic performance, requiring technique and flexibility, in which the performers stand on tall wood stilts tied to their legs. The dance is quite popular among the Chinese public and has the advantage that, since the performers on stilts are raised above the audience, a stage is not required and the dance can be performed in a variety of locations.
TOPLion Dancing
Lion Dancing is the most popular folk dance in China. The lion is known as the king of the beasts, and in Chinese tradition is considered as a mascot that can ward off bad luck and disaster and bring peace and prosperity. The dancers dress in lion costumes made of paper and wood that the people dress up with colorful decorations, in the hope that the lion will reward their kindness by bringing them happiness and good fortune.
There are two main types of lion dance; those featuring singing and acting and those where acrobatics and fighting are the focus.
The dances featuring singing and acting are full of humor; the lion will perform funny actions like licking it's fur, scratching its head as if anxious or happy, rolling about, jumping, or playing with a ball. On the other had, the dances where acrobatics and fighting are the main feature, place emphasis on techniques such as balancing on a rolling ball, walking on a see-saw walking and even martial arts techniques such as stake walking.
Lion Dancing is popular all over China and has evolved over more than 2000 years of performance. Each ethnic group has their own style of Lion Dance and the performances are very popular, and have even been introduced into Tibet. Since the foundation of the People's Republic of China, many singing and dancing groups and acrobatic troupes have taken to traditional Lion Dancing and have modified them according to their own particular skill sets to produce new variations that have helped Lion Dancing to become a bright pearl in Chinese dancing and acrobatics.
TOPDragon Dancing
The Dragon is a mascot of peace and good luck in the eyes of the Chinese people, no matter where they live in the world. Dragon Dancing performances are customary at events like festivals, celebrations, benediction, memorial ceremonies, and temple fairs, Over 100 different Dragon Dances have developed over thousands of year of performance.
One, two or even hundreds of people can perform Dragon Dancing. The most common dance is called Fire Dragon, also known as Dragon Lantern, during which tens of lanterns accompany the dancing dragon. In the performance, many strong men hold the huge prop of dragon and run in light of lanterns making the dragon runs and swoop through the air accompanied by the sound firecrackers and skyrockets and a cluster of people happily beating drums and gongs.
Dragon Dancing provides a spectacular scene that inspires patriotic feeling in both participants and audience and so has become an indispensable component of traditional Chinese civilization, which reflects the courage and generosity of the Chinese people.
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