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Chinese Dance

China has 56 nationalities and each nationality has its own unique folk dances. Since different ethnic groups vary from each other in custom and habit, the forms of their dancing demonstrate a scene of magnificence. They reflect local production, stories related to their lives, and feels of happiness, anger, love, and hate. Therefore, folk dance is a favored artistic form familiar to and popular with Chinese people.

While the heritage of folk dance inherited by different ethnic nationalities is very rich, the development of each nationality is unbalanced. After the founding of People’s Republic of China, folk dances of various nationalities are further emphasized and collected. Through classification, Chinese folk dances get rid of the stale and bring forth the fresh. Therefore, a large number of folk dances are presented to audience with new appearances, receiving wide attention all over the world.

Chinese Palace Dance

Chinese palace dance covers all the dancing forms on fete, rite, paying tribute to emperors, and grand banquets.

Palace dance is of high artistic value. It boasts of exquisite skills and professionalism thanks to the improvement and innovation by artists in palace. Palace dancing also features grand lineup, great magnificence, and high value for appreciation.

Palace dance reached its zenith during the Tang dynasty. The Tang Dynasty Show in Xian is a recreation of Tang palace music and dance.

Lion Dancing

The most popular folk dancing in China is Lion Dancing performance. Lion is reputed as the king of all beasts. In Chinese tradition and culture, lion is considered as mascot which can get rid of bad luck and disasters, and bring peace and prosperity. Chinese people like to decorate the props (made of paper and wood) of lion with various colors and dressing-ups. Therefore, they look both mighty and lovely in the performance, hoping that the mascot can bring happiness and good fortune to kind people.

Lion Dancing performance has two categories, namely, Lion Dancing in Chinese Opera Characterized by Singing and Acting and that in Chinese Opera Characterized by Acrobatics and Fighting.

The former is mainly for fun. It is good at humorous and satisfactory actions, such as titillation, lapping furs, scratching its head as a manner of anxiety or happiness, rolling about, jumping, and playing with ball, etc.
The latter emphasizes techniques. The most prevailing actions include balancing on a rolling ball and seesaw walking. Sometimes they will make martial arts performances, such as stake walking.

Through more than 2000 years' development, Lion Dancing performances in different areas have developed their own characteristics. Ethnic minorities also have their styles of Lion Dancing performance. By now the artistic performance is very popular all over China and even introduced to Tibet. After the founding of People’s Republic of China, many singing and dancing groups and performing organizations of acrobatics have taken Lion Dancing Performance as a traditional performance. Through process and improvement by various lines according to their corresponding advantages, Lion Dancing Performance has become a bright pearl in Chinese dancing and acrobatics.

Tip:

• Lion dancing along with many other shows is vastly performance during the Chinese Lunar New Year throughout China. The Chinese Lunar New Year/Spring Festival is a good time to see many Chinese traditional acitivies and celebrations althoug it's a bit crowded everywhere.

Dragon Dancing

Dragon is also a mascot of peace and good luck in the eyes of Chinese people no matter where they live all over the world. During festivals, congratulations on a happy occasion, benediction, exorcise, memorial ceremonies, and temple fairs, there is always the custom of Dragon Dancing performance.

There are over 100 kinds of Dragon Dancing performance. Through thousands of years' development and introduction, the artistic performance has developed more forms.

Dragon Dancing can be performed by one or two people, or hundreds of people. The most common one is called Fire Dragon, during which tens of lanterns accompanied the dancing dragon. Therefore, the performance is also called Dragon Lantern.

In the performance, tens of strong men hold the huge prop of dragon and run happily in light of lanterns. The dragon sometimes runs up and sometimes swoops, demonstrating diversified changes. It speeds across the sky with happy put-puts of firecrackers and skyrockets. Under the dancing dragon is the cluster of enthusiastic crowd, who are happily beating drums and gongs. The scene of Dragon Dancing performance is very spectacular beyond expression. Dragon Dancing performance largely spurs the feeling of both participants and audience, and inspires their patriotism. Therefore, the performance becomes an indispensable component of traditional Chinese civilization, and reflects the bold and generous quality of invincible Chinese people.

 

 

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