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Chinese Dancing

Chinese dancing has association with the martial arts and Chinese Opera in the ancient times. Many traditional dances are preserved and still being performed at the Chinese Opera.

The history of Chinese dancing can be traced back to the images on a pottery that aged about 4500 years ago. The common movements in the Chinese dance include stamping feet and locking arm. The Chinese dances are performed in accordance with the musical instrument.

In the Book of Songs, there is an entry about the dance festivals that are performed during the Zhou dynasty. The Zhou dynasty lasted from 1100 B.C. to 221 B.C. The Chinese legend claims that the harpoon dance was taught by the hero Fu Xo. The Dance of the Cloud Gate was originally performed to pay tribute to the Yellow Emperor who ruled during the 26th century.

During the Han Dynasty, large dancing groups are formed. The male dancing group consists of 16 boys that act as if they are performing farming chores. The male dancers are accompanies by 300 girls. In Chinese dancing, the women will dance with their long sleeves. Some women dancer will move the scarves in their hand as they dance.

During the Tang Dynasty, the dance incorporates movements taken from other countries such as Korea and Japan. The Academy of the Pear Garden used to be a dancing school that trained hundreds of men and women. Many poets that survive in the Tang dynasty describe the dance as the dance of rainbow skirt.
Foot binding was practiced after the Tang Dynasty. The women dancers are forced to dance with bound feet. The binding of the foot cause the women to feel pain and hard to walk. Foot binding dances are performed during the Yuan and Qing dynasties.

Western styles were incorporated into the Chinese dances in the 1800s. In 1800s, many Europeans came to China to carry out the trading of goods.

The pantomime dances are formed in the 600 A.D. This was fist performed at the dynastic courts. In pantomime dance, the Chinese dancers will cover their face with masks. Some Chinese dancers will paint their face before performing the pantomime dance.

During the communist Era, the Chinese people performed the Yang Ge dance to celebrate their victories. The Yang Ge dance is performed by children in long lines on the streets in China. Soon, Yang ge dance was spread to other countries. Yang ge dance has connection with the Communist victories.

Today, the Chinese dances incorporate elements of the Chinese traditional dance and modern dance techniques. The modern Chinese dances were developed in the 1970.

For more information, visit lyricaldance.org. They offer information on lyrical dance, as well as > tips on lyrical dance