1. Chinese primitive dance
The main forms are dances related to hunting and labor. The Neolithic rock paintings in the Yinshan area of ??Inner Mongolia depict hunting dances. People dress up as birds, goats, foxes and other animals. Some have antlers and feathers on their heads, and some have tail ornaments. The origin of this dance is closely related to hunting.
Due to the lack of understanding of natural phenomena in primitive societies, people developed a sense of fear and gradually formed a primitive religious belief - totem worship. Animals, plants or natural objects are used as enclosures, and totems are believed to be able to bless people or reduce disasters. They regard totems as ancestors and protectors. The images of human faces with snake bodies, bird bodies with human faces, and human faces with animal bodies seen in unearthed cultural relics and ancient rock paintings are the images of clan totems. According to the legend, Fuxi and Nuwa, who have the head of a human and the body of a snake, are the ancestors of the Chinese people with "dragon" as their totem. The name of Fuxi's dance is "Feng Lai", which is a song about "Reticule"; the name of Nuwa's dance is "Chongle", which praises Fuxi's invention of the reticulum, teaching people to capture birds and beasts, and Nuwa to formulate marriages and teach people to marry. performance. The legendary Yan Emperor, who has the head of an ox and a body, is the ancestor of the Qiang people who use "sheep" as their totem. Emperor Yan's music and dance "Fu Plow" and the song "Feng Nian" praise Emperor Yan's achievements in teaching people to sow grains and inventing agriculture. He is respectfully called Shennong. Yin Kang's dance, named "Da Wu", teaches people physical exercise to resist Yin-dampness diseases. Ge Tianshi's dance is called "Guangle". Three people perform an ox tail and sing eight steps (paragraphs), praying for a good harvest and the reproduction of birds and animals. The Yellow Emperor used "cloud" as a totem, and "Cloud Gate" was the totem dance of the Huangdi clan; the "Fengniao Tianzhai" dance was the totem dance of the Emperor Yao's reign; "hitting stones to pull rocks, and hundreds of beasts leading the dance" was the totem dance of Emperor Yao's reign. Totem music and dance of each clan. The music and dance of these ancient clans are full of the struggle life of youth and strength, and also reflect the prayer fantasy and witchcraft etiquette of primitive religion.
2. The rites and music of the Zhou Dynasty, which are the culmination of ancient dances
Since Xia Yu passed on to his son Yu Qi, he entered the slave society. After the Xia and Shang dynasties (21st to 11th century BC) to the founding of the Western Zhou Dynasty, slavery reached its heyday. The ruling class of the Zhou Dynasty had fully realized the social role of music and dance in politics, and formulated a ritual and music system. In order to implement this ritual and music system, the Zhou royal family sorted out the music and dance leftovers from the previous dynasties, including the music and dance "Yunmen" of the Yellow Emperor, the music and dance "Daxian" of Tang Yao, the music and dance "Da Shao" of Yu Shun, and the music and dance of Xia Yu. The music and dance "Da Xia", the music and dance "Da Yi" by Shang Tang and the music and dance "Da Wu" by King Wu of Zhou Dynasty are collectively called the Six Dynasties Dance and are used for sacrifices. A huge music and dance institution "Da Si Yue" was established, and the children of the nobles were required to receive strict education in the six arts (etiquette, music, archery, imperialism, calligraphy, and mathematics). He entered school at the age of 13 and gradually started learning music, reciting poetry and dancing. At the age of 15, he started learning archery, driving and dancing "Elephant" ("Elephant" is said to be a martial dance, and some people think it is a dance of fish, shrimp and other totems). At the age of 20, he learned various rituals and dances.
During the grand ceremony, the aristocratic children were led by Daisile to dance the Sixth Generation Dance. Different music and dances are played on different occasions. "Kaile" is played during victory and triumph; "Four Origin Music" and "San Music" are performed when Yan entertains guests; and "Bow and Arrow Dance" is performed during the shooting ceremony. In all ritual occasions, on the one hand, the sanctity of being ordained by heaven is emphasized, and on the other hand, the dignity of hierarchical distinctions is emphasized. The ritual and music system of the Western Zhou Dynasty was a major creation of the political civilization of slave society and was the culmination of ancient dances before the Zhou Dynasty.
In the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, the Zhou royal family was declining day by day, princes were vying for dominance, the ritual and music system could no longer be maintained, and the historical edifice of the slave society was on the verge of collapse.
3. Witch dance and folk sacrificial dance
In primitive society, due to people's worship of totems and superstition of gods and ghosts, "witches" gradually emerged to communicate between humans and gods. The "witch" is in charge of sacrificial divination, praying to gods for blessings or removing bad luck. "Witch" was originally held concurrently by the clan leader. The legendary Xia Yu was not only a hero of flood control, but also a great witch. When he was in the water, his legs were injured and he could not walk forward. He could only move forward in small steps. This footwork was called "Yu Bu" and became a dance step imitated by later generations of shamans, also known as "Witch Bu". Ge Hong's "Baopuzi" of the Jin Dynasty recorded two "Yu Step" jumping methods. Chengtang, the founder of the Shang Dynasty, was also a great shaman. In the early years of the Shang Dynasty, there was a severe drought and no rain. Chengtang sacrificed himself and prayed for rain in the mulberry forest, which caused heavy rain. This kind of rain praying ceremony still exists in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. During the spring drought in the Han Dynasty, people prayed for rain, shamans worshiped workers, and children danced with an 8-foot blue dragon. When there is a drought in summer to pray for rain, Chiyou is sacrificed, and the strong man dances a 7-foot-long red dragon. When there is a drought in autumn to pray for rain, shamans will sacrifice to Shaohao, and the widower will dance a nine-foot-long white dragon. Ask for snow during the winter drought and offer sacrifices to Xuanming God.
Dancing 6 feet black dragon. The weather is flooded and the rain does not stop, so we beat the drums and attack them to stop the rain. Now the dragon dance has become a folk dance to celebrate festivals.
The wax festival originated from witchcraft. Legend has it that it began in the Yiqi era. It is a festival held at the end of the year to pray for a good harvest and reward the gods. There are 8 gods in the wax sacrifice: ① Xiansi (Shen Nong); ② Si Si (Hou Ji); ③ Nong (farmer god); ④ Postal, watch, and farmland (gods of huts, fields, and wells); ⑤ Cats and tigers ( Cat, tiger god); ⑥ Fang (embankment god); ⑦ Shui Yong (river god); ⑧ Bai Zhong (hundred grain god). During the wax ceremony, shamans wearing yellow clothes and yellow crowns sang sacrificial songs, and the band played "Ode to You" , playing earthen drums and dancing "Military Dance". The day when the wax festival is held has become a day for farmers to rest and have fun. The cat gods and tiger gods in the wax festival all appear in the specific image of the corpses of gods. In the song and dance "Nine Songs" of the Chu State to worship gods, the images of gods are played by Wu Jin. From the poem "Nine Songs", we can see the situation of this large-scale witch dance performance: the altar is decorated with viburnum, fragrant grass, cinnamon wine and pepper paste; the officiant wears beautiful jade and holds a long sword; the band plays five-note ensemble and plays drums and sings; The "gods" dance in colorful clothes.
Witchcraft was still very popular in the early Han Dynasty, and the emperor of the Han Dynasty often used witchcraft to worship the heaven, earth, mountains and rivers. Famous witches in the Jin Dynasty include Zhang Dan, Chen Zhu, etc. Legend has it that they have beautiful appearance, are good at dancing with light steps, talk cleverly and laugh, draw swords to cut tongues, and become invisible. "Ancient and Modern Music Records" records 11 "Shenxian Songs", which are shaman's spiritual songs.
Witch dance spreads over a wide area. The Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty used the Qin Wu and Jin Wu from the north and the Jing Wu and Han Wu from the south to worship the heaven, earth, mountains and rivers. To a large extent, the spread of witchcraft relies on the use of songs and dances to entertain people, the beauty of witches, and various artistic methods such as acrobatics, illusions, operas, and paintings to bless people, exorcise evil spirits, and cure diseases, with dazzling colors. "Witch" and "dance" have the same pronunciation, "Witch" is a person who uses dance to enchant gods. There are still shamans of various ethnic groups in various places, such as the shamans and goddesses of the Han people, the Duan Gong of the Qiang people, the shamans of the Manchu people, the masters of the Zhuang people, the Dongba of the Naxi people, the Dong Sa of the Jingpo people, the Qiang Mu of the Tibetan people, and the Mongolian people. Although the Chama of the tribe have different gods and different customs, their activities are all about praying for blessings and warding off disasters, summoning gods and exorcising ghosts, and are directly or indirectly related to primitive witchcraft. Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty once ordered the whole country to set up Lingxing Temples, and worshiping Lingxing became a national sacrificial activity. The spiritual star is Tiantian star, the main valley. The spirit star dance is performed during sacrifices. The dancers are 16 boys. The dance movements teach people the labor process of farming: weeding, plowing, tilling, driving away sparrows, pounding and winnowing, etc. The Lingxing Dance was spread until the Ming Dynasty, and the "Lingxing Little Dance Score" still exists in Zhu Zaiyu's "Complete Book of Music and Rhythm".
4. The Han Dynasty when folk music and dance flourished
Folk folk dances developed significantly in the Qin and Han Dynasties. There was a Yuefu in the Qin Dynasty, and the second emperor of Qin once "played a role to counter the actor's view" in Ganquan Palace. In the early years of the Han Dynasty, the great ancestor Liu Bang was fond of folk Chu sounds and Chu dances, and used folk music and dance for palace sacrifices. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty expanded the "Yuefu" organization and appointed Li Yannian as the governor of Xielu. He vigorously collected folk music and dance and recorded 314 songs and poems from Wu, Chu, Yan, Dai, Qi and Zheng. There were 800 musicians and dancers in the Yuefu. Yu Ming. For political needs, they also performed performances to entertain foreign guests. The characters are changing year by year and the content is becoming increasingly rich, so it is also called Baixi.
The items included in the 100 operas are:
① Acrobatics - looking for a building, jumping pills, walking on a rope, rushing into a narrow area, etc.
②Illusion-swallowing knives, spitting fire, changing cows and horses heads, etc.
③Martial arts - stick dance, sword dance, knife dance, sparring, etc.
④False dance - phoenix dance, fish dance, dragon dance, etc.
⑤Dance - scarf dance, Tao dance, Duo dance, Tao dance, long sleeve dance, Pan drum dance, "Bayu dance", Jian drum dance, double dance.
⑥ Song and Dance Drama——Huang Gong of the East China Sea will always be advocated by immortals.
It can be seen that dance plays a large proportion in hundreds of operas.
The music and dance of the Han Dynasty was an eclectic era that integrated various skills. Dance was influenced by acrobatics, illusions, horns, and actors to become more difficult, enriching the means of conveying emotions and expanding the scope of dance. The performance ability is reflected in the program "Pan Gu". It not only has the elegant and beautiful dance posture of "the robe is flowing in the wind, the long sleeves are criss-crossed", but also has the superb and complex skills of "floating, kneeling, treading and falling". "Pan Gu" not only focuses on the improvement of dance form, but also emphasizes the expression of inner poetry through external dance appearance, and pursues the artistic conception of dance. Another result of the integration of various skills is the emergence of song and dance dramas. "Huang Gong of the East China Sea" has characters and false forms; the wizard Huang Gong is tired of the white tiger, and performing a fight between man and beast is a typical routine of the jiaodong opera.
Huang Gong's spell failed, and he was eventually killed by the white tiger, which is full of satirical comedy. Another piece, "The Immortal Advocacy of the General Assembly," has tigers and leopards in disguise, as well as gods and fairies, which is a further development of totem dance and witch dance.
During the Han Dynasty, due to the consolidation of the feudal system, economic prosperity, and improvement of people's lives, music and dance in various places developed accordingly. Famous songs and dances from various places include: "Dong Ge", "Dong Wu", "Zhao Yu", "Zhao Wu", "Jing Yan", "Chu Wu", "Wu Xi", "Yue Yin", "Zheng Sheng" , "Zheng Wu".
5. Exchanges of music and dance cultures of various ethnic groups
The ancient music and dance culture of the Chinese nation was formed through the continuous exchange and integration of music and dance cultures of various ethnic groups. This kind of exchange has already existed in the Xia Dynasty. The "Bamboo Book Annals" records: "Shaokang came to the throne, and the foreign guests came to present his music and dance." "After Houfa ascended the throne, in the first year of his reign, Zaibaoyong gathered in Shangchi and all the barbarians danced." The Sixth Generation Dance of the Zhou Dynasty was also the concentration and exchange of music and dance from all ethnic groups. The introduction of music and dance from the Western Regions occurred around the time of the Qin and Han Dynasties. In the early Han Dynasty, there was already "Khotan Music" in the palace. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions and introduced the music of "Maha Dole". Lieutenant Li Yannian created twenty-eight interpretations of new sounds for Hu music, and created and developed it under the influence of foreign music and dance. Ban Gu's "Dongdu Fu" describes the grand occasion of the Han Dynasty when all kinds of barbarian music and dances gathered in Luoyang to perform, including Dongyi's "Spear Dance", Southwestern Yi's "Feather Dance", Western Yi's "Halber Dance" and Beiyi's "Gan Dance" . Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty loved playing music and dancing, and the nobles and relatives in Kyoto imitated him. On the Han stone statues there are images of Hu people performing acrobatics, illusions and encouragement. The "Pan Drum Dance" of the Han Dynasty blended the grace and elegance of the Central Plains with the enthusiasm and unrestrainedness of the Western Regions, forming the characteristics of the dance aesthetics of the Han Dynasty. This dance disappeared into obscurity during the Six Dynasties period, and it was only in recent years that it was discovered that it was still popular among the people in Anhui and Shaanxi.
Another result of the exchange of music and dance between the Central Plains and the Western Regions was produced during the Northern Dynasty’s conquest era. During the chaos of the Western Jin Dynasty, people from Guanzhong fled to Liangzhou one after another, bringing with them the traditional music and dance of the Han and Wei dynasties. Lü Guang of the Di tribe and Juqu Mengxun of the Xiongnu tribe combined the "Qiuci Music" obtained from the Western Regions with the old music of the Central Plains passed down to Liangzhou to create a new type of music and dance "Xiliang Music". Dunhuang, Gansu Province is the capital of Xiliang. The grotto murals record the rhythm and spirit of "Xiliang Music and Dance".
Since the Southern and Northern Dynasties, Hu dance has been the most important in the north. During the Daye period of the Sui Dynasty, the Western Region Music Club accounted for 6 of the nine plays. By the 16th year of Zhenguan in the Tang Dynasty (642), "Gaochang Le" was added to the ten plays. 》. "Hu Teng Dance" from the prosperous Tang Dynasty and "Hu Xuan Dance" from Kangju are even more popular. The "Zhezhi Dance" originated from the Stone Kingdom in Central Asia and was still popular in the Song Dynasty. The "Zhezhi Dance" of the Song Dynasty was integrated with the Daqu song and dance form of the Central Plains, changing the original appearance of Hu dance and developing it into a new national dance form. "Zhezhi Dance" can be regarded as another typical product of the combination of Chinese and Western music and dance after "Pan Drum" in the Han Dynasty and "Xiliang Music" in the Northern Dynasty, enriching the treasure house of traditional Chinese dance.
6. The flourishing development of Yanyue in the Tang Dynasty
Since the Zhou Dynasty, the court has established special music and dance institutions to concentrate and train professional music and dance personnel, paying attention to inheriting traditions and absorbing foreign influences.
By the Tang Dynasty, music and dance institutions included Taichang Temple, Jiaofang, Liyuan, Yichun Yuan, etc., which gathered a large number of highly skilled music and dance actors, and attached great importance to the cultivation and training of dance skills. The Tang Dynasty inherited the unification achievements of the Sui Dynasty, including the Qing Shang music and dance of the Southern Dynasty, as well as the Eastern and Western music and dance of Xiliang, Qiuci, Goryeo, Tianzhu, Kangguo, Anguo, Shule and other Northern Dynasties. In particular, it accepted The influence of the music and dance of various ethnic groups in the Western Regions, the new sounds of old music, and the blending of Han and Hu promoted the development of music and dance in the Tang Dynasty.
From Jiubu Ji and Shibu Ji to Zuobu Ji and Libu Ji, it is characterized by three large-scale dances - "Breaking Formation Music", "Qingshan Music" and "Shangyuan Music". 》as representatives, some are majestic, some are elegant, and some are full of fantasy. The three major dances can be regarded as the creation of epic dances in the Tang Dynasty. What truly represents the dance art style of the Tang Dynasty are small entertainment dances, vigorous dance and soft dance. Among the vigorous dances, "Sword", "Zhezhi", "Hu Xuan" and "Hu Teng" are the representative ones. The soft dances are represented by "Green Waist", "Liangzhou", "Spring Orioles" and "Black Night Cry". The song and dance songs represent the peak of music and dance art in the Tang Dynasty. Daqu of the Tang Dynasty is a culmination of both vertical inheritance and horizontal reference. The structure of Daqu in the Han Dynasty includes "Yan" (introduction), "Jie" (section), "Trend", and "Chaos" (ending part).
The form of Daqu was influenced by the music and dance of the Western Regions in the Tang Dynasty, and became richer and more perfect. In terms of structure, it has "Sanxu" (slow music without dancing) and "Zhongxu" (with beats and dances, including several "paiwen" sections) , "Rupo" (the climax of the rapid rhythm of complex strings; including "virtual urging", "real urging", and "gun over"), "rest beat" (the adagio before the end), "Sha" (the rapid ending of the music) section), etc., forming a complete performing art form. "Jiaofang Ji" records that there were 46 kinds of Daqu in the Tang Dynasty, with complex rhythms, rich melodies, tight structures, and advanced forms of large-scale singing and dancing.
There is a part of the Daqu called "Faqu", which is full of the elegant sentiment of "Qing Shang Yue". The song "Neon Clothes and Feather Clothes" in French music is known as the crown of dance in the Tang Dynasty.
7. Dance in the Song Dynasty and its dramatic factors
Dance in the Song Dynasty mainly has three aspects: court dance, folk team dance and dance in various operas.
Based on the team dances of the Tang Dynasty, the Song Dynasty developed into children's team dances and female disciples' team dances.
Folk dance was very prosperous in the Song Dynasty. Every New Year, Lantern Festival, Qingming Festival, and Tianning Festival (the emperor's birthday), folk dance troupes are very active. There are 70 types of Yuanxi dance teams recorded in "Old Wulin Stories", and many of the programs of these 70 types of dance teams are still popular among the people today.
The dances in various operas of the Song Dynasty were often performed in the military. "Tokyo Menghualu" contains the article "Driving to the Baojin Tower and the armies performed hundreds of plays". The sergeants dressed up as gods, ghosts, judges, etc. with masks and hair, and performed with drums and flutes playing in unison, fireworks filling the air, firecrackers, and shouts. "Hold the Gong", "Hard Ghost", "Dance Judge", "Mime", "Seven Sacred Swords", "Break the Tent", "Wipe the Stigma", etc., the performers range from one or two people to more than a hundred, some Wearing masks, some painted their faces with blue, green, yellow and white colors, with golden eyes and different clothes, they fought and stabbed in pairs, and formed formations to confront each other. These dances, in which various characters are played, each appear in its own way, and seem to be connected to a certain dramatic plot.
Drama elements in Chinese dance did not originate from the Song Dynasty. "Da Wu" in the Spring and Autumn Period tells the story of King Wu's defeat of Zhou, and the song and dance drama "Huang Gong of the East China Sea" in the Han Dynasty already has the prototype of a drama. The song and dance dramas of the Tang Dynasty include "The King of Lanling", "Pull the Head", and "The Rocking Girl". "Waking Girl" already has performance methods such as dance, music, acting, singing, and speaking. The actors dress up the characters and express the storyline. The dramatic elements were added to the court dances and operas of the Song Dynasty. For example, in the team dance, the character joining the army, also known as the bamboo pole, is responsible for hooking up the team, releasing the team, making speeches, and talking to the lead dancer. It not only plays the role of announcer, but is also an organic member of the show, playing an important role in promoting the development of the plot. effect. Daqus in the Song Dynasty also added storytelling, such as "Green Waist", "Cui Hu Liu Mo" and "Ying Ying Liu Mo" in the Song Dynasty. The big song "Xizhou" includes "Niaogu'er Xizhou" and "Erlang Xizhou". Daqu "Sword Weapon" includes "Overlord Sword Weapon". The "Sword Dance" in "Luofeng Zhenyin Daqu" includes two parts. The first half shows the story of Xiang Zhuang's sword dance at the Hongmen Banquet with the intention of Pei Gong; the second half shows the story of Zhang Xu watching Gongsun's sword dance and cursive writing Dajin. These big songs all have strong drama.
After Zaju began to appear in the Northern Song Dynasty, the entertainment programs of the three major feasts of the Spring and Autumn Festival still included performances of Baixi, team dance, and Zaju. This style was still maintained until the middle of the Ming Dynasty. combination form. They develop in parallel for a long time, influence each other, and absorb each other. The various elements of singing, dancing, martial arts and acrobatics contained in Chinese opera are closely related to ancient Chinese singing and dancing operas, military dramas, singing and dancing dramas, etc.
8. Opera dance and religious dance in the Yuan Dynasty
The opera art of the Yuan Dynasty is called Yuan Zaju. "Sing", "Yun" and "Ke" in Yuan Zaju are its artistic performance methods. The "ke" among the three is mainly workmanship, including expressions, dance and martial arts. Among them, the dances are insertive, such as the fourth chapter of "Tieguai Lidu, the Golden Boy and the Jade Girl": "You can watch the dance of the Eight Immortals once (Eight Immortals Part 1, Song and Dance Department)." In addition, "Liu Xuande Drunk in the Yellow Crane Tower" The folk dance team dance "Multana Music" was used in the song, and the bamboo horse was used in "Chasing Han Xin". This kind of inserted dance in Yuan Zaju also includes An Lushan's "Hu Xuan" dance in "Tang Minghuang's Autumn Night with Wutong Rain" and Yang Guifei's "Neon Clothes and Feathered Clothes" dance. The martial arts skills in Yuan dramas also include many dance elements, such as various instrument dances, sparring, somersaults, flag jumping, and stilts. There are also some dramas such as "Little Yuchi" with "Main Formation Section" and "Ma Ling Road" with "Pawn Arrangement Section", which is a formation dance.
Other works in Yuan dramas gradually evolved into stylized dance movements to express the characters' moods, such as "the shy dance" in "Moon Worship Pavilion", "the shy dance in Zhengdan", "the sad dance in Zhengdan", etc. The opera artists at that time also gave names to some technical dance moves, such as "Flying the Red Flag", "Drag Bai Lian", "Stepping on Stilts", etc.
The religious dances in ancient China are mainly witchcraft, Taoism and Buddhist dances. Witchcraft and Taoism are inherent religions in China. Since the Eastern Han Dynasty, Buddhism introduced from India has flourished and continued to decline in the Southern and Northern Dynasties as well as the Sui, Tang and Five Dynasties. Emperor Huan of the Eastern Han Dynasty and others worshiped the Buddha and "performed music to pray for good fortune"; the Jingle Temple in Luoyang of the Northern Wei Dynasty set up female musicians, "singing around the beams and dancing sleeves slowly turning"; Emperor Wu of the Southern Dynasties created "Shan Zai" and "Great Music" "And so on, called Zhengle, they promote Buddhism. Among the "Xiliang Music", one of the ten pieces of music in the Tang Dynasty, there is the "Khotan Buddhist Song". In the court dance of the Song Dynasty, there is the Bodhisattva Presenting Incense and Flowers Troupe. They are also music and dances that promote Buddhism. The Yuan Dynasty was dominated by belief in Shamanism (witchcraft) and Lamaism (Buddhism). The court dances in the Yuan Dynasty were full of religious superstition. The court dances of the Yuan Dynasty were divided into 4 teams: the "Music King Team" was used on New Year's Day, the "Shou Xing Team" was used on Tianshou Festival, the "Ritual Band" was used at court meetings, and the "Dharma Team" was used to promote Buddhism. Each team is divided into 10 teams. Among the 10 teams in the "Music King Team", the lead team is the band. There are two women's teams, one plays the song of Changchun Willow, and the other performs the peony dance. In the 10th team, there are also women who perform Hua Shaozi dance. , the rest are all male team dances, dressed as gods and ghosts. In "The Dharma Team" there is also a dance dressed up as the Eight Vajra Phases. In addition, there are "Baogai Dance", "Sun and Moon Fan Dance", "Block Dance", "Umbrella Dance" and "Golden Wings Dance", all of which are dances with religious colors.
The most famous dance in praise of Buddha in the Yuan Dynasty is the "Sixteen Heavenly Demonic Dance" created during the reign of Emperor Yuan Shun. Only people are allowed to watch, and folk performances are strictly prohibited.
9. Dances in the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Dances during this period can be roughly divided into three categories: court dances, opera dances and folk dances.
The palace dances of the Ming Dynasty, the “Dance of All Nations Coming to Court” and “The Dance of Victory with Tassel Whip” were used at the grand banquet to celebrate the great sacrifice. The Longevity Festival banquet uses "Jiuyi Jinbao Troupe Dance" and "Birthday Star Troupe Dance". The Winter Solstice banquet uses "Praise to the Holy Spirit" and "Hundred Flowers Pilgrimage Dance". The Zhengdan banquet uses "Baixi Lotus Pot Team Dance" and "Shenggu Lotus Picking Team Dance".
The general name of the Qing Dynasty palace banquet band dance is "Qinglong Dance", which includes the "Yanglie Dance" for riding and shooting and the "Happy Dance" for the ministers to dance. The content of the dance is meaningful. At the beginning, the band stood on both wings and 13 singers played the movement "Qinglong" and performed "Yanglie Dance". There were 16 people wearing yellow canvas sleeves and 16 people wearing black sheepskin sleeves. Wearing a mask, he jumped and fell like a strange beast. Eight more people mounted bamboo horses, circling and chasing each other like soldiers of the Eight Banners. One man shoots an animal, and all the animals are frightened into submission. At this time, the "Happy Dance" dance team came on stage, with 18 ministers in court uniform, dancing and celebrating.
The opera and dance of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are an important part of the opera. It can be divided into 5 categories:
①Intrusive dances, such as "Dancing for Hehe", "Dancing for Zhongkui", and "Dance for the Dumb Man Backward" in the Ming Dynasty version of "Mu Lian Saves His Mother".
②Stylized dance jokes, such as: "Qiba", "Horse Riding", "Walking Along".
③Stylized dance movements, such as water sleeves, feathers, hair swings, beards, fans, handkerchiefs, long silk, etc.
④Knife and gun handles.
⑤Fight.
Drama dance is based on ancient Chinese dance and developed according to the needs of the plot and characters. It not only has the characteristics of Chinese classical dance, but also preserves the essence of ancient Chinese dance. This has an enlightening role in opening up the treasure house of Chinese classical dance and studying the development rules of ancient dance.
China is a multi-ethnic country, with 56 ethnic groups in total. Because the lives, histories, religions, cultures and customs of various ethnic groups are different, rich and colorful ethnic folk dances have been produced. Judging from the folk dances of various ethnic groups that have been handed down to this day, most of these dances were finalized and matured during the Ming and Qing Dynasties.