Chinese Dance
Overview of Unit
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2/17: Overview of China’s history and Dance Forms
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3/1: Shanghai Song and Dance Ensemble (Video)
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3/2: Chinese Folk Dance class (Yanko Ribbon Dance)
Dragon Boat research

3/7, 3/8, 3/11, 3/14: Dragon Boat Construction

3/17: Dragon Boat Ceremony Practice

3/21: Dragon Boat Ceremony
Facts about China
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Official Name: People’s Republic of China
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Capital: Beijing
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Official Language: Mandarin

Area: 3,680,000 square miles, third largest
country in the world
Facts

Geography: Mountainous, more than 68% of
the country is above sea level

Two major rivers: Yangtze and the Yellow

30 million people live near the Yangtze River.
The rice crops make it China’s most
prosperous region.
Facts

Population: just over 1.3 billion

One child policy (1979)

Republic of China (Taiwan): four fifths of the island’s 20 million
people descend from settlers of the 1600’s. Two million fled the
mainland for Taiwan after Mao Zedong took power in 1949 during
the Communist Revolution.

Hong Kong: Returned to China rule in 1997. Has 5.8 million
people who inhabit only a tenth of the colony’s 1070 square
miles.
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Communist Government ruled by Chairman Hu Jintao
History of China

5000 B.C. Farmers along the Yangtze are
among the first to grow rice
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3000 B.C. Yangtze settlement produces silk
and carved jade
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2000 B.C. Shang Dynasty. Priest-kings
preside over ancestor cults in villages on
Northern China plan

551 B.C. Confucius born
History

220 B.C. Qin Dynasty. China unified by Qin Shi, the
first emperor. Great Wall built.

126 B.C. Han Dynasty. Chinese explorers foray into
Central Asia. Silk ribbons used for dancing.

220 A.D. Buddhism spreads to China

600 A.D. Tang Dynasty. Blossoming trade with the
West through the route across Central Asia called the
Silk Road
History

690 A.D. Empress Wu
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1200 A.D. Mongol Dynasty. Genghis Khan and later
his grandson Kublai Khan ruled China. Unified
Chinese theatrical form begins to take place.

1600 A.D. Manchu Dynasty. Last dynasty in China.
Peking Opera emerges from the combination of four
regional styles of acting.

1911 A.D. Dr. Sun Yi-Hsien leads the Wuchung
uprising establishing the Republic of China.
History

1921 A.D. Chinese Communist Party formed in Shanghai
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1931 A.D. Chinese Civil War led by Mao Zedong
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1949 A.D. Chiang Kai-Shek flees to Taiwan leaving China in
Communist hands. Era of the People’s Republic of China begins.

1989 A.D. Numerous attempts at economic reform fail in the 40
years of Communist rule. Protest for democracy at Tiananmen
Square gains global attention as the army fires on demonstrators.

1997 A.D. Hong Kong returned to China after 99 years of British
rule. Economic reform creates new hopes in China. Trade gap
between America and China grows bigger.
Chinese Dance
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Closely linked to and reflective of life
experiences and concerns
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Divided into two broad categories: court and
folk

Folk dance is divided into four categories:
ceremonial, dramatic, martial, and agricultural
Chinese Dance

Court dances date back to the Qin
Dynasty (220 B.C.) and were performed
in the palace of the emperor.
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Reached it’s height of sophistication in
the Tang dynasty and was depicted in
the poetry, paintings and sculpture of
that period.
Chinese Dance
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There are two types of court dance.
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One based on the Chinese warrior exercises
such as martial art fighting forms
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The other is based on Confucian etiquette and
ritual codes.

Today, aspects of these ancient court dances
can still be seen in traditional Peking Opera
and ritual ceremonies in Confucian temples.
Chinese Dance

Folk dances in China vary from region to
region and include dances from over 50
distinct indigenous ethnic groups within China

A Chinese dancer today is expected to study
the classical court dances embedded within
the Peking Opera movement style as well as
numerous folk dances.
Melting Pot
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Like the U.S. China is a nation of many
different nationalities. Each has its own
history, language and tradition, and maintains
its own distinct customs of styles of dress.
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The Han make up the majority of China’s
population. Some of the larger minority
groups are the Mongols, The Dai, and the
Miao.
The Han

The Lion Dance and the Dragon Dane are popular for
celebrating the Chinese Lunar New Year.

These two animals represent strength, courage and
vitality and are intended to be good symbols for the
coming year.

The Hans also use marital arts in many dances
manipulating swords, daggers, and sticks.

Han dances are distinguished by the use of many
hand-help props including fans, handkerchiefs, drums,
and tambourines.
The Mongolians

Nomadic people residing in Inner Mongolia on
China’s northern border.

They travel on horseback, herd cattle and
sheep and live in “yurts”.
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Mongolian dance contains robust and
sweeping gestures suggestive of the wide
open grasslands of their home.
The Dai
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Reside in the Yunnan Providence next to the border of
Laos.
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Area of tropical rain forests where people live in
wooden houses supported by wooden stilts to raise
them above the water line.

The most famous Dai dance is the Peacock Dance,
which portrays a peacock spreading it’s tail, flying,
sipping water, strutting and bathing.

The peacock motif is also seen in many designs in Dai
clothing and decorative arts.
Chinese Dance

Chinese dancers begin training at a very
young age and are required to study
martial arts, acrobatics and stylized
theatrical movements on a daily basis.

Dance technique typically includes work
with props such as handkerchiefs,
ribbons, ritual weapons and fans.
Characteristics of Chinese Dance
Forms

Emphasis on hand and eye coordination
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Use of circular patterns in space with every part of the
body
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Extensive use of props
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Stylized steps and gestures
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Unique emphasis on movement accents in relation to
the music
Chinese Music
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The music of China sounds very different from
Western music

The orchestra includes wood-wind, string, and
percussion instruments

Metal, stone, silk, bamboo, gourds, clay, hide
and wood are used to make instruments
Chinese Music

The Pipa (Pee-pah) is a
four-stringed Chinese
lute or “balloon guitar”.
It is three feet long and
one foot wide.

The strings are steel
wires covered with silk
or nylon. They are
plucked much like a
banjo.
Chinese Music

The Erhu (Ar-hoo) is
a two–stringed type
of violin.
Chinese Music

Guban (Goo-bon) is
made up of two flat
pieces of hardwood or
bamboo that are loosely
tied together on one
end. The instrument is
held upright by one hand
and clapped together,
thus producing a sharp
clacking sound.
Chinese Music

Tanggu (Tong-goo) is a
traditional Chinese drum
that is usually
suspended by four rings
in a wooden stand. It is
medium in size and
barrel-shaped, with two
heads made of animal
skin, and is played with
two sticks.
Differences from European Dance
Forms

Most Chinese dance forms use circles and spiral patterns to
symbolize harmony

Western dances tend towards linear and elongated movements

Complex finger gestures as well as hand-eye coordination

In most Chinese dance forms three elements are present: Jin
(concentration), Chi (flow of energy), and Shen (Spirit)

These three aesthetic values are distilled from the major
philosophies of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism which
constitute the cultural values of the Chinese