The most important of the Zhou dynasty dances are the six dances termed the "Great Dances" that were performed to venerate Heaven, Earth, gods, ancestors or legendary figures. The rain dance (舞雩, wǔyú) platform is mentioned in many ancient texts including the Analects of Confucius.Īncient Chinese texts such the Rites of Zhou (2nd century BCE) record dances of the early period. There are many ancient records of shamans and sorcerers who danced, for example performing the rain dance at time of drought. An early shape of the Chinese character for sorcerer, wu (巫), represented dancing shamans or their sleeves wu therefore described someone who danced as a mean of communication between gods and men. Primitive dance in ancient China was also associated with sorcery and shamanic ritual. According to the Lüshi Chunqiu (compiled around 239 BCE): "In former times, the people of the Getian clan (葛天氏) would dance in pairs with oxtails in hand, stamping their feet and singing eight stanzas." The earliest Chinese character for "dance",, appears in the oracle bones and represents a dancer holding oxtails in each hand. Pictorial representations of dance have been found in Chinese pottery as early as the Neolithic period (before 2000 BCE), showing people dancing in a line holding hands. While many Chinese dances have ancient pedigree, dance is also a continually evolving art form and modern developments in Chinese dances are continuing apace.īowl from the Majiayao culture ( c.3300 - 2000 BC) decorated with figures of men dancing in line Some of the best-known Chinese dances, such as the Lion dance, can also be traced to the Tang dynasty or earlier, while others may have existed in different forms in the early eras, and many were known from at least the Song era. Some forms of dancing still performed today, for example, dancing with long sleeves has been recorded at least as early as the Zhou dynasty (c. There are continuous written records of Chinese dances for over two thousands years. In more recent times dance has enjoyed a resurgence, and it is widely performed by the public and professionals alike. Dancing as an individual art form declined in the later eras when dances become incorporated into operas and female dancing also declined when footbinding became more prevalent. The art of dance in China reached a peak during the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE) when numerous dances were recorded. A profusion of dances in popular and court entertainment as well as folk dances have been recorded in ancient texts. The most important of the early dances served important ritual and ceremonial roles and are known as yayue which continued to be performed at the imperial court until the Qing dynasty. The early dances may be folk dances or ritual dances, some of which developed into court dances. Depictions of dancing in China appeared over 4,000 years ago. Dance in China has a long recorded history.
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