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The origin and evolution of Chinese dance

The origin and evolution of Chinese dance

It may come as a surprise to some as semi-divine culture and profound inner meaning of 5,000 years of Chinese history is reflected in many of today's art forms, especially music and dance.
In Chinese culture, dance is a way to not only show. But emotions and personal feelings. But the character of the choreographers through demonstrations by the dancers, expresses his or her realm of thinking. That's why the combination of form and movement technique called body and the inner world of a dancer all affect the internal transfer.





Chinese dance is called classical Chinese dance. Its origins can be traced back to ancient court dances or folk dances from thousands of years ago.
Starting from the Zhou Dynasty, which lasted from 1122-256 BC by up to Five Dynasties period 907-960 AD, the courts have the authority in charge of music and dance, and musicians and dancers have. Trained Staff The agency also organized the research, refined and further developed folk dances, religious dances and dances that take place in other countries, this is how the dance happen.
Since court dances were mostly created by artists based on Chinese folk dances, they are rich and refined, is the ancient Chinese art form.
Tang Dynasty (618 - 907AD) was a peak period for traditional Chinese dance. But war during the Five Dynasties period disturbed social order so much that many famous dances were lost or became incomplete.
After the Song Dynasty (960 - 1279 AD) folk opera replaced pure dance as an art form thriving. Of course, the creation and development of folk opera also inevitably inherited and mixed in many previous art forms. Dance and music from the Sui (581-618 AD) and Tang dynasties became an important component of folk opera.
Although the incorporation of folk dances into folk opera was based on the needs of the opera, certainly accumulated a rich collection of more traditional art. Many relics from ancient times bore images of dancers from various dynasties. These relics showed a clear connection between opera and dance. That is why although opera replaced dance and music as an art form to express the ubiquitous old operas still carried the characteristics of ancient Chinese dances.
In recent years, as qigong gained popularity in China, movements in martial arts became an important source for the development of Chinese classical dance for example Tanzigong (literally means. "The movement of the Tiger") is part of Chinese martial arts. When classic dance choreographers borrowed elements from Tanzigong they incorporated jumps, turns and summersaults into dance.
As traditional gems such as Taiji and sword moves were used in dance their extremely rich repertoire of classical dance. There are also murals of ancient grottos, cave paintings, sculpture, dance and literature have played an important role in the ongoing research and dance classics.




Prior to the May 4th Movement in 1919, dance, classical Chinese have largely been passed down among the common people after the year 1919, some artists believe that they are responsible for documentation systems. Chinese dance is the start of formal teaching of classical Chinese dance. To develop and revive folk dance artists learned from the composition of operas, folk dances and techniques incorporated in the training, ballet and Chinese form of martial art, to create a unique and. Chinese classical dance specials.
The long history and different types of Chinese, providing a variety of dance movement, refinement, style and richness of character. Since Chinese dance was developed through a number of dynasties and social environments that will be able to demonstrate multi-ethnicity, social class and character moments. The composition of any race can be integrated and interpreted by Chinese dance, and fully demonstrated.
This is why in Chinese classical dance has a large capacity of development and growth. The success of the 2007 NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular marking which focuses on classical Chinese dance, showed that Chinese dance is positioned to become a major form of artistic expression on the global stage.



Thailand traditional dance performance

Thailand traditional dance performance


Traditional dance Thailand can be divided into three main categories.
Dance is a form of hip hop Thailand. Will be performed by dancers mime the action while it has been said / sung by singers in the background. Dancers wore elaborate costumes and masks to portray different characters. Pantomime characters include demons, monkeys and human beings in the sky dance requires agility and muscle exertion.


Most of the pantomime, with episodes from the Ramayana, the epic Ramayana in Thailand, India.
Khon Lakhon less formal and dancers did not wear a mask Lakhon dance (especially the upper torso and hands) is elegant, sensual and fluid portraying different emotions. Often with female dancers and performed as a group rather than as a representative of each character.


Lakhon convert a wide range of stories from the Ramayana, jatakas (Siddharta Gautama Buddha's previous life) and folk stories.
Thailand is a form of deer "Folk dance" along with folk songs of the province and often fall into five style classic.

Fawn Leb (nail dance from Chiang Mai).
Deer Ngiew (scarf dance from Chiang Rai).
Marn Gumm deer numbers (butterfly dance).
Deer Marn Mong Kol (Happy Dance).
Deer candle (candle dance)

    Manora dance is unique to the South. It is a dance drama that presents the love story between Prince and Prasuthon Manora Kinnaree half bird, half woman. While the prince off to war against the king unscrupulous court advisors believe that the sacrifice made by fire Manora is the only way to prevent his imminent death.

    Cambodia Traditional Dance and Performances

    Cambodia Traditional Dance and Performances
    It has been a tradition since the earliest days of tourism in the 19th century to treat visitors to Siem Reap with an ‘Apsara dance performance’

     - a taste of classical Khmer culture. No visit to Cambodia is complete without attending at least one performance. Dinner performances are now the most popular venue - most places offering buffet or set menus combined with a one-hour dance performance. Dinner ordinarily begins at 6:00 or 7:00PM and dance performances at 7:30PM or 8:00PM, consisting of 4 or 5 dances (classical and folk). Most dinner performances run $10-$35 including dinner and admission. Some place do not charge admission for the performance, but you are expected to order dinner. For the best seats, call for reservations.





    Traditional Khmer dance is better described as 'dance-drama' it is not merely dance but also meant to convey a story or message. There are four main modern genres of traditional Khmer dance: 1) Classical Dance; 2) Shadow theater; 3) Lakhon Khol (all-male masked dance-drama.); 4) Folk Dance.

    As evidenced in part by the innumerable apsaras (celestial dancers) adorning the walls of Angkorian temples, traditional dance has been part of Khmer culture for well more than a millennium. Yet there have been ruptures in the tradition over the centuries, making it almostimpossible to precisely trace the source of the tradition. Though much modern traditional dance was inspired by Angkorian-era art and themes, the tradition has not been passed unbroken from the age of Angkor.

    Most traditional dances performed today were developed in the 18th through 20th centuries, beginning in earnest with a mid-19th century revival championed by King Ang Duong. Subsequent Kings and other Khmer Royals also strongly supported the arts and dance, most particularly Queen Sisowath Kossamak Nearireach (former King Norodom Sihanouk's mother) in the mid-20th century, who not only fostered a resurgence in the development of Khmer traditional dance, but also helped move it out of the Palace and popularize it.

    Many traditional dances including most Theatrical Folk Dances were developed and refined from the 1940s-60s under the patronage of Queen Kossamak at the Conservatory of Performing Arts and the Royal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh. Queen Kossamak trained her granddaughter Princess Bopha Devi in traditional dance from early childhood, and she went on to become the face of Khmer traditional dance in the 1950s and 60s both in Cambodia and abroad. Like so much of Cambodian art and culture, traditional dance was almost lost under the brutal repression of the Khmer Rouge in the late 1970s, only to be revived and reconstructed in the 1980s and 90s due, in large part, to the extraordinary efforts of Princess Bopha Devi.



    Classical dance, including the famous 'Apsara dance,' has a grounded, subtle, restrained, yet feather-light, ethereal appearance. Distinct in its ornate costuming, taut posture, arched back and feet, flexed fingers flexed, codified facial expressions, slow, close, deliberate but flowing movements, Classical dance is uniquely Khmer. It presents themes and stories inspired primarily by the Reamker (the Cambodian version of the Indian classic, the Ramayana) and by the Age of Angkor.


    Folk Dance come in two forms: ceremonial and theatrical. As a general rule, only Theatrical Folk Dance is presented in public performances, with Ceremonial Folk Dances reserved for particular rituals, celebrations and holidays. Theatrical Folk Dances such as the popular Good Harvest Dance and the romantic Fishing Dance are usually adaptations of dances found in the countryside or inspired by rural life and practices. Most of the Theatrical Folk Dances were developed at RUFA in Phnom Penh in the 1960s as part of an effort to preserve and perpetuate Khmer culture and arts.


    Shadow theatre comes in two forms: Sbeik Thom (big puppets that are actually panels depicting certain characters from the story) and Sbeik Toot (small articulated puppets). The black leather puppets are held in front of a light source, either in front or behind a screen, creating a shadow or silhouette effect. Sbeik Thom is the more uniquely Cambodian, more formal of the two types, restricting itself to stories from the Reamker. The performance is accompanied by a pin peat orchestra and narration, and the puppeteers are silent, moving the panels with dance-like movements. Sbeik Toot has a far lighter feel, presenting popular stories of heroes, adventures, love and battles, with or without orchestra and with the puppeteers often doing the narration.

    Most dance performances in Siem Reap offer a mixture of Classical and Theatrical Folk dances. A few venues offer Shadow Theater. Many of the dance performances in Siem Reap consist of 4-6 individual dances, often opening with an Apsara Dance, followed by two other Classical dances and two or three Theatrical Folk dances.


    The Apsara Dance is a Classical dance inspired by the apsara carvings and sculptures of Angkor and developed in the late 1940s by Queen Sisowath Kossamak. Her grand daughter andprotégé, Princess Bopha Devi, was the first star of the Apsara Dance.

    The central character of the dance, the apsara Mera, leads her coterie of apsaras through a flower garden where they partake of the beauty of the garden. The movements of the dance are distinctly Classical yet, as the dance was developed for theatrical presentation, it is shorter and a bit more relaxed and flowing than most Classical dances, making it both an excellent example of the movements, manner and spirit of Classical dance and at the same time particularly accessible to a modern audience unaccustomed to the style and stories of Khmer dance-drama.


    Another extremely popular dance included in most traditional dance performances in Siem Reap is the Theatrical Folk Dance known as the 'Fishing Dance.' The Fishing Dance is a playful,  energetic folk dance with a strong, easy-to-follow story line. It was developed in the 1960s at theRoyal University of Fine Arts in Phnom Penh and was inspired by the developer's interpretation of idealized and stereotyped aspects aspects of rural life and young love.

    The dance begins...Clad in rural attire, a group of young men and women fish with rattan baskets and scoops, dividing their attention between work and flirtatious glances. Women are portrayed as hardworking, shy, demurring and coy, whereas the young men are strong, unrestrained, roguish and assertive. As the dance continues a couple is separated from the group allowing the flirtations between them to intensify, only to be spoiled by the male character playing a bit too rough, leading to her coy rejection. He pokes and plays trying to win her back, bringing only further rejection. Eventually he gently apologizes on bended knee and after some effort, draws a smile and her attention once again. Just as they move together, the group returns, startling the couple and evoking embarrassment as they both rush to their 'proper' roles once again. The men and women exit at opposite sides of the stage, leaving the couple almost alone, but under pressure of the groups, they separate, leaving in opposite directions, yet with index finger placed to mouth, hint of a secret promise to meet again.

    (In an interesting side note, placing one's index finger to the lips to denote quiet or secrecy is not, generally speaking, a gesture found in Cambodia, but is common in the West. Its employment in the dance probably indicates a certain amount of 'foreign influence' amongst the Cambodian choreographers when the dance was developed in the 1960s.