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Dance also has a long history in China. On
5,000-year-old colored pottery vessels unearthed in
Qinghai's Datong County are painted three drawings of people
dancing. The entrancing poses of the Han Dynasty dancers
depicted in murals and elsewhere give mute testimony to the
further development of dance by that era. During the Tang
Dynasty dance reached new heights as Prince Qin Storming the
Enemy Line and other still extant works testify to.
The Han and China's 55 other ethnic groups
each have their own rich and distinctive dance tradition.
Nearly 1,000 folk dances are performed throughout the
nation. Among the most common are the Han people's much
beloved Yangge Dance, Dragon Dance and Lion Dance, the
Colorful Lantern Dance wherein the dancers perform with
colorful lanterns in hands and the Flower-Drum Dance, with
the performers accompanying themselves with drums while they
dance; the vigorous Mongolian Andai Dance; the Xianzi Dance,
a Tibetan dance where the dancers wave their long sleeves;
the Sainaimu Dance, an enthusiastic Uygur dance with a
characteristic neck movement; the Yi people's Courting
Dance, where the dancers dance while clapping their hands;
the Dai people's graceful Peacock Dance, marked by the
undulations of the waist; the Korean people's Fan Dance; the
Miao people's Reedpipe Dance; the Yao people's Long Drum
Dance; the Li people's Straw Hat Dance; the Zhuang people's
Shoulder Pole Dance; and the Tujia people's Hand-Waving
Dance.
Dance-drama is an art form new to China.
In the early l950s and mid l960s, Chinese choreographers
created a number of dance-dramas drawing on techniques used
in traditional operas and folk dances. Productions of this
type include Stealing Magic Herbs, Master Dongguo, The Small
Sword Society, Luo Shgngjiao, Liu Hulan, Five Red Clouds,
and To the Tune of Die Lian Hua. The l980s witnessed a great
flowering of dance-dramas, with over 100 new creations. One
particularly outstanding work, Along the Silk Road,
expressed the friendship between Chinese and foreigners,
while telling the story of how Chinese silk was transported
to the Western Regions along the Silk Road during the Tang
Dynasty. Two works on Chinese legends, Flight to the Moon
and Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, were also greeted with
popular acclaim. In recent years, artists and performers
from all over the country met to compare notes and enjoy one
another's performances. Many excellent dance-dramas emerged
from this meeting, including Ashima, Whisper of a Flute over
the Sea, Chu Music, The Rustic Poor, Vast Land, Border City,
and Snowflakes.
Ballet was first introduced to
China in the l950s as traditional Russian and European
ballets began to be performed along with some Western modern
dance. Since 1979, Chinese ballet artists have been
developing their own style. Such great Chinese works of
literature as Lu Xun's New Year's Sacrifices, Ba Jin's
Family, Cao Yu's Thunderstorm and Guo Moruo's The
peacock’s Courage as well as internationally famous
works such as The Little Match Girl have been made into
ballets. Today, Chinese ballet dancers can be said to have
reached their maturity, as their artistry continues to soar
to new heights, as is evidenced by the many prizes they have
won in international ballet competitions.
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