CHINESE DANCE HISTORY

Chinese dance dates back nearly 5,000 years. As in many cultures around the world, early Chinese dances were a religious expression and closely linked to life experiences and concerns. The Chinese dances can be divided into (1) Ceremonial; for praying to the gods for bountiful harvests, (2) Martial; for showing fighting techniques, (3) Dramatic; for noting historical events, and (4) Agricultural; for celebrating nature and work. For thousands of years, each Chinese dance was unique to the village or group that developed it. There were 50 different ethnic groups in China who each developed their own dances. The dances were not centralized or recorded until the Han dynasty, which ruled from 206 B.C. until 220 A.D. During the Han dynasty, the imperial family established a musical court that served to bring all of the dances to one place where they could be documented. Over the years, simple Chinese folk dances developed into intricate and beautiful performance pieces that are still performed by Chinese groups worldwide.

For more information on Chinese dance workshops please visit:
http://www.chinesedanceruk.com

Thank you so much for pointing that out. I'm still really new to C2E, and so I wasn't able to find the previous post until you linked me! Do you know how I can delete it?