General
Instruments
Music & Dance
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Lesson Plan
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has more pictures and info to look at. It's found in Contact China.
Dancing always involved music and music most often involved dancing. Music and dancing were often found during celebrations such as birthdays or in ceremonies to appease the gods. It was so loved by the Tang Chinese, that a special branch of the palace was reserved for those who wished to be trained in the arts.
The place was called Chiao-fang meaning "training center". Young girls from places such as Indochina, Korea, India as well as China attended the center. Those who excelled in their skills were chosen to play at court. Usually, some girls sang and some played instruments such as the bamboo pipe mouth organ and strummed lute, while the rest danced.
Dancing varied somewhat from time to time. During the time of Confucius, dancers were believed to have the ability to chase off malevolent spirits by twirling yak tails or feather wands (in court). Later on, these dances transformed into a form of entertainment for aristocrats. Another dance was performed by Sogdian (Arab) dancers who wore greenish trousers and red/pink robes. Their dance required one to stand on top of a large ball while twirling certain objects in one's hand. These dances were considered exotic and were performed in front of the royal court.
