Introduction to Classical Chinese Dance
Classical Chinese dance is one of the world’s most comprehensive dance systems. It was passed down in part through martial arts, folk traditions, traditional Chinese opera, and the ancient court. Throughout history, classical Chinese dance was enriched with the philosophical and cultural traits of each of China’s dynasties, resulting in an art form that today can express the essence of Chinese culture in its movements, postures, and aesthetics.
In the modern era, classical Chinese dance has been organized into a formal dance system with methodological training in four component areas: shen-fa (form; the poses and movements that make up the vocabulary of the art form), shen-yun (bearing; a way of expressing the dancer’s inner feelings and the style of classical Chinese dance), ji-qiao (a variety of special techniques for jumping and spinning), and tan-zi-gong (flipping and tumbling techniques).