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Dance in China has a long recorded history. Some Chinese dances today, such as dancing with long sleeves, have been recorded at least as early as the Zhou dynasty (c. 1045–256 BCE). The art of dance in China reached a peak during the Tang dynasty (618–907 CE) but declined later. In more recent times dance has enjoyed a resurgence and modern developments in Chinese dances are continuing apace. ==Early history== In Chinese pottery as early as the Neolithic period (before 2000 BCE) people are depicted dancing in a line holding hands.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= Basin with design of dancers ) Pottery from the Majiayao culture (3100–2700 BCE)〕 The earliest character for "dance", 20px, appears in the oracle bones and represents a dancer holding oxtails in each hand. According to the ''Lüshi Chunqiu'' (compiled around 239 BCE): "In former times, the people of the Getian clan (葛天氏) would dance in pairs (threes ) with oxtails in hand, stamping their feet and singing eight stanzas."〔( Lü Shi Chun Qiu ) Original text: 昔葛天氏之樂，三人操牛尾，投足以歌八闋〕 Primitive dance in ancient China was also associated with sorcery and shamanic ritual. An early shape of the Chinese character for sorcerer, ''wu'' (巫), represented dancing shamans or their sleeves; ''wu'' therefore described someone who danced as a mean of communication between gods and men, There are many ancient records of shamans and sorcerers who danced, for example performing the rain dance at time of drought. The rain dance (舞雩, wǔyú) platform is mentioned in many ancient texts including the ''Analects'' of Confucius. Ancient Chinese texts such the ''Rites of Zhou'' (2nd century BCE) record dances of the early period. The most important of the Zhou dynasty dances are the six dances termed the "Great Dances" which were performed to venerate Heaven, Earth, gods, ancestors or legendary figures. These six dances were said to have originated from the time of six historical or legendary figures:〔〔 Note some of alternate names given for these dances, such as Xianchi (咸池), Dashao (大韶), and Dazhang (大章)〕 *''Yunmen Dajuan'' (雲門大卷), from the Yellow Emperor era, performed for the veneration of the sky. *''Daxian'' (大咸, or ''Dazhang'' 大章), from the Emperor Yao era, for the veneration of the earth. *''Daqing'' (大磬, or ''Dashao'' 大韶), from the Emperor Shun era, for the veneration of Gods of the Four Directions, or the sun, moon, stars and seas. *''Daxia'' (大夏), in honour of Yu the Great, for the veneration of mountain and rivers. *''Dahu'' (大濩), from Xia Dynasty, for the veneration of female ancestors. *''Dawu'' (大武), in praise of King Wu of Zhou, used for ancestral worship. ''Dashao'' (大韶) was a famous dance said to date from the time of Emperor Shun (the Neolithic epoch), the dancers may have dressed up as birds and beasts. One of the earliest documents, ''Shujing'', mentioned the ritual of "beating on the stones as all the wild animals dance".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Shang Shu - Yu Shu - Yi and Ji )〕 ''Daxia'' was a dance performed in praise of Yu the Great of the Xia dynasty, famous for his work on flood control. In this dance, 64 performers danced bare-chested wearing fur caps and white skirts. The movements of the dance may imitate the manual labour performed during flood control. ''Dawu'' was an important dance in six parts describing the military exploits of King Wu of Zhou: it may involve martial elements such as the use of weapons. These formal dances were divided into two types, civil and military. In a Civil Dance (文舞), dancers held item such as feather banners in their hand, and Military Dance (武舞) involved brandishing of weapons.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=The Art of Chinese Dance )〕 These six dances formed part of the system of court music and dance first established during the Western Zhou dynasty (1046–771 BCE) and known as ''Yayue''.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title= Elegant Music Dance )〕 Music and dance were considered integral parts of a whole. Another six formed what was called the "Small Dances", to be performed by younger members of the aristocracy in minor ceremonies and sacrifice rituals. These are: *Five-Colour Silk Dance (帗舞), performed for the worship of the Earth and Grain Gods. *Feather Dance (羽舞), as tribute to ancestral temples or the Gods of the Four Directions. *Imperial Dance (皇舞), performed as homage to the Gods of the Four Directions or as a rain dance. *Yak-tail Banner Dance (旄舞), performed at sacrificial sites in Biyong (辟雍), a seat of learning. *Shield Dance (干舞), performed for military purpose or for veneration of mountains and rivers. *Dance of the People (人舞), performed in honour of the stars or ancestral temples. All the dances involved objects such as feather plumes, yak-tails or shield, except the Dance of the People which is focused on sleeve movements. Aside from the formal and ritual dances, popular and folk dances are also mentioned in ancient texts. In the ''Book of Rites'', it is recorded that Marquis Wen of Wei expressed concerns about falling asleep during the measured and stately court performances and preferred the popular new music and dances of Wey and Zheng, though his Confucian advisor condemned these as decadent and disorderly. During the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, descriptions of professional dancing girls also appear in ancient texts. These may have been people from poorer family who visited and performed in the women's quarters in the palace or at houses of the nobles. Slaves had been kept as dancers since the Xia dynasty. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「History of Chinese dance」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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