According to local folk artists, the dance originated in southern Jiangsu. Dragon boats were originally boat lanterns. During the Lantern Festival, many local villagers make boat lanterns to participate in the lantern festival. Later, because Emperor Qianlong took a boat trip to the south of the Yangtze River, the villagers changed the boat lanterns into dragon boats to commemorate the event. Because the dragon symbolizes the emperor, the bow and stern of the ship also look like a dragon's head and tail. Every time during the Lantern Festival or to celebrate the harvest and to wish for good weather in the coming year, local people dance dragon boats. The dragon boat dance movements have been continuously refined, coupled with singing, gongs and drums, and gradually formed a rich performance form.
Dragon boat dance is a unique dance form in Xiangning County, which was very popular in the late Qing Dynasty. Every year around the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, there are activities in the streets or squares, with performers ranging from a dozen to more than 20. In addition to 8 dragon dancers and 1 conductor, there are also lotus fairies, fish spirits, clam spirits, etc. Several characters.
The boat dance is a unique dance form in Xiangning County, which was very popular in the late Qing Dynasty. Every year around the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, people wave up and down and twist left and right, sometimes as if they are chasing waves in the turbulent waves, and sometimes as if they are playing and floating on the calm water. Lotus fairies, fish spirits, and clam spirits follow the "waves" around the dragon boat. "Dance. The dance steps are both smooth "round steps" and slightly elastic "little trembling steps". The accompaniment is percussion, and the musical instruments include gongs, drums, cymbals, cymbals, etc. The drum music is very simple, with only two music titles played repeatedly.
The accompaniment of this kind of dragon boat dance is provided by percussion instruments such as gongs, drums, cymbals, cymbals, etc. There are only two phrases, which are played repeatedly and beat repeatedly with the dance performance, forming a warm and cheerful atmosphere. .