The Tang Dynasty, the court focused on organizing a variety of Chinese and foreign music and dance since the North and South Dynasties, the development of the court "Yan music", known as the "ten music".
In addition, the Tang court will be the level of music and dance programs, according to the form of performance is divided into "sitting part of the Kabuki", "standing part of the Kabuki". Indoor hall performances and the Hall sitting on the play, called the "sitting part of the kabuki"; outdoor plaza courtyard performances, the Hall under the standing play called the "standing part of the kabuki".
The "Sitting Kabuki" is a small performance dance with a small number of people. "Tatebuki-kabuki has a large number of people, and the dance is usually performed by hundreds of people. The dance programs of both Sitting and Tatebukuro are more elaborate and of a higher artistic level. At that time, the level of performance of "Sakibe kabuki" was the highest, followed by "Tatebushi kabuki," and even less so by Yaku.
Sitting and standing part of the Kabuki has a high artistic and appreciation value, "sitting part of the Kabuki" music and dance programs are "Jingyun music", "Qingshan music", "breakthrough music", "Chengtian music", "long award music", "heavenly grant music", "bird song long live music", "Longchi music" and so on.
The Rikibu Kabuki includes music and dance programs such as Anraku, Taepingraku, Bakujinraku, Keishinraku, Daitingraku, Shangyuanraku, Shengshouraku, and Gwangshengraku.
Sitting and standing part of the Kabuki music and dance programs embodied in the idea of song and praise, is a consistent tradition of ancient music and dance. Sitting and standing part of the Kabuki produced, marking the Tang Dynasty dance did not just stay in the previous generation of music and dance absorption and inheritance, but further creation and improvement, so that the art of dance towards maturity.
During the Tang Dynasty, the dance of "Tsuge" had the forms of solo dance, duo dance and group dance, and the waist skill and sleeve movement were the biggest artistic characteristics of "Tsuge". This dance is a combination of gracefulness and vigor, with gorgeous costumes and moving expressions, accompanied by drums and music, which is a fine dance of the Tang Dynasty. There were professional "Tsuge" artists in the Tang Dynasty, such as the Tang Xuanzong's dance kabuki Nahu, etc., which shows that this dance has a high level of professional skills. Sword Dance of the Tang Dynasty is a kind of dance in which the dancer holds a sword. Famous sword dance artists in Tang Dynasty include Gongsun Daniang, Li XII Niang and so on. The sword dance of Pei Min, a general of the Tang Dynasty, was once regarded as one of the "three best" at that time, so it can be seen that "Sword Instrument" is a very famous dance. The famous Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu has a vivid description of this dance, the poem says:
Like Yi shoots the nine suns down, as if the group of emperors and 4 dragons soar. It is like a thunderbolt to collect the fury, and it is like the river and the sea to condense the clear light.
The Tang Dynasty "Green Waist" dance has the characteristics of the traditional dance of the Central Plains, which is characterized by the dance sleeve and waist movements, similar to the Wei Jin "Boehmeria nivea". A poem depicts it as "fluttering like an orchid camphor, like a swimming dragon lifting. Low back lotus breaking waves, messy snow haunts the wind", is the posture of this dance appearance.
And, "Hu Xuan Dance" is a folk dance of the Tang Dynasty, the dance is mainly rotating, so it is called "Hu Xuan Dance". Bai Juyi's poem, Hu Xuan female, vividly depicts the characteristics of this dance, which reads:
Hu Xuan female, Hu Xuan female, the heart should be strings, the hand should be drums. With the sound of strings and drums and the lifting of both sleeves, she dances in the snow. The left and right spinning do not know how to get tired, a thousand turns and ten thousand weeks have no time. There is nothing comparable in the human world, the wheel of the racing car is slow and the whirlwind is late.
From this poem, it can be seen that the dance movements and gestures of Hu Xuan female, as well as her inner emotions, are closely integrated with the melody and rhythm of the accompanying music. When she spins, her sleeves are raised, as light as snowflakes, and she dances like the grass in the wind.
She spins, sometimes left, sometimes right, as if she is never tired.
In the millions of spinning movements, it is difficult to distinguish between face and body, and the speed of the spinning seems to exceed that of the speeding wheel and the swift whirlwind.
And, "Treading Rhyme Lady" is a popular folk song and dance in the Tang Dynasty, according to the Tang scholar Cui Lingqin's "Records of the Teaching House":
Beijing Qi, someone surnamed Su, the real does not serve, but called himself Langzhong; addicted to drinking, drunkenness, and every drunkenly beat his wife. Wife articulate grief, complained to the neighbors. People get it. Husband dressed in women's clothes, Xu step into the marching song, each stack, the bystanders and the cloud, and to the ballad and come! Tap Rhyme Mother's Bitterness and Come! As she walks and sings, she is called "Tap Rhyme", and as she claims to have been wronged, she says she is bitter. When the husband arrives, he makes a show of fighting, for the sake of laughter and joy.
From this record, it is clear that "Treading Ballads" is a satirical song and dance based on true events, it has different characters, there is a certain conflict, the dance performers have a distinct emotional love and hate attitude and ideological tendencies. It is rumored that this song and dance was staged at court banquets and performed by folk artists in the streets, thus indicating that it was a very popular song and dance.
Breaking Formation Music is the most famous dance in the sitting and standing section of the Tang Dynasty. The dance was choreographed based on the "Broken Battlefield Legend" drawn by Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty. The dancers are wearing armor and carrying halberds, which expresses the content of life in the battlefield.
People perform the changes in the battle formation team in the form of group dance, which is the inheritance and development of the traditional martial arts dance, and the music is in the style of Guzi music. The "Battle Formation Music Diagram" drawn by Emperor Li Shimin of the Tang Dynasty is considered the earliest prototype of the dance score.
Later, the Tang emperor Wu Zetian ordered the palace to set up an "art gallery" to teach poetry and literature to court ladies, which gradually evolved into a "workshop" specializing in the training of singers and dancers.
These singers and dancers returned to the people, and then brought the music and dance learned in the palace back to the people, popular among the ordinary people, thus promoting the popularity of music and dance in the Tang Dynasty.
The Tang dynasty music and dance is generally divided into two categories of healthy dance and soft dance, the former agile and robust, the latter beautiful and soft. Jian dance is divided into "A辽", "Hu Xuan", etc., are sports dances.
The dancers of the Jian dance can be men or women. The men wear armor when they perform the dance.
The women's costumes are tight tops with carved ornaments and bell-bottomed skirts. These costumes are to emphasize the unique and crisp body and waist movements of the sword dance.
During the Tang Dynasty, there was a close relationship between China's dealings with neighboring countries and the formation of the Tang Jian Dance. In many commercial exchanges, other countries not only brought their goods to our country, but also brought their countries' unique art and culture. When their dances were staged on the streets, folk artists paid attention to imitate them, and they slowly spread inside the palace.
During this period, the soft dance movement was lyrical and beautiful, and the rhythm was relatively soothing. It was a kind of dance specially performed in the palace for the dignitaries. The dancers of this kind of dance were usually groups of court ladies or dancers.
When performing the soft dance, they usually wore robes with sleeves to emphasize the soft and consistent movements of the back of the hands. The dance is sometimes presented as a group dance, but most of the time it is presented as a solo or duet. The soft dance was formed by following the dance styles of the pre-Tang Dynasty and developed on the basis of the previous dances.
The dance of the Tang Dynasty has a lot of differences from the previous dances, and most of them are new creations, which enriched the art of dance. The most distinctive feature is that each dance of the Tang Dynasty has a storyline.
The Tang Dynasty dance "King of Lanling" is an example of a man's solo dance. Because the King of Lanling was surprisingly handsome, like a beautiful woman, he was often despised by his enemies in battle.
So in order to deter his enemies, King Lanling ordered his men to build masks with fierce faces, which he wore whenever he went into battle. This dance is a colorful representation of a general's life and his heroic deeds on the battlefield.
Dance in the Tang Dynasty was not only performed in the court, but also in the temple. People often performed dances on the stage in the temples to entertain the masses.
The Tang Dynasty dancers also created dance scores, the form of which was very similar to that of music scores. Sheet music uses notes to record music, making it easy for future generations to learn and understand music through the ages. Dance music uses notes to record music, making it easier for future generations to learn and understand the music of the past. Dance music uses simple drawings to record dance formations and movements.
Also, Tang Dynasty dance became a source of dance for neighboring countries, such as Japan, where the famous mask dance is a typical example of Tang Dynasty dance. Japan's Mask Dance is a solo dance of men's masks, which is very similar, almost identical, to the Tang Dynasty's Lanling King Dance.
This not only confirms the attractiveness and vitality of the Tang Dynasty dance, but also proves that the Tang Dynasty dance is a glorious period in the history of dance in China.
An important feature of Tang Dynasty dance was the appearance of word dances, which were usually performed at more solemn gatherings such as ceremonies or feasts for guests.
According to the Book of the Old Tang Dynasty, Wu Zetian personally rehearsed the Sheng Shou Le, in which "the rows and columns of the dances must be formed into characters".
The famous Tang Dynasty poet Wang Jian once described it as follows:
The embroidery is heavy, and the gold and phoenixes and silver geese are all in a clump.
Every time the dance head is divided into two directions, the word "long live peace".
During the Tang Dynasty, songs and dances were very popular during traditional festivals. Traditional Lantern Festival often have song and dance activities. At that time, the festival was prevalent in the folk self-entertainment songs and dances "Tap Song" and splash water songs and dances "splash cold Hu play".
In the Tang Dynasty, the court once organized "with the people **** music" Lantern Festival grand event, thousands of people to participate in the "Tap Song" dance, people singing and dancing, for three days, unprecedented. Later, every time the court held a ceremony, the Tang Dynasty will be held to celebrate the activities, called "give drink". Tang dynasty temple song and dance activities are very popular, when the temple is generally equipped with theater. Religious activities and song and dance activities together. With the North and South Dynasties period of religious dance performance is different, the Tang Dynasty religious dance is emphasized in the stage performance, which is also the Tang Dynasty religious dance activities of the progress of development.
In addition, dances were also popular in folk rituals or witchcraft activities. For example, there were dragon dances to beg for rain and songs and dances to send off the gods to welcome them in rituals.
In the Tang Dynasty, there is a "Nuo" dance ceremony, which is held every New Year's Eve dance, people play a variety of beasts, Yang Go shield, shouting low roar, incantation prayer song, answering the voice and singing. With the Zhou Dynasty and Han Dynasty court "Nuo" is different, the Tang Dynasty court "Nuo" atmosphere is relaxed and happy, the scene is also quite spectacular.
Tang Dynasty dance into its heyday in the Tang Dynasty during the Tianbao years, when the emperor is the Tang Ming Huang Li Longji, he is known in history as the "flamboyant son of heaven". Li Longji loved music and dance, and among the ancient kings, Li Longji's study of music and dance should be the most in-depth and proficient, he was proficient in playing all kinds of musical instruments, and he would also choreograph dances.
On one occasion, Emperor Li Longji dreamed that when he traveled to the Moon Palace, he heard fairy music playing in the sky and saw fairies in neon dresses dancing. The song of the fairies was subtle and beautiful, and the dancing fairies danced. When Li Longji woke up, he remembered the dream clearly.
Later, Li Longji recorded the music and dance in his dream, he let Li Longji keep thinking and thinking, he remembered a little and then recorded, even during the daytime when he went to the court, he also listened to the minister read the zhengbian, while secretly recalling those music and dance. Li Longji in order to recover the dance in his dream, almost all obsessed, but he still can not think of all the music and dance, he was very agonized. Once, Li Longji came to Sanxiang translation, he looked toward the daughter of the mountain, the distant rolling hills, smoke and clouds. Li Longji had many beautiful fantasies, and at this moment, he finally remembered all the dances he had seen in his dreams. Li Longji immediately recorded these wonderful dances on paper, which led to the creation of a > part of the palace music and dance suitable for playing in the court, "Nishang Yuyi Qu".
Li Longji ordered the musicians to rehearse the Nishang Yuyi Song, and made his beloved concubine Yang Yuhuan design the dance. In order to let them have a good place to rehearse, Li Longji set up a pear orchard in the palace. Yang Yuhuan and the palace staff rushed to rehearse day and night, and after a long time, they finally practiced this song and dance.
Later, Li Longji ordered a performance of the song and dance. With the delicate and beautiful "Nishang Yuyi Song" fairy music played, the consort Yang Yuhuan with her court ladies singing and dancing, one like a fairy down to earth, Li Longji once again see this familiar dance, he seems to be back in his dream.
Later, this "Nei Shang Yu Yi Song" became a classic piece of dance in the Tang Dynasty, and was passed down to future generations.
In fact, the activity of dancing was so common in the Tang Dynasty that it permeated almost every aspect of social life. As far as the participating classes are concerned, from the emperors and noble relatives, civil servants and military generals, down to the common people, musicians and kabuki, men and women, young and old, all had a close relationship with the dance.
In the study of the development and process of ancient dance history, the most notable is the Tang Dynasty music dance and has an independent performing arts character and on the art stage of the Tang Dynasty dance.
The famous Tang Dynasty music and dance piece "Neishang Yuyi Qu" was composed by Tang Xuanzong Li Longji and performed by Yang Guifei, which combined three major parts: instrumental performance, vocal singing and dance performance, and was a large-scale artistic performance as a whole.
The first part of the Neishang Yuyi Song is the loose sequence, which is composed of instrumental solos, rounds, and ensembles. The second part is the middle sequence, which is a lyrical slow dance. The third part is the break, which is the unfolding development part, *** there are 12 sections, which are long dances without songs.
The dance performances in this grand opera include not only the famous solo dance of Yang Guifei, but also duo dances and large group dance performances composed of 300 people in the workshop. In addition, there are dance scores for later generations to continuously process, organize, adapt and perform.
During the Tang Dynasty, there were many large songs similar to the aforementioned, described in Tang poems alone, including dozens of songs such as "Green Waist", "Cudgel Branch", and "Spring Warbler", etc. Moreover, the dances contained therein were already clearly categorized, which showed the prosperity, refinement, and perfection of the Tang Dynasty's music and dances.
Tang Dynasty dance is purely human form to express thoughts and feelings and as a means of artistic expression, representative works, such as: "Hu Xuan Dance", "Sword Dance", "Tap Song", "Dragon Dance", "Shrine Fishing Mountain Goddess Song", "Word Dance" and so on.
Of course, dance, as an independent art category, was already well developed in the Tang Dynasty. It was rich in content, courtly, folk, religious and ritual.
In the art form, it has been classified according to the dance, technique, style, such as "healthy dance", "soft dance", etc.; also has been distinguished by the size of the performance form of solo dance, duo dance, three dancers dance, large group dance and hundreds of silk dress up dancers "word dance". Dancers dressed in hundreds of silk "word dance" and so on.
The dance of the Tang Dynasty pushed the dance art of the Chinese nation to the peak with its independent artistic character. At the beginning of the Tang Dynasty, the military was strong, the country was unified and politically stable, and the rulers eased the burdens of the people and worked hard to bring about rapid economic recovery and prosperity.
Social harmony in the Tang Dynasty, the people live and work in peace and contentment, which is conducive to the court large-scale songs and dances and folk songs and dances and other recreational activities, but also promotes the music and dance and the art of dance prosperity, which is one of the reasons for the splendor of the dance in the Sheng Tang Dynasty.
More importantly, the Tang Dynasty was an era of openness, during which it was able to absorb and embrace all cultures and arts and make them a historical deposit.
The Tang Dynasty was a period of great prosperity, the implementation of an open policy, the art of inheritance of the previous dynasties, especially the Three Kingdoms, two Jin Dynasty, North and South Dynasties and the Sui Dynasty's court "Yan music", such as the seven parts of the music, the nine parts of the music, and other valuable legacy, which includes different ethnic groups and different countries into the Central Plains of the culture of music and dance, such as the "Tianzhu music", "Guezhi music", Anguo Le, Goryeo Le, Kangguo Le and Xilang Le. These music and dances, both in form and in consciousness, laid a solid foundation for the prosperity of music and dance in the Tang Dynasty.
Meanwhile, the export of a large number of music and dance cultures in the Tang Dynasty also spread the Central Plains music and dance to the four directions, which also contributed to the prosperity of dance in the Tang Dynasty.
What's more, in the various ceremonies of the Tang court, although large-scale Yan music programs and various performative dances dominated, the elegant music system in the form of civil and military dances was still retained.
In the Tang Emperor Taizong, set up the "celebration of music" for the literary dance, "broken music" for the martial arts dance, respectively, to symbolize "Wen De Qia and the world's peace and happiness", "martial arts into the world", the civil and military dance in the court, singing praises of virtue and praying for peace.
By the time of Emperor Gaozong of the Tang Dynasty, people had modified the "broken formation music" into elegant music, and emphasized that "and hope that the modification of the accommodation, so that the length of the rites commensurate with the hope for a long time of peace and stability".
In the colorful music and dance extravaganza of the Tang Dynasty, the Yale dance pattern has been preserved, which is the legacy of the traditional Yale dance thought.
The team of music and dance in the Tang Dynasty was very large, and along with the growing team of women's music, it had developed into a team that included many levels of professional artists and performers with professional level in the Tang Dynasty.
As a result of the general development of the art of dance and
the general love and importance of dance among people from all walks of life, a large number of skillful dancers and good dancers appeared in the Tang Dynasty. Including the music and dance organizations in the music and dance artists, as well as scattered around the ability to sing and dance of the government kabuki, camp kabuki and family kabuki. There are also a lot of high-ranking officials who specialize in song and dance, nobles, princesses, princesses and so on. Different ranges, different levels of music and dance artists and good dancers, the prosperity of the Tang Dynasty dance have made an indelible contribution. Tang dynasty music and dance institutions are also very large, the court has a tai music department, in charge of the "state of the ritual enjoyment of the feast", such as "ten music". The Church Hall is in charge of a variety of entertainment for the enjoyment of music and dance.
In the Tang Emperor Xuanzong, he set up a music and dance organization for himself, called "Liyuan", to teach and perform the highest level of song and dance. The huge music and dance institutions of the Tang Dynasty brought together tens of thousands of song and dance artists, and gave them financial, human and material support to push Tang Dynasty dance to the peak of ancient dance development.
The prosperity of the Tang Dynasty dance, fully demonstrating the achievements of the art of dance.