Early dance is closely related to people's work and life. The original dance was "striking stones and patting stones, and all the animals danced together". The word "dance" in Oracle Bone Inscriptions of Yin Shang Dynasty is the image of a person dancing with oxtail and bird feather in both hands. The elegant music system formulated in the early years of the Western Zhou Dynasty marked the maturity of music and dance culture. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, there was a scuffle between princes, and "the ceremony collapsed and the music was bad". Folk dances flourished, and performance dances made new progress. A large number of professional song and dance artists appeared, which promoted the development of song and dance art at that time. Music and dance in the Han Dynasty is an era of eclecticism and multi-skill integration, which not only integrates the cultures of different regions such as Chu and Han, but also absorbs the arts of the western regions and other ethnic minority areas. During the Qin and Han Dynasties, music and dance in the western regions were introduced into the Central Plains. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty sent Zhang Qian to the Western Regions and brought Li Yannian's music and dance adapted from the Western Regions. Emperor Ling of the Eastern Han Dynasty liked the lively and enthusiastic dance very much. At that time, the whole country followed suit, and luxury houses followed suit. Influenced by acrobatics and illusion, the dance in Han Dynasty gradually developed to a difficult stage, and the means of expressing feelings became more and more abundant, and the expressive force of dance was obviously enhanced. "Sleeve Dance" is a dance with long sleeves. The dance sleeves are flying and elegant, like flowing clouds and flowing water, and the dance is graceful. "Towel Dance" is similar to the modern long silk dance, with both male and female dancers accompanied by a band. It is said that this dance is related to the story of the Hongmen banquet. Legend has it that Liu Bang and Xiang Yu, the ancestors of the Han Dynasty, will meet in Hong Men and dance swords in Xiangzhuang. They want to kill Liu Bang, and Xiang Bo can also dance. Through the sleeves, it is said that "Gong does not harm Pei Gong". However, people in the Han Dynasty have always remembered Xiang Bo's sacrifice, and dancing towel is the method of taking Xiang Bo. "Encouragement" is full of enthusiasm. When dancers dance, they should set plates and drums on the ground and dance on them. Generally, seven plates and one drum are used, so it is also called "seven-plate dance". There is also "Tudor Dance", in which Tudor, a bell-shaped instrument, is used as a prop dance.
In addition to music and dance as a feast, there is also a kind of ceremonial social dance that moves with the feelings and improvises, called "dancing belongs to each other". At the banquet, the host dances first, and then invites the guests to dance. If the host explicitly invites the guests, the guests often hold a grudge if they don't dance in return. For example, Cai Yong in the Eastern Han Dynasty was demoted to Beijing, and Wang Zhi, the satrap of Wuyuan, gave him a farewell dinner. During the dinner, Wang Zhi invited Cai Yong to dance, but Cai Yong didn't get up. Wang Zhi was furious and Cai Yong left. In the end, Cai Yong was unable to return to Beijing because he offended powerful people. This kind of dance custom appeared as early as the Chu-Han dispute, such as the "Xiang Zhuang Dance Sword" in the Hongmen Banquet. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, this impromptu and original dance style became more common. For example, in the Western Han Dynasty, Liu Fa, the son of Jingdi, was the king of shading. Because his mother was not loved, his fief was weak and poor. When the king made a pilgrimage to Beijing, Liu Fa blessed the emperor with songs and dances. When dancing, Liu Fa made a timid gesture, and the audience laughed at his clumsy movements. The emperor asked him strangely why he danced this dance. Wang Ding replied, "My country is small and narrow, and there is not enough room for manoeuvre." To vent their grievances. Su Wu was detained as an envoy to Xiongnu in 19, and was released back to Han after suffering. Before the trip, the Han general Li Ling, who had surrendered to the Huns, gave a farewell dinner. Li Ling danced and sang, "Wan Li visited the sand behind the scenes, and I was excited for the Huns. The road is poor, the arrow is sharp, and the soldiers are destroyed. My mother is dead, but I have to return the favor? " Say goodbye to Su Wu after the dance. Another example is the rebellion of Liu Dan, the son of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. After he was discovered, he wanted to send troops, but he couldn't, so he gave a banquet and drank with princes and concubines in the palace. During the dinner, Liu Dange said, "Go back to the empty city. If the dog doesn't bark and the chicken doesn't bark, you will know that there is no one in the country!" Mrs. Hua Rongdao also danced and sang: "The bones are dry, the mother is in danger, and the wife is in danger." Pei Gui Er Qu, the gentleman lives alone! "You cry as soon as you lift your seat. In the sixth year of the Eastern Han Dynasty (189), Emperor Ling died and the young emperor Liu You ascended the throne. Dong Zhuo, a powerful warlord, led troops to Beijing, abolished Liu Bian as the king of Hongnong, changed Liu Xie to Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, and later killed Liu Bian. Liu Bian was deeply moved when he held a farewell banquet with Tang Ji's queen and imperial secretary in the palace, so he asked Tang Ji to dance and sing, which made him feel sad and very sad.
In the Chu-Han War, Liu Bang also shook the morale of Xiang Yu's foot soldiers with "besieged on all sides". Historically, Liu Bangben, a commoner, said that he was good at "Chu Song" and "Chu Dance", especially the dance of bending over with sleeves rolled, and there was no lack of heroic and rough Chu style in his words and deeds. After he put down the rebellion of Ying Bu, the king of Huainan, he hosted a banquet in his hometown Pei County to entertain the villagers, and personally sang his own Song of the Big Wind: "The wind rises in Yunfei, the weaver girl returns to the hometown of the sea, and the brave soldiers defend the four directions!" And dance with the song, express generously and cry a few lines. In his later years, he still loved and attached to Chu songs and dances, and expressed his feelings. From Liu Bang, we can truly feel the heroic, agile and romantic style of dance. Many writers vividly spread the artistic charm of Han dance in their works, such as Zhang Heng's Luo Yi with Long Sleeves in the Wind (Dance Fu), Zhang Heng's Skirts Flying Like a Phoenix, Sleeves Like Snow (Dance Fu) and Zhang Heng's Disdaining Jingxi (South Fu). It is precisely because of the romantic and refreshing temperament of Chu culture, and Huang's purpose of being spontaneous and returning to nature, which brings out the broad and generous charm of China's dance.
According to Records of Historical Records, after Liu Bang won the world, he became tired of and alienated from Lv Hou, who shared the world with him. Every time Liu Bang went out, Mrs. Qi accompanied him and left Empress Lu in the palace. He likes Mrs. Qi, holding her in his arms and singing by her every day. Mrs. Qi is more beautiful than Shi. She is good at playing the drums and the piano, and she is a superb dancer, especially good at dancing with her sleeves up and her waist bent. From the unearthed stone statues of Han paintings, we can see that they have beautiful dancing, complex patterns and quite superb skills of swinging sleeves and bending over. When Mrs. Qi danced, she saw colorful sleeves dancing in the air and charming bodies dancing. She sang songs such as Out of the Plug, Into the Plug and Looking Back. At the same time, the tone is melodious, and hundreds of standing ladies-in-waiting sing in unison, which is deafening. Mrs. Qi, a shepherd in Suwu, has a son who looks like Liu Bang. Liu Bang loved this son very much, and wanted to abolish Liu Yuxin and make him happy, but he was resolutely opposed by Sun Tongshu, Sean and other DPRK officials. At a banquet, the prince invited four hermits, who were then known as "the four good big noble", to accompany him. The four people unanimously recommended Prince Renxiao, but Liu Bang had to give up the idea of abolishing Li. He called Mrs. Qi, pointed to the back of the four men and said, "I wanted to change the crown prince, but he has been assisted by No.4, and his wings are full, so it is difficult to move any more." When Mrs. Qi heard this, Liu Bang said, "You dance for me and I'll sing for you." Then he sang: "A swan flies high, flying thousands of miles at a time. Feather purlin has passed, crossing the four seas. Cross the four seas, what can you do! Although there is a payment, Shang An did it! " Mrs. Qi sang a song with her partner, which made her feel depressed and sad. After Liu Bang's death, Liu Ying acceded to the throne, namely Emperor Hui of Han Dynasty. Lv Hou became the empress dowager. She ordered Mrs Qi to put on prison clothes and iron cangue, and detained her in an alley to pound rice. Mrs. Qi was heartbroken, but she wrote a song: "The son is king, the mother is a prisoner, always in her twilight years, always interacting with death!" It's three thousand miles away. Who will sue you? Knowing this, he poisoned Ruyi, ordered people to cut off his hands and feet, gouge out his eyes, smoke his ears, fill them with dumb medicine and throw them in the toilet. "。 The scene was terrible. From this perspective, winning or losing political games is always extremely dangerous. No matter how beautiful the song and dance are, they are just hypocrisy and ugliness under a curtain. The ultimate pleasure of lewdness is decadence and pain.
The representative figure of court dance in Han Dynasty is Zhao. Zhao Yuan was originally a song and dance artist, and later became a favorite of Emperor Han Cheng, as expensive as a queen. Although there is no record of her "rolling her sleeves and bending over" in historical books, her dancing skills are superb. "If she is as light as a swallow, she can dance on the palm of her hand." Zhao Chuan said that she has a very thin waist and walks very neatly. One with a flower branch in his hand, others can't learn. " Tap dancing is Zhao's original dance technique. On one occasion, Zhao performed songs and dances "Return Air" and "Farewell" at Yingzhou Gaoxie in Taiye Pool. The dance was in full swing when the wind suddenly blew. Zhao danced his sleeves and wanted to go with the wind. Fortunately, blowing sheng carried her back. Later, there was the poem "Chu people have a thin waist and a light palm" written by Du Mu, a poet in the Tang Dynasty. When the wind stopped dancing, Yan Fei's skirt became wrinkled, and a pleated skirt style called "Lingxian skirt" became popular in this harem. Emperor Han Chengdi also made a crystal plate specially for Zhao and ordered the imperial secretary to serve a tray. Zhao dances on the plate. His dancing is elegant, light and graceful. Ye Zhao is an excellent pianist. At that time, there was a young musician named Zhang Anshi in Chang 'an, who had been practicing the piano since childhood. Once he entered the palace and played a song "Double Phoenix Leaving Luan" for Emperor Han Cheng and Zhao. Their excellent skills and beautiful music drive them crazy. Zhao was so excited that he got his own Phoenix Baoqin and played a song "Return Air to Send Away", which greatly surprised Zhang Anshi. Zhao cherished Zhang Anshi's talent and asked Emperor Han to give him the position of assistant minister, allowing him to enter and leave the palace at will. I also gave him two famous pianos, Whispering in Autumn Rain and White Crane.
Both Mrs. Qi and Zhao have slender waists and light dances, and the "sleeves" and the "waist" of their dances are the main factors that constitute their dancing charm. Long sleeves are fluttering, making dance movements more expressive; The waist bends and twists, which makes the dance movements pitch and tilt, graceful, "around the body" and "soft without bones". "Sleeve rolling" and "bending" were representative cutting-edge techniques in dance at that time, and the wonderful dance composed of them has been passed down to this day.
Although the Han empire was magnificent, the court dance in the Han dynasty presented us with a gentle state, exuding the majestic spirit of the Han dynasty.