About Chinese Dance

 What is Chinese Dance?

This website focuses on concert Chinese Dance (中国舞 Zhōngguó wǔ), in line with professional institutions and training in China. Others styles, like lion dance (狮子舞 Shīziwǔ) and wushu (武术 Wǔshù) are important culturally but considered different art forms under the professional Chinese training system. Concert Chinese Dance was standardized in the 1950s, following the establishment of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. 

Concert Chinese is divided into two major categories: 1) Classical (古典舞 Gǔdiǎn wǔ), and 2) Ethnic Folk dance (民族民间舞 Mínzú mínjiān wǔ). Classical Chinese dance is suggestive of classical Chinese court dances, and includes Dunhuang, Peking Opera, and Han-Tang styles. Ethnic Folk dance is inspired by the dance of China’s ethnic minorities and folk groups. China has 56 official ethnic groups – many of which have their own dances under the official Chinese Dance system, but not all. Certain groups – Mongolian, Tibetan, Dai, Uyghur, and Han – are emphasized in Concert Chinese Dance training more than others.