Beauty is not wanting in the Chinese folk dance. But it is a beauty with a dash of subtlety and sophistication that often keeps the viewer spellbound for a long time after the curtain. The best folk dance of China is something next to sublimity if it is not sublimity itself.
The modest and decorous Chinese seldom praise their own folk dances since they take beauty for granted. In painting, in poetry, in calligraphy and in literature, the Chinese stress beauty behind a veil of light but exquisite haze. The same goes with their folk dance. There is nothing earthy about it. There is nothing brazen about it. But the Chinese are so used to it that they prefer modesty to truth.
However, foreigners who have had little access to Chinese folk dances are often awestricken when they are brought face to face with this form of Chinese arts. They are loud in eulogies. So much so that sometimes mere superlatives prove to be insufficient.
For instance, after the folk dance group in the Chinese delegation to the world Moral Re-Armament Movement convention at Mac-Kinac Island, Michigan, in the fall of 1957 performed before a wildly cheering audience. Dr. Frank Buckman, the man who started the movement, said:
"Undoubtedly it is an absolute success and unsurpassed triumph."
Dr. L. A. Sundaram, Vice President of the Benares University of India, exclaimed, "The rainbow is the most beautiful thing in heaven. But Chinese art even beggars the rainbow."
Mr. Blaise Senghor, a Negro representative from the then French Africa, "A great performance, indeed. You have made me deeply appreciate and revere China of the East."
But, then, what is exactly the folk dance of China?
The word "dance" should be in the plural because there is a great variety of Chinese folk dances. The extremely long history and vast expanse of China have combined to produce the differentiated amalgams which make up the Chinese folk dances of today.
There is the folk dance evolving from the ritualistic dances of ancient Cathay. One of its best representatives is the "Pai Yu" dance featuring ceremonies in honor of the great sage Confucius. Young male students clad in long gowns and holding a slender rod move suavely to the accompaniment of the Chinese harp. With rhythmic alacrity, they change places and make graceful turns. There are no high kicks or can steps. But there is beauty in unity and simplicity.
There is the folk dance originating from palace dances which used to delight emperors in the Forbidden City. In such a dance, two lines of gentlewomen clad in flowing attire with high hairgear and extremely long sleeves come out dancing from both wings of the stage. Without any outward demonstration of haste, these ladies turn around, kneel down or rise up while bending backward to simulate an assortment of human expressions. The most expressive part, as a rule, is the sleeve which entirely hides the hand from view. By tradition, the Chinese know that when the dancer shields her face with one sleeve, she is in distress. But when both sleeves go up to the dainty face, the lady may be blushing in happiness.
Some better known dances are the "Chang-o's Flight to the Moon." "Lady Wang Chao-chun's Mission to the Huns" and "Emperor Tang Hsuan-tsung's Visit to the Jade Palace." There is always a well-known story behind each dance. The Chinese flute and harp are used throughout the dances.
Then there is the folk dance coming out from ancient folk dances. From the legendary "Lady Wang Ta-niang's sword Dance" we have the Sword Dance today. There is not a single militant note in that dance. The sword, once in the hand of a girl dancer, becomes a symbol of positive beauty. This dance is a little more animated than the others.
And there is the dance simulating the plucking of lotus by country girls. The girls, wearing skirts resembling lotus flowers in full bloom, move about in minute steps, so minute that they seem to be flying into space while standing still.
Other dances in that category are the "flower drum" dance now popularized in the United States by a stage play and love dances telling the romance between a shepherd and a lady weaver. But the Chinese present such dances in a subdued tone.
Chinese humor breaks out in such dances as the "Little Cowboy." A lady asks the gallant cowboy for directions to her destination and a singing and dancing episode follows. The dialogue and action are hilarious but far removed from ribaldry.
These are the main branches of the Chinese folk dances. However, there are tributaries too.
Drum Dance (File photo)
From the westernmost part of China has come the love dance of the nomads. The dancers prefer faster steps and stronger expressions. The stories are mostly told by hands and facial expressions. From the southwestern part of China another form of folk dance has been introduced into the main current. Clad in dresses showing native customs, the dancers, very frequently a boy and a girl, tell with their action the changes in season and the changes in heart. A happy ending is always the rule.
In such dances, accompaniment is done by the drum. However, the drumbeat is light, fast and variegated. It does not have the tom tom quality.
The latest addition to the family is the folk dances of Taiwan's aborigines. These dances call on the help of the Gods as in the case of the "Bumper Crop Dance"; or praise labor and production as is testified by the "Pestle Dance"; or tell stories of young people in love.
Although there is no uniformity in presentation, there is unity in purpose and theme. The dances do not invoke the wrath of the gods on the enemy. They hail the gods and rejoice in their bounty. They extoll virtue and bravery. Human misery is only transient in the dances.
The dancers are properly clad. The researchers have gone into great lengths to find out the right costumes for dancers acting out roles for a certain historic period. Each and every turn is strictly carried out. There is little improvisation.
However, there is one drawback about the Chinese folk dance. As it is not really folksy, it takes serious and long periods of training to master the art. As a result, relatively few Chinese know how to do it perfectly. Since the Chinese emphasize perfection in any department of artistic endeavor, dancers have been rather limited in number.
A movement has been going on in Taiwan to popularize the Chinese dances. In 1953, the Chinese National Folk Dance Promotion Committee called a Taipei meeting of dancers, musicians, painters, writers, and stage experts to discuss ways and means to achieve the purpose. A series of dancers was presented to enthusiastic audiences.
A nationwide folk dance contest was held in 1954 with the participation of over 10,000 people. Since then, a contest has been held every spring.
Dancing schools also mushroomed. Today, there are more than 50 private schools teaching folk dances. Almost every college has a folk dance society and a private physical education college gives courses in folk dance.
The folk dances of China are developing in Taiwan. Like the other forms of Chinese culture, they are here to stay.