Sword Dance in China
Many believe that sword dancing evolved from the early Chinese art of wu shu. The simple martial art became a military training technique with swords and spears and then turned into an elaborate acrobatic dance. Sword dancing, often called jian wu, was one of four Chinese classical dances that were used in the famous Chinese opera. Each of these dances was very meaningful within the opera performances and they often were used for plot descriptions and characterization. Sword dancing also found a use in Chinese culture through communicating with the supernatural; sword dancing was done in an effort to communicate feelings to the dead spirits that may be disrupting a household.
- Styles of Chinese Sword Dancing
There are quite a few styles within the actual art of sword dancing. The first style of sword dancing focuses on relaxation and flexibility while the other style focuses on speed and strength. Besides there are different styles of sword dancing, there are also different types of swords and weapons used during each dance. A long sword is usually wielded with slower dramatic movements during a solo performance while shorter, scimitars are used at a very high pace during a sword dance between two or more people. Each style requires certain movements that require the dancer to be acrobatic and these skills shown by the dancers often entertained the crowd to a great extent.
Read more about this topic: Sword Dance
Famous quotes containing the words sword, dance and/or china:
“Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them.”
—Bible: Hebrew, 1 Samuel 17:38-39.
Saul was very tall.
“We look at the dance to impart the sensation of living in an affirmation of life, to energize the spectator into keener awareness of the vigor, the mystery, the humor, the variety, and the wonder of life. This is the function of the American dance.”
—Martha Graham (1894–1991)
“It all ended with the circuslike whump of a monstrous box on the ear with which I knocked down the traitress who rolled up in a ball where she had collapsed, her eyes glistening at me through her spread fingers—all in all quite flattered, I think. Automatically, I searched for something to throw at her, saw the china sugar bowl I had given her for Easter, took the thing under my arm and went out, slamming the door.”
—Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977)