The origin and history of Dunhuang dance

The origin and history of Dunhuang dance are as follows:

Origin:

Dunhuang dance originated from the murals in the Mogao Grottoes. These murals are rich and diverse, depicting Buddhist stories, landscapes, flowers and other patterns, as well as numerous vibrant figures and dancing figures. These dance images show the development process and social outlook in different periods, and have extremely high artistic value.

History:

The history of Dunhuang dance is inextricably linked to the dance of the Sui and Tang Dynasties in China. In the murals of the Mogao Grottoes in Dunhuang, you can see the shadows of dancers from the Sui and Tang Dynasties everywhere, and there are even many dancers from the Western Regions during the Sui and Tang Dynasties. During the Sui and Tang Dynasties, China's territory was unprecedentedly vast, and its broad mind tolerated the different cultures of all countries (ethnic groups) in the world.

At that time, the development of Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes also reached its peak. Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes currently contains the largest number of caves from the Sui and Tang Dynasties, with more than 300 caves. Dunhuang dance mainly comes from the dance postures in Dunhuang murals, and Mogao Grottoes has the largest number of caves and murals from the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Therefore, Sui and Tang dances became the basic dance template for Dunhuang dance in later generations.

Style characteristics of Dunhuang dance:

1. With Western Region style

The import of Western Region music and dance began before the Han Dynasty. With the opening of the Silk Road, the culture of the Central Plains spread westward, and the culture of the Western Regions spread eastward more frequently and closely, reaching its heyday in the Sui and Tang Dynasties. Five of the "Seven Parts of Music" written by the Sui Dynasty belong to the Western Regions; seven of the "Ten Parts of Music" set by the Tang Dynasty are from the Western Regions. Even the "Shang Music" of the Qing Dynasty is also mixed with Qiuci music.

In the dance postures in the murals, the Western style is very obvious, such as the tight-fitting and revealing clothes, the necklaces and bells worn, the richness of gestures, the edges and corners of the arms, the exposed belly, navel, semi-nude, and S posture. The three-dimensional postures of shapes and right angles, as well as dancing barefoot and other characteristics, are still seen in the dances of Xinjiang and India in my country.

2. With Tang style and Tangyun

The Tang Dynasty was the heyday of China. Its music and dance flourished, forming a golden age in the history of Chinese dance and ranking among the most advanced in the world at that time. status. In the Mogao Grottoes, the Tang Dynasty also has the largest number of murals. Among all the paintings with music, the Tang Dynasty accounts for two-thirds, and the dance styles are also the most perfect. It can be said that the Dunhuang murals are the main symbol of the development and prosperity of dance in the Tang Dynasty, centered on the Tang Dynasty.