Music and Dance

original: 樂舞 (Yuèwǔ)

The regulated number of dancers for the Row Dances original: 佾 (yì), a row of eight dancers is determined by rank: the Son of Heaven the Emperor is entitled to eight rows totaling 64 dancers; the Feudal Lords are entitled to six rows 36 dancers; High Officials use four rows 16 dancers; and Scholars/Minor Officials use two rows 4 dancers.

In the Eight-Row Dance, there are sixty-four performers for the Civil Dance original: 文舞 (Wénwǔ) and sixty-four for the Martial Dance original: 武舞 (Wǔwǔ). For the Civil Dance, the performers hold feather-topped staves Dào original: 翿, bamboo flutes Yuè original: 籥, and pheasant feathers Dí original: 翟.

For the Martial Dance, the performers carry banners Jīng original: 旌, shields Gān original: 干, and battle-axes Qī original: 戚. Other implements used include halberds original: 戈 (gē), bows and arrows, drums, feathered fans, and signaling flags original: 麾 (huī).

The instruments used to regulate the rhythm of the music include the Xiang and Ying drums, the Zhu a wooden box struck from the inside to start the music, and the Yu a wooden tiger-shaped instrument scraped to signal the end of the music. There are also metal instruments such as the Bronze Hand-Bell original: 金饒 (jīn náo), the Bronze Gong-Bell original: 金鉦 (jīn zhēng), and various Clapper-Bells original: 金鐸 (jīn duó), including single-headed and double-headed varieties.

In the Present Dynasty referring to the Ming Dynasty, 1368–1644, since the pacification of the world, these dances are performed during the Great Sacrifices at the Altars of Heaven and Earth, the Altars of Soil and Grain, the Altar of the First Agriculturist, and the Imperial Ancestral Temple. In these rites, the Dance of Military Achievement and the Dance of Civil Virtue are both performed. They serve to symbolize the completion of great deeds and the manifestation of virtue, representing the perfect balance of civil and martial governance.

The specific details regarding these dance implements are explained in the sections that follow.

Row Dances

original: 佾舞 (Yìwǔ). This heading introduces the specific illustrations of dance formations and equipment.