Diagram of the Positions for the Six Dances

The "Six Dances" (Liuwu) are the canonical ritual dances of ancient China, each attributed to a legendary sage-king. This diagram serves as a floor plan for performers, coordinating specific musical pitches with spatial positions.

Sing: Forest Bell original: "Hanzhong" (函鍾); another name for the pitch Linzhong, the eighth of the twelve pitches.

Perform: Mid-Summer original: "Ruibin" (蕤賓); the seventh of the twelve pitches, associated with the summer solstice.

Sing: Great Spine (Left) original: "Dalu" (大呂); the second of the twelve pitches.
Perform: Pressed Bell (Right) original: "Jiazhong" (夾鍾); the fourth of the twelve pitches.

Perform: Old Purified (Left) original: "Guxian" (姑洗); the fifth of the twelve pitches.
Sing: Southern Spine (Right) original: "Nanlu" (南呂); the tenth of the twelve pitches.

Sing: Pressed Bell (Left) original: "Jiazhong" (夾鍾); repeating the fourth pitch in a singing role.
Perform: Exhaustless (Right) original: "Wuyi" (無射); the eleventh of the twelve pitches.

Sing: Echoing Bell (Right) original: "Yingzhong" (應鍾); the twelfth of the twelve pitches.

Perform: Yellow Bell original: "Huangzhong" (黃鍾); the fundamental first pitch and the foundation of the Chinese musical system.

Sing: Great Spine original: "Dalu" (大呂)


Great XiaDaxia: The dance of Yu the Great, celebrating his success in controlling the Great Flood.	Cloud GateYunmen: The dance of the Yellow Emperor, symbolizing the vastness of his virtue like the clouds.
Great HarvestDahuo: The dance of King Tang of the Shang dynasty, celebrating his liberation of the people.	All-Pervading PoolXianchi: The dance attributed to Emperor Ku or Yao, representing cosmic harmony.
Great MilitaryDawu: The dance of King Wu of Zhou, commemorating his victory over the Shang.	Great ChimeDaqing: likely a reference to the music of the ritual bells and chimes that accompany the dances.