Research On The Dance Culture Of The Northern Dynasty

Dance in the Northern Dynasty is an important part of the history of ancient dance culture in China.It has a historical significance of connecting the preceding with the following.However,Northern Dynasty Dance is often overlooked because it belongs to a complex historic period which consists of several nations with different background,including Wei,Jin,Southern Dynasty and Northern Dynasty.The unique historical environment made people pursue arbitrary artistic life at that time.The open-minded and free nomadic culture of minorities brought fresh elements to the Central Plains.Their gradual exchange and integration with the Han culture impose far-reaching impacts on such aspects of dance as Nine or Ten Acts,Sitting,Standing,Vigorous Dancing,Soft Dancing,Singing and Dancing,which also laid a foundation for the splendid dance art of Tang Dynasty.For the Northern Dynasty,which is composed of a variety of minorities,the culture integration between minorities and Han ensured that it could not only promote their own national culture,but also absorb a large number of Han culture,thus gaining the support from the Han nationality.Therefore,the Northern Dynasty dance as a whole shows a trend of pluralism and multi-linearity.The culture integration and turbulence of that time have subverted the traditional ideological boundaries between elegance and vulgarity.Elegance and vulgarity,emotion and rationality had changed during this period,which provided conditions for the wide spreading of many exotic dances.The bold and unconstrained Hu Dance had imposed significant impact on the gentle and graceful style of the Central Plain dance.The exchange and integration of the two brought additional vitality to the Central Plain dance.Emphasis on Buddhism has led to the development of religious dances.The Buddhist meditating statues also contributed to the world-famous grotto art.It was the very factors mentioned above that made the dance of the Northern Dynasty has the unique artistic characteristics of wild and unrestrained Hu Dance,free and easy self-dancing,luxury and pleasure cultivation,integration of elegance and vulgarity,which aid the foundation for the prosperity of dance culture in Sui and Tang Dynasties.This paper mainly studies the dance culture of the Northern Dynasty from four parts.The first part elaborates the purpose,current situation and research methods of the dance culture of the Northern dynasty.The second part analyzes the political,economic,ideological and cultural background from which the Northern Dynasty dance was originated,and the establishment of Ritual and Music System in Northern Dynasty.The third part summarizes the representative dances of the Northern Dynasty.The fourth part,based on the previous three part,draw the conclusion that the dance style in the Northern Dynasty was characterized by the flourishing of Hu dance,the change of ideas on the elegance and vulgarity,the prevalence of self-entertainment and geisha,as well as the unfading primitive customs.