The Function Vicissitudes Of The Dance Art In Antiquity Drama

Chinese drama is characterized by recurrent dancing and singing. From antiquity to more recent times, numerous works of drama preserve rich elements of the ancient art of dancing. However, in the context of drama, dance does not simply refer to a set of clear-cut defined'dance'performances, rather it permeates also every action and expression by the actors. On the stage, all body movements differ from those of daily life. The performance is carried out through a codified sequence of dance patterns, which include those expressing different types of emotions (love, anger, grief, happiness etc.). It is through a body language molded on the conventions of dance that such feelings are represented. This article focuses on dance in ancient drama from the Tang to the Qing dynasties. It conducts a diachronic review and a synchronic comparative analysis of dance in drama based on ancient playscripts, written historical sources, and related iconographic evidence with the aim of studying the functions of dance in the context of drama.The whole article is divided into four chapters. Each of the first three chapters discusses a different function of dance, namely the narrative one, the function of characterization and the function of expressing emotions. These three functions are analyzed in detail. Moreover, each chapter points out the historical evolution of an individual function. As a result, the whole discussion focuses on each different function while following a line of historical progression. In the end, the fourth chapter offers a study of the synchronic relationship among the three functions of dance by showing their interactions within the same historical period.