Battling Dance of the King of Qin
This
dance was usually performed by the soldiers to celebrate their
triumph upon their return from the battlefield. It is said to
be created by Emperor Taizong, who was the second emperor of the
Tang Dynasty and titled the 'King of Qin' before his enthronement.
Taizong used this dance to show off the empire's powerful military
strength.
Ta Ge Dance
Ta Ge Dance is a traditional dance performed by a group of many
people. It endured for a long time and prevailed in the Tang Dynasty.
On a festive day in mid-autumn, people gathered to sing and dance
at the foot of Mt. Lishan where the Tang court had come to celebrate
the harvest and worship the emperor. Today's Ta Ge Dance, with its
magnificent scenery and cheerful music, is designed to display the
harmonious and prosperous society of the Tang era.
Besides
these classical programs, artists have also designed new performances.
There are many tourist enterprises showing their own distinctive
Tang Song and Dance performances. In the face of fierce competition,
the Shaanxi Provincial Song & Dance Troupe displays bold innovation
and a series of new programs for the Tang Dynasty Music and Dance
Show performed by the artists from that troupe have been highly
regarded by the public. Among the various newly-designed programs,
one of the most outstanding and successful in the recent years
has been the Song of Unending Sorrow.
The Song of Unending Sorrow
It is adapted from the famous poem written by Bai Juyi, an eminent
poet of the Tang Dynasty. The tragic love story of Emperor Xuanzong
and his favorite concubine Yang Yuhuan narrated in this poem is
familiar to Chinese people. Shaanxi Provincial Song & Dance
Troupe adapted the story and turned it into a performance combining
acting, singing and dancing. Being first staged in the summer of
2006 at the Huaqing Palace, the very scene of the original story
at Mt. Lishan, the performance of the Song of Unending Sorrow attracts
hundreds of thousands of tourists. Such a large-scale program, with
the assistance of the modern technology of colorful lights, acoustics,
etc., is an ingenious combination of the cultural heritage and the
natural beauty.