The art and tradition of the Chinese fan dance have captivated audiences for two thousand years. Just one of many forms of traditional folk dances, fan dances has been preserved to share the stories and beauty of Chinese culture.

     

     Chinese Fan Dance the Chinese fan dance is performed in celebration of Chinese culture. It represents beauty, grace and delicacy, according to the Chinese Educational Development Project. It also expresses feelings of joy. The dance is composed of consistently changing rhythms paired with consistency changing body positions. Father fans and silk both are part of the traditional Chinese dance that has its roots in the Han Dynasty, circa 206 BC. 

History

·                   While archaeologists have found pottery depicting Chinese folk dances dating from about 4000 to 2000 BC, the fan dance is believed to have begun during the Han dynasty. This dates the fan dance to around 200 AD. It was also during the Han dynasty that the first effort was made to collect and preserve the country's folk dances. Thankfully, this practice became important to following generations and folk dances of old are still shared today.

Classifications

·                   Chinese dance was divided into either civilian or military dance and their movements can vary based upon the classification. Civilian fan dances tend to be more flowing and detailed, celebrating grace and beauty. They derived from early dances celebrating the distribution of the food gathered from hunting and fishing; people would dance holding feathered banners. The military dancing was done with weapons, in coordinated group movements. This evolved into the movements used in military exercises.

Function

·                  Like most other forms of folk dance, the Chinese fan dance developed as a way to share stories, preserve the culture and to communicate feelings and emotions without words. This form of communication and preservation was vitally important to the Chinese, as dances were created even before written symbols. Chinese fan dances include a specific type of semantics, symbolism, vocabulary and structure so as to allow the dancer to communicate her intentions.

Fans

·                The fans are used to highlight the graceful movements of the dancers and as extensions of very delicate poses. They can be used as a sort of prop, representing a basket of food, a gift or a found treasure. The fans are made of a variety of materials including feathers, paper or bamboo and they reflect the highest level of craftsmanship and artistry.

Costumes

·             Colorful costumes are typically used to enhance the beauty of the fan dance performance. Today, dancers may be dressed in traditional Chinese garments or in modern lyrical dresses or dance wear. If the dance is intended to tell a specific story, some dancers may be dressed differently from one another but all dancers in a group typically are costumed in the same garments.                                                                                               

Different kinds of fans 

                                                                                        

The Silk Dancing Fans

      The brightly-colored silk dancing fans we offer here are coveted by both Chinese dance instructors and their students alike. We sell them in sets of two: one is for the right hand, the other for the left (they open differently for each hand). These traditional fans are characterized by the extra material along the top edge that moves like the wind when undulated during the graceful fan dance taught in all Chinese classical dancing schools. Just in case you don't dance, or know someone who does, these fans also make excellent wall decoration.  2 Fans, Silk/Rayon, Open Width: 31", Height: 16.25", Handle: Plastic, 12.5", Color: Red

The Chinese Fan Dance Costumes

Chinese Classic Fan Dance Costume

Delivery: FREE 3-7 days DHL/EMS/FedEx worldwide express delivery to door

Handicraft: Well handmade by top Chinese tailors using high quality fabric

Size: Standard Size or Custom Made Size. You can leave us a message about your size number or measurements of height, weight, bust, waist and hip in the order form when order. If your size is available, they will be sent out in 1-2 days. If your size is not available, the traditional Chinese tailors will specially custom made to your measurements. This custom service is free.

If you have some special requirements (such as rush order or change colour etc.), you can also leave us a message in the order form when order. This custom service is free too.

Chinese Fan Dance Video

Reference: http://www.ehow.com/about_6576927_traditional-chinese-fan-dance.html