雀之灵 Spirit of the Peacock

Possibly the most famous style of Chinese dance, the "peacock dance" was first choreographed and performed by Yang LiPing in 1986. A solo dance defined by its distinctive hand and arm gestures that mimic the head and neck of a peacock (i.e. peacock hand) as well as the full, floor-lenght skirt worn adorn with peacock eye that the dancer uses to imitate the male peacock's fanned out tail features.

The peacock dance orginates from the Dai people, one of China's 56 recognized ethnic minority groups who live in China's southwest region in Yunnan provinice (i.e. that would be right next to South East Asian countries like Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, etc.) Traditionally performed by 2-3 males, the dance mimics the movements and gestures of a peacock.

Yang LiPing, who is a member of the Bai ethnicity (another Chinese minority group from Yunnan province that share cultural and geographics similarities) was the first to adapt this folk dance for the stage and choregraph it for a female dancer. Since then, the peacock dance has been adapted into various ensemble pieces and solo performances with alternative songs and movements. Regardless of these modifications, the peacock hand and the peacock costume always remain the same.

Here are some interesting variations of the peacock dance, though not necessarily all derived from the Yang LiPing version:

(From left to right: Group Dai (Chinese) Peacock Dance, Male Dai Peacock Dance, Group Cambodian Peacock Dance and Indian Peacock Dance)

I'll be scanning performances clips of other versions of the peacock dance on YouTube to share with everyone. If you have any, feel free to e-mail: dancingblogger@gmail.com