Dancing

Dressed as one of the legendary San-tai-tze (‘Three Princes’), this man is dancing during a Daoist festival, dedicated to the supreme Mother Goddess Mazu, taking place in Changhua, Taiwan. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

This Khmer relief on an overturned stelae at Angkor Thom, Cambodia, may depict apsaras, also called Daughters of Joy – supernatural female beings, who are superb in the art of dancing. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Dancing has undoubtedly existed almost as long as humans have existed, and, over time, it has evolved into countless forms.

On this page, I have also included various animal species that perform dances.

Cambodia

The Khmer Empire was a Southeast Asian Hindu kingdom, which left a superb legacy in the form of the Angkor Wat ruins, in present-day Cambodia. Judging from the many reliefs of dancers, male as well as female, dancing seemed to be a prominent means of entertainment at the Khmer royal court. Many of the reliefs possibly depict apsaras, also called Daughters of Joy – supernatural female beings, who are superb in the art of dancing. They are often depicted dancing to music, delivered by Gandharvas, court musicians of the rain god Indra. They entertain and sometimes seduce gods and men.

This Khmer relief at Angkor Wat possibly depicts Hindu god Vishnu and his female consort Lakshmi. The seven-headed cobra Shesha, which is seen in the centre and to the left, is protector of Vishnu. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

This relief on an entrance gate at Angkor Thom depicts a male and a female dancer. In the background, large stone blocks have been carved and fitted together to form a face, depicting Lokesvara, a great Khmer king. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

China

Denmark

India

At the outskirts of the town of Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu, numerous sculptures, altogether measuring about 15 by 30 m, have been carved into two boulders. The main theme of these sculptures, which has been dubbed The Descent of the Ganges, is an event in the Hindu epic Mahabharatha. Bhagiratha was a great king, doing penance for a thousand years to obtain the release of his 60,000 great-uncles from the curse of Saint Kapila, eventually leading to the descent of the goddess Ganga to Earth, in the form of River Ganges.

In Hindu mythology, Mahishasura was a powerful demon, who threatened to usurp the gods, and not even the mighty Vishnu and Shiva could resist him. But then the powerful goddess Durga went into action. Riding on her lion, she attacked Mahishasura, who changed into a huge buffalo, then into a lion. Durga sliced off his head, but he then changed into an elephant, whereupon Durga cut off his trunk. In spite of the demon hurling large mountains at the goddess, she managed to kill him with her spear.

A gopura, or gopuram, is an entrance tower, leading into a Hindu temple or temple complex. Such towers are usually extravagantly adorned with carvings. Pictures, depicting such gopuras, are found on the pages Religion: Hinduism, and Entrances.

This relief, depicting a dancing clown, is found in a temple atop the mountain Vindyagiri, Sravanabelagola, Karnataka, dedicated to the Jain saint Bahubali (Gomateswara). This temple is described in depth on the page Religion: Jainism. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Indonesia

A story from the Hindu epic Ramayana relates, how Sita, wife of Rama, the 7th avatar (incarnation) of the mighty god Vishnu, was abducted by Ravana, a 10-headed and 20-armed demon king from Sri Lanka. Hanuman, leader of the monkey army, which supported Rama, went to Sri Lanka to negotiate Sita’s release.

In this scene from the Balinese Keçak Dance, or Monkey Dance, Sita performs a dance for Hanuman’s monkey army. The dancer to the left performs as the demon king Ravana. – Ubud, Bali. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

The Batak are a group of closely related Austronesian peoples, including the Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Toba, Angkola, and Mandailing, who live in a large area of northern Sumatra.

Other pictures, depicting Batak people, may be seen on several other pages on this website, including People: Children around the world, and Culture: Musicians.

Malaysia

Myanmar

Nepal

Theatre performance of Nepalese tribal dances, Kathmandu, from above a Lakhey dance; the Tamang Selo dance; a Sherpa dance; the Jhankri dance (a Shamanistic healing dance); a Satar dance; and a Sarathi dance. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Philippines

Sweden

During the midsummer festival, many Swedish people dance around a midsummer pole, which is decorated with foliage and flowers, and often with wreaths encircling the pole, or, if the pole has a crossbar, with wreaths tied to this bar. People form circles and dance around the pole, while singing the old nursery rhymes.

The midsummer pole probably came to Sweden from Germany in the 14th or 15th Century.

Taiwan

The dominating religion in Taiwan is a unique blend of Buddhism, Kongfucianism, and Daoism, with elements from the animistic religions, which dominated in eastern Asia prior to the introduction of these beliefs. It is characterized by a huge number of spectacular and colourful festivals.

Most Daoist parades include people with decorated faces, performing as devil-like, but benevolent figures, called Bajiajiang. These pictures show Bajiajiang during various Daoist festivals. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

Tongji (or jitong) are persons, who, as an act of repentance, often inflict wounds on themselves, using knives, spears, swords, or clubs with numerous spines. These pictures show tongji, dancing in front of the Song Bo Chin Temple, Ershuei (top), and a temple in Checheng. (Photos copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

During Daoist festivals, so-called dragon dance and lion dance often take place in front of the temples. A dragon dance is performed by many men, who, with the help of poles, move a long piece of cloth, to which is attached a dragon’s head. The moving cloth and head create the perfect illusion of the writhing body of a dragon.

As a rule, a lion dance is performed by two men, hidden under a gaily coloured cloth, which acts as the body of the lion, whereas a lion mask is held by the man in front. During a more acrobatic form of lion dance, two men, hidden beneath a lion cloth, jump between small metal plates, placed on poles, often rather high.

Thailand

Zambia

The Unga are a Bantu people, who live in the great Bangweulu Swamps, northern Zambia. This interesting wetland is described on the page Countries and places: Bangweulu – where water meets the sky.

Dancing animals

Cranes are famous for their spectacular dancing, accompanied by loud trumpeting. This dance may occur at all times of the year, but mainly takes place early in spring, when new pairs are formed. The dance also strengthens the bond between male and female of already established pairs, which pair for life.

The birds walk around each other, bowing, spreading their wings, and performing graceful jumps, often up to one metre high. They often toss twigs, straw and the like into the air, attempting to catch them again.

When dancing, the two species of crested cranes (Balearica) shake their heads, so that the large, bushy crest shows itself at its best.

Crane dance often ends with a so-called unison call, i.e. male and female calls simultaneously.

Males of 3 species of waders have dancing arenas, so-called leks, where they feign fights to attract females. One such species is the peculiar ruff (Calidris pugnax), which is unique among waders in that the male in the breeding plumage has a huge ruff of feathers around the neck.

At the beginning of the breeding season, the males gather on the lek, usually a grassy spot. When a female, called reeve, arrives, she will walk around to survey the entire group before choosing a male, which will mate with her. She then leaves to take care of nest-building, incubating, and chick-rearing by herself.

Males of two other waders, the great snipe (Gallinago media) and the buff-breasted sandpiper (Calidris subruficollis), also perform on leks.

Many dogs are intelligent and can learn tricks. This ‘dancing’ dog was encountered in Kathmandu, Nepal. – The dog is described in depth on the page Animals: Animals as servants of Man. (Photo copyright © by Kaj Halberg)

(Uploaded September 2023)

(Latest update April 2024)

Kaj Halberg - writer & photographer

Travels ‐ Landscapes ‐ Wildlife ‐ People

Dancing