Nuo Dance

Nuo dance, which once was used to exorcise evil, has now become entertainment.

Nuo dance, which originated in the primeval age as a means of exorcising demons and worshipping gods, is the oldest dance known in the country.Nuo dance used to be performed in most parts of China, by Han people as well as by some ethnic minority groups in Southeast China.

Nuo dance takes on diverse forms, with certain parts of the choreography adjusted to best suit different audiences in different areas. There are Nuo dances specially designed for various purposes, such as to ward off evil and plague, to entertain and thank deities, to pray for fortune and good luck, and to bring to life favourite legends and myths, which represent the wide range of cultural norms in China.

Emerging in feudal times, when ancient Chinese were transforming from barbarism to civilization, Nuo dance served as a talisman against the perceived evils of life. During this period, natural disasters and diseases, especially plagues, often wiped out huge segments of the population and livestock. Desperate for an explanation of such abnormal occurrences, primitive Chinese assumed that demons and ghosts were behind these inexplicable events, which was the beginning of the primeval worship of nature, totems, ancestors, and deities.

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