Huteng ( zh, s=胡腾, t=胡騰, p=Húténg, l=Barbarian leap, also 胡腾舞, ''Húténgwǔ'', "Dance of the Barbarian leap") was the Chinese term for a type of dance that originated in

Central Asia Central Asia, also known as Middle Asia, is a subregion, region of Asia that stretches from the Caspian Sea in the west to western China and Mongolia in the east, and from Afghanistan and Iran in the south to Russia in the north. It includes t ...

, especially among the Sogdians and the region of

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...

(石國, Shíguó). The dance was well known during the

Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

, and there are numerous depictions of it in works of art. The dance was characterized by spinning, leaps and backflips. The dancers would particularly make summersaults, first planting their feet firmly on the carpet, tilting their face upward and arching their body, then lift their arms and jump backward to the sound of flutes and the

pipa The pipa, pípá, or p'i-p'a () is a traditional Chinese musical instrument, belonging to the plucked category of instruments. Sometimes called the "Chinese lute", the instrument has a pear-shaped wooden body with a varying number of frets rang ...

. Another famous dance from Central Asia was the Sogdian Whirl (胡旋, ''Húxuăn'', "Whirling Barbarian", also 胡旋舞, ''Húxuănwǔ'', "Dance of the Whirling Barbarian", sometimes rendered as "Whirling barbarian" but known as "Sogdian Whirl dance" or simply "Sogdian whirl" to Western scholars), in which a young woman was spinning inside a circle. Also another one was the "Dance of the thorn branch" (柘枝舞, ''Zhèzhīwŭ''). These dances, part of the "Barbarian dances" (胡舞, ''Húwŭ'') from Central Asia,

Serindia The term Serindia combines '' Seres'' (China) and India to refer to the part of Asia also known as Sinkiang, Chinese Turkestan or High Asia. See main entry under Xinjiang. The art of this region is known as '' Serindian''. See also *Chindia Refe ...

and the

Persian Empire The Achaemenid Empire or Achaemenian Empire (; peo, wikt:𐎧𐏁𐏂𐎶, 𐎧𐏁𐏂, , ), also called the First Persian Empire, was an History of Iran#Classical antiquity, ancient Iranian empire founded by Cyrus the Great in 550 BC. Bas ...

, were extremely popular in China during the

Tang Dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, t= ), or Tang Empire, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907 AD, with an Zhou dynasty (690–705), interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dyn ...

, especially in the area of

Chang'an Chang'an (; ) is the traditional name of Xi'an. The site had been settled since Neolithic times, during which the Yangshao culture was established in Banpo, in the city's suburbs. Furthermore, in the northern vicinity of modern Xi'an, Qin Shi ...

and

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...

. The representations of foreigners would turn more negative after the 8th century CE, following the revolt of An Lushan, a Turco-Iranian rebel.

Gallery

File:Buner_reliefs_Scythian_bacchanalian_cropped.jpg,

Indo-Scythian Indo-Scythians (also called Indo-Sakas) were a group of nomadic Iranian peoples of Scythian origin who migrated from Central Asia southward into modern day Pakistan and Northwestern India from the middle of the 2nd century BCE to the 4th centur ...

dancers, Buner reliefs,

Gandhara Gandhāra is the name of an ancient region located in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent, more precisely in present-day north-west Pakistan and parts of south-east Afghanistan. The region centered around the Peshawar Vall ...

, 1st-2nd century CE. File:Painted Panel of the Sarcophagus of Yü Hung (detail 1).jpg, Left: a man holding a plate of fruits; right: a bearded man is performing the dance. Both figures have haloes.

Tomb of Yu Hong The Tomb of Yu Hong ( zh, t=虞弘墓, w=Yü2-Hung2-Mu4, p=Yú Hóng Mù) is the grave of Yu Hong and his wife, dating back to 592 AD (Sui dynasty). The tomb was discovered by some locals in 1999 in Wangguo village in Jinyuan district of the city ...

, 6th century CE. File:Dunhuang Mogao Caves Dancer.jpg, Cave 220 “Hu xuan” dancer in mural from Mogao. File:Xiuding Temple - Dancer.jpg, Dancer. Pagoda of Syudin temple

References

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External links

Huxuan dance (video)
Sui dynasty Tang dynasty Sogdians Asian dances