Flower Drum Lantern, dubbed the ballet of the east, is a folk art combining with singing and dancing, which started in Song Dynasty (960-1279) and prevailed at the end of Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) and the beginning of the Republic of China (1912-1942). The most distinguished one is in Fengtai and Huaiyuan on the two banks of the Huaihe River, Anhui Province. The ancient laborers would dance and sang during the nonagricultural season, certainly not for art but for relaxation or venting their emotions.

These impromptu dancing and singing had been turned into Flower Drum Lantern in Song Dynasty, with dances, lantern songs and gongs and drums as the main elements.

Since it originated from the Huaihe River, where is situated in the south of the Yellow River and north of the Changjiang River, the flower drum lantern gathered the northern and southern culture together, making the performance not only bold and candid but also gentle and lovely.

Generally, the cast for the Flower Drum Lantern involves a band, performers and lightman.

As an important part in the performance, Gongs and drums will be beat according to the changes of scenes and stage lights. Featured passionate rhythm and strong artistic attraction, gongs and drums can beat solely sometimes, while they should be combined with dances and performances when the stage lights change, served as accompaniment to enriching the emotion.

Dance is another important part in the Flower Drum Lantern, including the emotional dance by the whole group and performances mixing with dance, martial arts and acrobatics as well as impromptu dance drama by two or three people, highlighting the whole performance.

The performers, some of whom act as men nicknamed “drum rack (Gu Jia Zi)” performing with powerful body language and a marital art of turning somersault, some act as women dubbed “orchid (Lan Hua) dancing with handkerchiefs, fans and umbrellas.

There are two expressive ways in the dance. One is the male dancers leading the female dancers to the stage and dancing with umbrella together, in the end a group dancing will be presented as the dance formation changes; the other is two or three dancers performing a simple dance drama with a plot of snatching handkerchief and wooden stool.

Flower Drum Lantern is a dance needed various skills, which requires the female dancers perform skillful poses at the male dancers’ shoulders, legs even hands, showing the masculine power of the male dancers as well as the soft and sprightly figures of the female dancers.

Songs from the "Flower-drum Lantern" are called "Flower-drum Songs" and come from the folk tunes of the banks of the Huaihe River.

Music is the soul of Flower Drum Lantern, especially the rhythm of gongs and drums and the flower-drum songs, all highly enriched with artistic values.

By Feng Hui