Most of the Han folk songs and dances that were widely circulated in the Ming and Qing dynasties were performed during the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first lunar month. Shehuo in the Ming Dynasty and Zouhui in the Qing Dynasty were to organize a variety of folk entertainment or skills, such as music, dance, acrobatics, martial arts, etc., to form a comprehensive parade performance team. In this kind of team, dances such as Yangko, land boat racing, bamboo horse racing, big-headed monks, lion dance, dragon dance, overlord whip, stilts and other performances play an important role. Through the activities of social fires and walking meetings, these dances have been passed down to this day.
During this period, many ancient traditional dances were preserved in China's ethnic minority areas, such as the large-scale song and dance "Twelve Muqam" of the Uygur people in Xinjiang, which has been recorded in the history books of the Ming Dynasty and was composed by the Ming Dynasty. "Biography of Baiyi" records the Elephant Foot Drum Dance in the Dai People's Peacock Dance "Car Music"; the Zhuang People's Bronze Drum Dance, in addition to historical records, its dance image can be seen in the unearthed bronze drum cultural relics; the Miao People's Lusheng Dance, bronze drum dance, New Year dance, Nuo dance, etc. are not only recorded in written records, but also have many pictures from the Qing Dynasty to prove it; Dongba dance, the sacrificial dance of the Naxi people in Yunnan, is in the Qing Dynasty "Dongba Sutra" manuscript discovered The dance score of this dance is recorded.
In addition, the dancing music of the Ru people, the Yao chief drum dance, the hand-waving dance of the Tujia people, the Tibetan Guozhuang, the Mang style of the Manchu people, and the Taiping drum dance were also widely circulated during this period. People of all ethnic groups in China sing about history, worship ancestors, educate future generations, pray for a good harvest, express love, and praise their hometown in folk songs and dances. Songs and dances are an indispensable part of the lives of working people.
During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, opera has become the most popular important art form, and dance is an important part of opera performances. Opera dance directly inherits the Tang and Song Dynasty songs and dances and ancient traditional dance art. After the processing and creation of opera artists of past generations, it has formed a complete training system and performance methods. In the opera repertoire of Ming and Qing Dynasties, quite rich dance heritage has been preserved. During the Qianlong and Jiaqing years of the Qing Dynasty (1736-1820), many colorful local operas were formed based on folk songs and dances. For example, the Flower Drum Opera was formed on the basis of folk songs and dances, and the Tea Picking Opera was formed on the basis of tea picking. The five-tone drama has absorbed the nutrients of Yangko and Huagu Deng. The Hua Deng Opera is developed from the lanterns. Taiwan's Gezi Opera is developed from the Jin Ge, tea picking and cart drum dances that were introduced to Taiwan from Fujian. The above facts fully illustrate that various local operas have absorbed and preserved a large number of classical and folk dance traditions. Opera dance in the Qing Dynasty already had the characteristics of strict routines, strong expressiveness and superb skills.