What is the peacock dance?

The peacock dance is one of the most wide-spread ancient dances of the Dai ethnic group in Yunnan Province on the southwest border of China. Tropical weather and nature have nourished the Dai people's tradition and culture. They share their land with creatures of great variety. The beauty and kindness of the peacock inspires the Dai culture to a great extent and the Dai consider the peacock as a Goddess that can bring them peace and happiness. They pray for peace and happiness with graceful peacock dancing.

The peacock dance is the best-loved dance of the Dai. To the Dai the peacock is a symbol of good luck, happiness, beauty and honesty, so to perform this dance is to present a eulogy of and express good wishes for a happy life. It is mostly performed on the New Year (Water-splashing Festival) of the Dai calendar, at the Gate Closing Festival, the Gate Opening Festival and some important religious events.

The Dai, known for their singing and dancing skills, worship the peacock. The peacock is a precious bird in the sub-tropical zone. It is beautiful and tame. To the Dai ethnic group, it stands for auspiciousness and beauty. The Peacock Dance reflects their respect for peace, honesty, water and beauty. The Dai people believe in Hinayana. In the scripture, the Peacock Rajas (Bright King) is a Bodhisattva flying on a peacock, with a lotus and a peacock tail in hand. Therefore, the Dai people love peacocks, tame peacocks and dance the Peacock Dance.

According to folk custom, the peacock dance used to be performed by men. They had to shoulder heavy props such as wings, therefore, their actions were restrained. Breaking through the boundaries of tradition, the creators tried to display the peacock's beauty by giving the part to women. They got rid of the heavy wings and they wore long broad skirts decorated with peacock feathers.

Nearly all the Dais, especially those in Ruili County and Genma County, can dance the Peacock Dance. They produce various dance steps. Their dances have strict rules and requirements, fixed footwork and even fixed accompaniment. The peacock dance is based on folk and fairy tales and stories from Buddhist scriptures, or it imitates the movements of peacocks. The dance has certain fixed elements, such as imitating a peacock flying from its nest, watching with sharp, expressive eyes, strolling naturally, looking for and drinking water, playing in the water, bathing, shaking and sunning its wings, spreading its tail to vie with other creatures, and flying freely in the sky.

The movements of the dance are quite diverse. The most common hand gestures include tucking the thumb under with the four fingers extended close together, the "peacock hand" (the thumb slightly tucked, the index finger bent and the other three fingers spread in a fan shape), and the "eye" gesture (the thumb and index finger close to each other and the other three fingers spread in a fan shape to imitate the shape of an eye). The dance steps include tiptoeing and undulating steps such as kicking one foot backward toward the hip, stepping back, then stretching and bending the other leg in rhythm.