Kiss of modernity for traditional dance form

"A gong in the left hand, a drum in the right, come and sing songs, with the gong and drum in both hands."

People across China, especially the elderly, must have come across these words at some point in their lives, but they might know no more than that about this traditional folk art-called the Fengyang flower-drum dance-that originated in Fengyang county of Anhui province.

Zhang Cong of Shandong province, who teaches a music appreciation course at the Anhui Science and Technology University in Fengyang, knew nothing more than these words about the dance form until 2008, the year she graduated and arrived there to teach at the university. "I thought it is a song that is sung while beating gongs and drums," said Zhang, who later found out that there's more to it.

"Performers use two bamboo strips in one hand-akin to holding chopsticks-to hit a small drum held on the other hand. They don't just sing but also dance to the beats of the drum," says Zhang. "When I tried my hand at the drum, I found that it was not easy to hit such a small drum-as small as a bowl-with bamboo strips."

Zhang, who had majored in musicology in her undergraduate course at the Shandong College of Arts and accordion performance while graduating from the same college, was particularly fascinated by this new dance form. She made more enquiries and found that the university even had a Students' Flower-drum Art Troupe. It was only a matter of time before her interest led her to becoming the troupe director.

The troupe has toiled for three years, writing scripts and rehearsing. They held their first show at the university in 2013. It was a big hit and they have since been invited to perform on more popular platforms, such as China Central Television.

Her latest project is about breathing new life into the Fengyang flower-drum dance, which has a history going back 600 years. The folk dance used to be performed by middle-aged and elderly women.

With the support of the university's administrators, Zhang is directing a 70-minute-long performance, combining the old dance form with modern stage elements. She is also letting men join in this performance.

The performance, called Drum Rhymes of Fengyang, consists of five parts, each telling different stories of the county's history. "One cannot only enjoy the dancing and singing, but also learn some history," Zhang says.

Fengyang was the birthplace of Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-98), the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). During Zhu's rule, he brought thousands of people from across China to Fengyang to develop his hometown.