Eight trigrams drum dance. [Photo/JiaoDong.net]

The eight trigrams drum dance, a Taoist dance form, originated from Taoist ceremonies in Shandong Qixia.

The props used for the dance are mainly drums and umbrellas. Each drum, with 50 cm in diameter, has a leather drumhead on both sides, which are painted with the Yin and Yang fish Bagua (eight diagrams). The 80-cm long drumstick is made of peach wood, with its top end shaped as a dragon’s head and the bottom end embedded with five or six copper coins that jingle when the drum is beaten.

The wooden umbrella is about 1.5 meters in length, with its red cover painted with the eight diagrams.

The male actors wear yellow clothes with the eight diagrams embroidered on the back and a yellow headscarf. A sky-blue colored ribbon is tied around their waists. The actresses wear yellow costumes with a grass-green colored ribbon around their waists.

The dance is performed by eight men and eight women. The men usually play the drums while the young actresses hold umbrellas. It features the division of Yin and Yang.