One theory is that it comes from labor. There are many people who hold this view. The authoritative large-scale reference book Ci Hai said: "Dance originated from labor, combined with poetry and music, and it is one of the earliest art forms in human history." Some scholars believe that the working people in ancient China naturally had the need to express their thoughts, feelings and social life in their rich production practice. If you express excited feelings, you will unconsciously dance; When expressing feelings of sadness and regret, people beat their chests and feet, and so on. Over time, a certain pattern was formed, and folk dance came into being. Later, some people processed, transformed and refined folk dances, and created other dance forms such as court dances, and finally formed professional dances.
There is also a saying that comes from martial arts. People who hold this view believe that the origin of Wushu is hunting activities in primitive society and machinery between tribes. In order to improve hunting efficiency and enhance combat effectiveness, Wushu training is necessary. After this kind of training forms a routine, skilled people are invited, ordered or volunteered to perform for others to appreciate. This kind of performance became the predecessor of China dance. In Shun era, there was a kind of "Ganqi Dance", in which dancers danced with shields (Ganqi) and axes (Qiqi), which vividly illustrated the relationship between China dance and Wushu. In the Yin Dynasty, Wushu, which formed a routine, began to evolve into "solution". According to Guo Moruo's textual research, "Festival" is a music and dance performed in the ancestral temple. In the Zhou Dynasty, it absorbed the essence of "Ganqi Dance" and "No Dance" and created "Dawu Dance" with the theme of cutting Zhou, which was the embryonic form of China dance drama.
There is another saying that he was born in witchcraft. People who hold this view believe that during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, a kind of "Nuo dance" was popular among the people and was danced by folk wizards. In the Han Dynasty, "Nuo Dance" was introduced into the court and became a large-scale dance performed by more than 30 people in La Worship every year. Until the early days of the People's Republic of China, this dance was still popular in rural areas such as Jiangxi.
The above three statements are based on their own principles, and it is difficult to distinguish between true and false.