Yang Liping Photo: IC

There has been discussion recently about some stage photos of the male partner of famous Chinese dancer Yang Liping in her new dance drama, The Peacock. The photos went viral online and drew diverging views from Chinese netizens.  

In the photos, the lead male dancer wears only a pair of tight flesh-colored leggings. Lying on his side in the lead female dancer's arms, he appears to be naked.

Some netizens questioned whether this was necessary, as the peacocks in the dance should also have feathers. "Audiences would feel very embarrassed, particularly, if some minors were present," one said. Another suggested it would be better to "add feathers to the peacock."

However, other netizens defended the famous dancer and her partner. "This is just art. The lines of muscles of the male dancer are beautiful, and should not be regarded as 'indecent.' The dancers were very dedicated to their performances. It is people's minds that make things complicated," one commenter said.

"A male peacock's feathers are his dignity," another netizen wrote. "In order to save his beloved, he is willing to sacrifice his own life, so of course he will have nothing left. This is proof that the male peacock cherishes an undying love toward the female one. It is very natural, direct, and pure, isn't it?"

Another questioned: "Why are people now more closed-minded than in the 1990s or the 2000s? We are going backwards." Another said: "Are we in the Qing Dynasty [1644-1911]?" 

Some netizens said there used to be no arguments about this. "It is social media that arouses this debate. It only tries every way to get internet traffic, which is the new normal now."

Yang's dance drama is now on tour across the country. Most of the theaters do not allow children under a height of 1.2 meters to come in. Yang released a short video to popularize Peacock Dance. It shows that there is a white transparent veil covering the male dancer's body with a very lamentable expression and postures. Compared with the photos posted online, one can see that most of them are exaggerated effects of enlarged screen shots and are quite different from the actual effects on the stage.

Previously, a short video of Yang's student Xiao Ronghao, who had a very intimate dance with her male dancing partner, also stirred up debate. At that time, Xiao responded by saying that there is quite a discrepancy between watching stage art closely on social media platforms and in theaters. Art comes from life, but is higher than life. Only by depicting real feelings on stage can audiences better appreciate the artwork in theaters. 

The Peacock Dance is one of the most renowned traditional dances of the Dai ethnic group in Southwest China's Yunnan Province. Boasting a history of more than 1,000 years, this special dance originated from an ethnic Dai leader mimicking the beautiful postures of peacocks, and it was passed down by generations of artists. 

Yang Liping was born in 1958 in the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture of Southwest China's Yunnan Province. As a famous Chinese dancer, she is well known for her solo dance "the Soul of Peacock" in China.

"The costume of the male peacock fits the scene very well," Yang said. "And this is the part I like as it requires the dancer to use extreme body language to express his feelings."

She explained that the male peacock has tender feathers in spring, and rich feathers and tails that can be opened in summer when he finally falls in love with the female peacock. 

"If you watch it from the beginning of the dance drama, you will understand that at last the male peacock dedicates all his most beautiful feathers to the female peacock in order to give her freedom. This section of the dance shows feathers flying in the sky that have fallen off one by one until the male peacock returns to the original state of life," she said.