The peacock dance was originated by a villager of the Dai Nationality almost a thousand years ago. The Dai ethnic group can be found in the Yunnan in southwest China. The Peacock Dance a popular Chinese Folk Dance of the Dai ethnic group and it represents folklore, fairy tales and Buddhist scripture. Movements used are soft movements that involve the arms, hands and legs are used to perform this dance.  The movement of the legs is what ties the dance fully together by how the swift leg movements portray the lightness of the peacock. Music usually used for this dance is Traditional Dai music. Common songs used for this dance are Spirit of Peacock and Moonlight. Instruments used for this dance are instruments such as the elephant-foot drums and gong. Traditional costume designs for the Peacock Dance are dresses decorated with peacock feather designs. Other additions to the costume design include crowns and golden masks. Modern day designs with colors like white, blue, and green combined are now commonly seen. It is also common to see jewelry and headpieces decorated with feathers worn by the dancers.

Peacock Dance is currently preformed Myanmar, in regions of Cambodia, and Indonesia (West Java). Other forms of the Peacock Dance are preformed in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. A more traditional example of the Peacock Dance is shown in the video “The Soul of Peacock” by Yang Liping. This dance is characterized by swift leg and arm movements as well as movements that resemble the flow of water. The walking stance the performer uses resembles the elegant walk of the peacock. A more recent version of the peacock dance is shown in the video named Dancing Peacocks by CCTV. It is very visually colorful and even a background drop was added to the scenery to add more of a pop of color. It also ties to the nature aspect the peacock dance has. The costumes vary from shades of white, green and blue. It is a very lively version of the Peacock Dance. The development of the Peacock Dance has come a long way and keeps evolving as time goes by. As the Peacock Dance receives more attention, new adaptations of this dance are created. This Folk Dance of the Dai ethnic group symbolizes happiness and prosperity. This is seen through the beautiful story carried through each performance.