Started along the Huaihe River in eastern China,Flower Drum Lantern dance is well-known（1）______its bright colors,different forms and cheerful mood.
As a traditional treasure in China,the dance has a very long history.It is said to have appeared during the Song Dynasty,developed through the Ming Dynasty,and finally（2）______widely welcomed during the Qing Dynasty.It is usually used to show the peaceful lives of people in the countryside.
In the dance, （3）______dancers wear a red silk ball flower on their heads.In their hands,silk fans and scarves are used as props（道具）.And the props used by men are mainly umbrellas,short wooden sticks and drums.Before 1949,it was uncommon for women to perform（4）______so men mostly played women roles.That is （5）______most of the older famous artists still alive today are men.
The dance is usually performed in an open area such as the central square of a village and the side of a river.The audiences（观众） usually come around in a circle.Inside the circle（6）______several long benches（板凳） with the drum group on one side.The performers enter the circle with the women（7）______on the men\’s shoulders,and then the men lower the women to the benches and stand beside them.The show begins when the men with umbrellas enter the performance space.Then they lead the performers into the center（8）______.
Flower Drum Lantern dance is（9）______quite popular across the country,especially in places such Anhui,Henan and Jiangsu.Even today,village dance teams often compete with each other by performing the dances during (10)______.