How much clearance does it need?

Around 3.5m of height for overhead throws, and 6m × 6m of clear floor. Chandeliers and low rigging are the usual problem — send a photograph and we will confirm.

What colour are the costumes?

Green or red. Tell us your palette and we will advise which suits the room.

Can it be performed outdoors?

We advise against it. The sleeves are long, light silk and become unpredictable in any breeze.

Does the floor matter?

Yes. The sleeves make contact with the floor during recovery, so it needs to be clean and free of grit.

Water Sleeve Dance Hire London | Chinese Long Sleeve Dancers

The throw is the easy half.

Water sleeves are lengths of white silk attached to the cuff, extending well past the hand. The dancer throws the sleeve out and gathers it back, so the fabric is either travelling or being recovered, never still. It is the most technically demanding dance we perform.

WhatOne to six dancers, silk water sleeves, costume in green or red, to recorded accompaniment.

OriginWater sleeves come directly from Chinese opera costume, where they are used to signal emotion — a sleeve flicked away in refusal, drawn across the face in grief, thrown up in shock. Those gestures are codified, and an opera audience reads them as language rather than decoration. The tradition of dancing with an extended sleeve is older still, going back to the long-sleeved court dances of the Han dynasty, from which the free ribbon dance also descends.

WhereBanquets, galas and cultural programmes with a seated audience, a clear floor and height for overhead throws.

What it is

The dancer throws the sleeve out and gathers it back, so the fabric is either travelling or being recovered, never still. The sleeve has to be flicked to the exact length and caught on its return, and the recovery is harder to learn than the throw.

What happens in performance

The dancer works through a vocabulary of throws — straight out, in an arc, whipped in a circle overhead, flung upward so the sleeve hangs a moment before falling.

Between throws the sleeve is folded across the forearm in a series of gathers, which is where most of the visible skill sits: done at speed, without looking, leaving the silk ready to release again.

In ensemble work the throws are staggered rather than unison, so the sleeves cross the stage in an overlapping sequence.

Where it works

It suits banquets, galas and cultural programmes with a seated audience and a clear floor — anywhere the full extension of the sleeve can be seen.

It needs more height than most of our dances. Low ceilings, chandeliers and low rigging rule it out; in those rooms fan dance gives comparable elegance without the clearance.

Cultural background · 文化背景

In opera the gestures are codified and the audience reads them as language. Danced without the drama around them, the same shapes are asked to carry the feeling on their own.

Practical requirements

Space and height are both constraints: around 6m × 6m of clear floor and about 3.5m of clearance for overhead throws. Check for pendant lighting in the sweep.

Indoor is strongly preferred; silk is very wind-sensitive. The floor must be clean, as the sleeves touch it during recovery. Costume is available in green or red.

Duration: 4–6 minutes per piece
Performers: 1–6 dancers
Floor space: 6m × 6m minimum
Ceiling height: 3.5m minimum
Noise level: Low — recorded accompaniment
Indoor / outdoor: Indoor preferred
Setup time: 30 minutes
Best for: Banquets, galas, cultural programmes, weddings
Costume: Green or red