Whirling Dance is a virtuosic showpiece composed for the flute and Chinese orchestra, written exclusively for Swedish flutist Sharon Bezaly by Yiu-kwong Chung in 2007. In 2009, the piece was performed by Dizi performers Chen Chung-Sheng and Dai Ya, who edited the work into a Dizi concerto. It was later selected as the compulsory piece for the 17th Taipei Chinese Orchestra Chinese Instrumental Competition in 2010. Whirling Dance is inspired by the cultural imagery of the Sogdian Whirl, a folk dance that was popular during the Tang Dynasty throughout Central Asia and the Xinjiang area.

This paper is an analysis of the background of Whirling Dance. The research focuses on the characteristics in background, dance, and music, while the fourth and fifth chapters will present analysis and interpretation of the music to understand whether the elements inspired the composition of the work. Furthermore, because this work was adapted for Dizi from a work that was originally composed for the flute, in terms of instrument, multi-hole flutes are required to meet the requirements of chromatic scales. This paper also presents three common structures as brief descriptions. The above will be concluded through the applications in musical performance and interpretation.

The research analysis concludes that Whirling Dance is composed in binary form and consists of five periods. The tempo develops from moderato to allegro, and the entire work is composed with a structure similar to the Muqam from Central Asia and the Xinjiang area. Second clusters of ascending and descending step-wise progressions frequently appear in the composition, which resembles the music of Uzbek, the possible origin of the Sogdian Whirl. The piece stresses the importance of musical sentences; therefore, the circular breathing method is the most central technique. The title of the work, Whirling Dance, refers to the imagery that the work inspires, rather than containing specific rhythms, scales, or modes. The arrangement of musical instruments in this work is immensely successful, allowing the performer to fully and freely present the changes of the piece, with an apparent subordination between the leading performer and the orchestra.

The edition used in this research is the Dai Ya version. Dai Ya performed the piece with an eight-hole F-key Bangdi. After being performed and revised by many musicians, most performers use the eight or ten hole flutes when staging this piece. Therefore, this paper believes the eight-hole flute is the best instrument for interpreting and showcasing the work.