Huxuan Dance, or Spiral Dance of the Northern Nomads in English was one of the popular dances in the Tang Dynasty. The beats of the dance are mostly lively and merry and the movements are usually turning around and skip stepping, plus the dance was brought into the Central Plains from the Western Regions via the Silk Road, it got the name "Huxuan" (literally meaning "northern tribal people's swirling dance").

Major accompanying instruments include drums, cymbals and other percussion instruments that are suitable for the fast rhythms. The typical dance costume is a long-sleeved top and a short skirt made of soft fabric. The sleeves are embroidered with lace. When dancing, the dancer would drape in a gauze kerchief and wear various ornaments and accessories to make the swirling movements more attractive. The fast turning movements are the most striking feature of Huxuan Dance.

The great Tang Dynasty poet Bai Juyi once described the dance in his poem the Huxuan Dance Girl like this: "when the Huxuan dance girl is swirling, her raised sleeves are like falling snowflakes or revolving grass in the wind. She   shifts between the left and right so quickly that it's hard to see her face and body clearly. She swirls even faster than a turning wheel or running whirlwind."

Concubine Yang and An Lushan of the Tang Dynasty were well versed in Huxuan Dance. It is thus clear that the dance has both male and female versions.