Also known as Tray Dance or Seven-Tray Dance, Dance on Trays and Drums takes on various forms and was widely popular in the imperial court and among the people in the Han Dynasty. It was the most representative dance of that time.

When performing Dance on Trays and Drums, trays and drums are placed on the floor with bottoms up. The number of trays and drums may vary according to the dancers' skills. In some cases, there's only one drum; in others, there are eight or nine pieces. And the ways drums and trays are arranged are not the same.

There are both male and female dancers in one show. They swing their long sleeves and gracefully dance among the drums and trays. The movements include doing a handstand or a flamingo on the drums, jumping off from the drums, treading on the drums and making rhythmic sounds etc.

Dance on Trays and Drums is often found in the unearthed brick-stone portraits of the Han Dynasty, such as the portrait stone of the Painting of Seven-Tray Dance discovered in Yi'nan of Shandong Province. In the painting, the seven trays are arranged in two rows, with one drum in front. A male dancer is jumping off from the trays, his right leg bent and the left leg stretching out to the drum. He straightens his body and looks back, with his long-sleeve dancing gown and the hatband swinging in the wind.

Dance on Trays and Drums ingeniously combines dance and acrobatic skills, reflecting the unique style of traditional Chinese dances.