Lion Dance ICR Event II

The first time our group met for our ICR, Kwan came to speak and teach our class about the very famous and well known Lion dance. As I mentioned in my first ICR blog post, this traditional Chinese dance brings good luck, health, and fortune to many people not only around China but around the world. It brings the community together and represents peace and solemn. Not only did he teach us about the dance, but he brought an actual lion costume that is operated by two people. One of the people operates the movement of the head as the head is supposed to be moved rapidly up and down and side to side as well as shake. There is must exert energy that goes into operating the head. The other individual in the costume operates the body, and this part does not exert much energy, but they must bend over at a horizontal level and sway its arms up and down to act as though the Lion is alive and breathing. They also must keep the same pace as the individual operating the head. There is also a lever, in the head, for the lion to blink to make the Lion seem very real. Not to mention, there are two so-called cheerleaders to guide the lion and be very energetic to keep the individuals in the lion energetic.

The Lion dance symbolizes power, wisdom, and superiority. It helps bring good health and fortune and pushes negativity and evil out of peoples’ lives. It is seen as more of a “good luck charm” in the Chinese culture. The Lion dance is divided into two styles and they are a southern style and a northern style. The difference between them is that the northern is related to kung fu and other Chinese martial arts, and it is best to see them at martial arts theaters. The southern is more based on the lion’s behavior, and it’s seen as more comical being shown usually on the Chinese New Year. Overall, I am looking forward to learning more about Chinese culture as this event was fascinating.

https://www.chinahighlights.com/travelguide/special-report/chinese-new-year/new-year-lion-dance.htm