As I previously wrote about, as part of my ICR, me, as well as several of my classmates, have been learning how to perform the lion dance. This week we continued to learn and were able to increase what we knew how to do. Kwan returned to teach us again, but this time he brought more than just the lion costume. He also brought a drum and some pom poms.
The main purpose of this lesson was learning how to bow properly. It was more difficult than it seemed to get it right, and we had to practice a fair amount before we got it down. Kwan showed us how percussion is used in the lion dance, and how big of a role it has. It allows the dancers to keep time and to stay in step, while also providing some more entertainment for the audience.
The purpose of the pom poms is to have one or two people in front of the lion waving them in its face trying to get its attention, leading it around. This gives the illusion of the lion being a real animal that can be captivated by such things. It also allows for the people holding the pom poms to go off and do their own thing every once and a while, making sure the performance doesn’t get stale. I am excited for next week, where I hope to learn how to properly play the drum.