Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to learn about a traditional practice that has taken place in China for centuries from Kwan, a Chinese American. During our hour of instruction and practice, I gained a better understanding of how the lion dance is performed. Although it may seem easy from the perspective of an outsider, Kwan informed us of the difficulty and art that truly goes into this short performance. Traditionally, the lion dance is executed by two partners; many of the skilled performers have practiced this form of art with the same partner for upwards of a decade. Although this level of performance would take us years to master, in just an hour myself, along with five other Butler students, were able to learn the basics. After our hour of practice, I was curious as to what historical significance this tradition had within China. I therefore took the initiative to research some of these larger questions.
The tradition itself can be traced all the way back to 220 B.C., when humans would wear bear skin masks to dance. Early versions of the Han dynasty texts introduce the use of the word lion and its significance within Central Asia. Afterwards, there was a split between the northern and southern lion. The southern lion, which is believed to have originated from Guangzhou, best resembles the lion that we traditionally see used within the Chinese lion dance today.
