Lion Dance Classes

The Lion Dance is the most popular cultural performance in China. The performers are usually members of a Kung Fu school, and when performed correctly the dance can bring good fortune and prosperity to wherever the dance is performed. While most often seen during the celebration of the Chinese New Year, it can be performed anytime, anywhere, and can be used to celebrate anything from a restaurant opening to a birthday.

In Chinese culture the lion is seen as a lucky animal, even though it is not native to the region. During the time of the Han Dynasty (205 BC - 220 AD), Rulers wishing to trade along the famous Silk Road sent the Emperor a gift of a lion. Therefore when a lion arrived, it meant that trade, and thus prosperity, was coming.

During the reign of the Manchu's, however, the practice of the martial arts was outlawed. This forced the masters of the times to come up with a way to continue to practice their arts without being caught, and thus Lion Dance was born.

If you look closely at a Lion Dance, you will notice the moves are the same as that performed by a Kung Fu practitioner. Therein lies the secret of the Lion Dance. It is not just a beautiful cultural performance, but a practice of the deadliest martial arts known to man. All Lion Dance movements have applications to Kung Fu, and can teach the students footwork, stances, coordination and also enhances ones strength and endurance.

Each Lion is controlled by two performers - one inside the head, the other in the tail (or body). No performance is complete however without music, and thus three instruments - a drum, a cymbal, and gong, accompany the lions, providing a backbeat for the Lion to move with. Quite often, a Buddha will accompany the Lions.

The practitioner under the head is the one who sets the Lions performance. This can range from simply standing still and looking around to standing on the shoulders of the other practitioner, making the Lion appear to be rearing up. It can take many years of training to reach this level of performance.

At one point during the performance the Lion will inevitable come across the Choy Chang, also known as greens, which is usually a lettuce attached to a Hong Bau (Lucky Red Packet). The Lion will make a show of approaching the green, maybe backing off a few times, and will eventually eat the Choy Chang, taking the Hong Bau and spitting the greens at the audience. Being hit by the greens is very lucky.