38 Facts About Lion dance

Lion dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume to bring good luck and fortune.

The lion dance is usually performed during the Chinese New Year and other Chinese traditional, cultural and religious festivals.

Chinese lion dance is normally operated by two dancers, one of whom manipulates the head while the other forms the rear end of the lion.

Versions of lion dance related to the Chinese lion are found in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Vietnam.

Besides the Chinese-based lion dance, the other forms of lion dance exist in Indonesia, for example the Barong dance and Sisingaan dance in Javanese, Sundanese, and Balinese cultures.

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Southern Lion dance is a later development in the south of China originating in the Guangdong province.

However it is likely that the Southern Lion dance of Guangzhou is an adaptation of the Northern Lion dance to local myths and characteristics, perhaps during the Ming Dynasty.

Various forms of lion dance are found widely in East Asian countries such as Japan, Korea, Vietnam, as well as among the communities in the Himalayan region.

Chinese Northern Lion Dance is often performed as a pair of male and female lions in the north of China.

Regions with well-known lion dance troupes include Ninghai in Ningbo, Xushui in Hebei province, Dalian in Liaoning province, and Beijing.

The Southern Lion dance has a single horn, and is associated with the legend of a mythical monster called Nian.

Lion dance developed his version of lion dance, introducing new techniques by studying and mimicking the movement of cats, such as "catching mouse, playing, catching birds, high escape, lying low and rolling".

Green Lion is the lion dance form associated with the province of Fujian and the Hokkien-speaking people.

From that point onwards, the Green Lion dance is used without the blades and performed for cultural and ritual purposes.

Lion dance is known in Vietnam as the unicorn dance based on the mythical creature ky lan, which is similar to the Chinese Qilin.

The Lion dance is typically accompanied by martial artists and acrobatics.

The good-hearted spirit, according to popular beliefs, has the power to summon the auspicious unicorn, and thus during the Lion dance, takes the lead in clearing the path for the unicorn.

The first lion dance recorded in Japan was at the inauguration ceremonies of Todai-ji in Nara in 752.

The lion dance is used in religious Shinto festivals as part of a performing art form called.

In Okinawa, a similar dance exists, though the lion there is considered to be a legendary.

Lion dance was recorded in the Korean historical work Samguk Sagi as "", one of the five poems on the dances of the Silla kingdom written by Choe Chiwon.

Two main traditions of lion dance survive in Korea, the, which is performed as an exorcism drama; and the which is performed in association with masked dramas.

The dance was originally performed every night of the first fifteen nights of the Lunar New Year, where the dance troupe in lion masks and costumes visited every house in the villages of the Bukcheong region, and the lion dance is meant to expel evil spirits and attract good luck for the coming year.

Snow Lion is regarded as an emblem of Tibet and the Snow Lion Dance is a popular dance in Tibetan communities and it is performed during festivals such as during the ritual dance festival and the New Year.

Chinese lion dance is referred to as barongsai in Indonesia, often performed by Chinese Indonesian during Imlek.

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For example, various tribes in East Africa, such as the Maasai and Samburu people of Kenya, used to perform a lion dance to celebrate a successful lion hunt, considered by these tribes to be a prestigious act and a sign of bravery.

Chinese Lion Dance is performed accompanied by the music of beating of tanggu, cymbals, and gongs.

Lion dance costumes used in these performances can only be custom made in specialty craft shops in rural parts of Asia and have to be imported at considerable expense for most foreign countries outside Asia.

Chinese lion dance has close relations to kung fu or Wushu and the dancers are usually martial art members of the local kung fu club or school.

The lion dance is believed to bring good luck and fortune to the business.

The lion dance troupes are sometimes accompanied by various characters such as the Big Head Buddha.

Lion dance has spread across the world due to the worldwide presence of the diaspora Chinese communities and immigrant settlers in many countries in the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, Pacific Polynesia, and in particular, in Southeast Asia where there is a large overseas Chinese presence.

International lion dance championships are held in many countries, for example in Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Lion dance is seen as a representative part of Chinese culture in many overseas Chinese communities, and in some Southeast Asian countries, there were attempts to ban or discourage the dance in order to suppress the Chinese cultural identity in those countries.

For example, in Malaysia, lion dance was criticized by a Malay politician in the 1970s as not Malaysian in style and suggested that it be changed to a tiger dance, and it was banned except at Chinese New Year until 1990.

Lion dance became a matter of political and public debate about the national culture of the country.

In those days the lion dance was mostly practised and performed as Wushu or kung fu skills, with the challenge for the 'lion' built of chairs and tables stacked up together for the 'lion' to perform its stunts and accomplish its challenge.

The kabuki lion dance appeared in the 1957 film Sayonara with Ricardo Montalban.