How to chinese lion dance
What Is It and What Does It Symbolize?
The lion dance is a traditional Chinese dance performed on big occasions, such as the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) for good luck, as it is believed that the lion is an auspicious animal.
- Lion Dance Meaning
- Lion Dance Costumes
- Lion Dance Styles
- Origin and History of Lion Dances
What Lion Dances Symbolize
In Chinese culture, the lion symbolizes power, wisdom, and superiority. People perform lion dances at Chinese festivals or big occasions to bring good fortune and chase away evil spirits.
The lion dance is one of the most important traditions at Chinese New Year. It is performed to bring prosperity and good luck for the upcoming year. The lion dance is also a way to create a festive atmosphere and bring happiness.
Lion Dance Costumes
Chinese lion dances are performed by two "dancers" in a lion costume, rather like a pantomime horse. The performers become the body of the lion: the one in front is the head and front limbs, the one behind is the back and hind legs. Performers' legs are dressed the same color as the lion's body, and sometimes the costume extends to shoes the shape and color of the lion's paws.
lion dance costumes
The lion head is usually over-sized and dragon-like, like many stone lions in China.
Performed in a lion costume, accompanied by the music of beating drums, clashing cymbals, and resounding gongs, lion dances imitate a lion's various movements or demonstrate martial arts agility, depending on the style.
Lion Dance Styles in China
Though lion dances all use similar costumes, during their long development, the lion dances are divided into two styles: southern and northern.
The Southern Lion Dance
The southern lion dance originated in Guangdong, and it is the style popular in Hong Kong, Macau, and the hometowns of overseas Chinese.
The southern lion dance is a performance based on the study of a lion's behavior, with an emphasis on actions like scratching, shaking of the body, and licking of fur.
Performances are vivid and entertaining, even comical. There are also skillful performances, such as playing with a ball, which includes swallowing it.
The best place to see a southern Chinese lion dance is the Hong Kong Chinese New Year Performance Night.
The Northern Lion Dance
The northern lion dance has close relations to kungfu — Chinese martial arts. A young lion is performed by a single person and an adult lion is performed by a duo. Costumes are more robust, and less decorative, to allow for more movement.
In the adult lion dance, the performer in front holding the lion's head is often lifted by the other to make the lion stand up. Northern lion dances are more gymnastic, involving rolling, wrestling, leaping, jumping, climbing, or kowtowing.
The best places to see northern Chinese lion dances are China's martial arts theaters, like the Red Theater in Beijing, or even at the Shaolin Temple.
The Origin and History of Lion Dances
Opinions about the origin of the Chinese lion dance are widely divided. The most reliable one is this:
In traditional Chinese culture, the lion, like the Chinese dragon, was only an animal that existed in myth, and there were no actual lions in China. Before the Han Dynasty (202 BC–220 AD), only a few lions had reached the Central Plains from the western area of ancient China (now Xinjiang), due to the Silk Road trade.
At that time, people mimicked the appearance and actions of the newly arrived lions in a performance, which developed into the lion dance in the Three Kingdoms Period (220–280) and then became popular with the rise of Buddhism in the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420–589). In the Tang Dynasty (618–907), the lion dance was one of the court dances.
After that lion dances continued to become a popular performance among the people, to pray for good luck during the Spring Festival or during other celebrations.
The lion dance is an excellent example of Chinese folk culture, which has spread across the world with Chinese immigration. Overseas Chinese in Europe, America, etc. have established many lion dance clubs, performing on Chinese festivals or big occasions, particularly Chinese New Year.
The Traditional Chinese Lion Dance, And Why It's So Important At Weddings
Perhaps one of the most amazing aspects of being a wedding venue in Los Angeles is the variety of cultures that come through our doors on a weekly basis. It’s given us a wonderful glimpse of how different and beautiful celebrations are everywhere around the world.
One of our favorite types of weddings to host at Imperial Event Venue are those for our Chinese clients. These weddings are filled with incredible catering, gorgeous colors and decorations, and often times we get to enjoy a Chinese lion dance, which is an important part of the culture.
So why is it so important? Let’s find out.
Origin Of The Chinese Lion Dance
The art of dancing with masks that mimic the faces of animals didn’t exactly begin with the lion dance.
Before its time, there were myths in China of dancers wearing masks of fish, dragons, and phoenixes.
Since lions were not native to China at the time, there are some suggestions that it may have influence from either India or Persia. The myths suggest that rulers from Persia sent lions as gifts to Chinese rulers.
The time of the Tang Dynasty is where we see recordings of various lion dances. There are stories of a lion dance called the “Great Peace Music” in the Tang court. The dance consisted of five large lions in different colors, all expressing various moods.
There are several variations of the Chinese lion dance, depending on what province you’re in, and whether you are in the north and south. The lions in each region all have a very distinct look compared to one another.
Northern Lion
The northern lion tends to resemble the Pekingese dog, and during the dance, the movements are very lifelike. The dance consists of many acrobatic movements and stunts, which may include balancing on a ball.
Usually, the northern Chinese lion dance is performed by a pair of male and female lions. They’re usually decorated with orange hair, with a red bow to indicate that it’s a male and a green bow to indicate it’s a female.
Southern Lion
The two main styles of lion in southern China are the Fut San and the Hok San. Both originated in Guangdong, and may also be referred to as the Cantonese lion.
The southern lion traditionally has a single horn on its head, and is usually constructed out of papier-mâché over a bamboo or aluminum frame.
The two styles of southern lion vary in their movements and dance. Fut San lions embrace powerful moves which have derived from kung fu. Hok San lions are known for unique footwork as well as rich expressions.
Why Have The Chinese Lion Dance At A Wedding?
The Chinese lion dance, sometimes referred to as the dragon dance, is performed on a variety of occasions, but most notably during the Chinese New Year.
This dance can also be performed at special occasions, cultural and religious festivals, grand openings for new businesses, and to honor specials guests.
The Chinese lion dance is performed at weddings to bless the couple in order for them to have a long and happy marriage. It is also said to help ward off evil spirits from being detrimental to their life together.
Other blessings that the Chinese lion dance brings to the couple is fertility, overwhelming growth, prosperity, and a wish for longevity.
Why Should We Have A Chinese Lion Dance?
The simple answer, of course, is to experience the culture that you’ve grown up with. There’s something to be said about having traditional elements of your culture added to your wedding day.
The lion dance’s significance incorporates a sense of tradition into your wedding, and it’s a great way to add fun to your event. Your guests will be entertained by the beautiful dance, which usually lasts about 15 to 20 minutes (depending on which performers you decide to hire).
Make sure when deciding to hire a Chinese lion dance for your wedding that you try and schedule them two to four months in advance, as they are becoming increasingly popular.
Chinese New Year's Lion Dance
The Lion Dance, also known as "Lion Lantern", is a traditional dance performed during fun festivals and major celebrations, one of which is the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year). The dance is a variety of movements of this animal. The dancer reproduces them in the costume of a lion. The action is accompanied by music created by the beats of drums and gongs.
The Chinese believe that the lion is an animal that brings good luck . Therefore, the dance is performed to attract good luck during the "Spring Festival" or other celebrations.
Lion dance is a great traditional folk art in China. It spread throughout the world through local Chinese communities and immigrant groups who settled in various countries, especially in Malaysia and Singapore.
The Chinese, living in European countries and America, founded many schools of lion dance. They perform during Chinese holidays, as well as on the occasion of major celebrations.
Origin
Opinions on the origin of the lion dance vary greatly. The most authoritative of them is the following.
In traditional Chinese culture, the lion, like the dragon and the Chinese unicorn, was an animal that existed only in myths. There were no real lions in this country. Until the time of the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD), only a few of these animals were able to enter the Central Plains from the western regions of ancient China (today's Xinjiang).
At that time, people imitated in the representation the appearance and behavior of newly appeared lions. It developed into a lion dance during the Three Kingdoms period (220-280) and then, with the revival of Buddhism in the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589), gained popularity. During the reign of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the lion dance was one of the dances performed at the court.
Styles
Inside the lion dance, which has survived a thousand-year history of development, two styles have emerged: southern and northern.
Nordic lion dance
Northern lion dance is closely related to wushu (martial arts). The dance of the young lion is performed by one person, and the adult lion is controlled by two.
Both performances are performed in lion costumes. The dancers imitate the appearance of this animal: they wear pants the color of its skin, as well as yellow shoes with lion's claws.
In the dance of the old lion, one performer stands opposite the other. The first carries the lion's head, while the other bends its torso, allowing the animal to move. The lion, according to the program, can move, fight, jump, jump, climb and bow.
Southern Lion Dance
Southern Lion Dance originates from Guangdong. It is popular in Hong Kong, Macau, as well as in the places of residence of emigrants from China.
The Southern Lion Dance is also performed in pairs by dancers dressed as a lion.
Southern lion dance - a performance based on the study of the behavior of this animal. It emphasizes how the lion scratches, shakes, licks its fur, which makes the performance lively and exciting. Moreover, the lion has some skills, such as ball game, which includes swallowing it.
See also
- Chinese New Year Dragon Dance
- Chinese New Year Celebration
- Chinese New Year Traditions
Weihai Vocational College Chinese Folk Lion Dance
Author : Ren Guanghui
Scientific supervisors : Song Tianli, You Yuanjie
Category : Special issue
Posted by in young scientist №31 (373) July 2021
Publication date : 10.
08.2021 2021-08-10
Article viewed: 3 times
Download the electronic version
Download Special Issue VIII Regional Scientific and Practical Conference "Young Science: Achievements, Projects, Innovations" with international participation (pdf)
Bibliographic description:
Ren, Guanghui. Chinese Folk Lion Dance at Weihai Vocational College / Guanghui Ren. - Text: direct // Young scientist. - 2021. - No. 31.1 (373.1). — S. 28-29. — URL: https://moluch.ru/archive/373/83555/ (date of access: 12/13/2022).
The article presents the results of a study on the outstanding traditional folk art of China and the intangible cultural heritage of China - the lion dance.
The mission of the lion dance is to shape the national spirit, promote the construction of spiritual civilization to promote social development.
Keywords: lion dance, southern and northern lion dance, dance troupe, Weihai Vocational College, Chinese art, international communication.
The lion dance is used to congratulate people on the Mid-Autumn Festival, temple festivals, Chinese weddings, business openings, and other celebrations, with the connotation of praying for a happy life and good fortune. As an ancient cultural custom, the lion dance has witnessed the ancient Chinese civilization, and it can cultivate the spirit of collectivism, which is of great practical importance for reviving the national spirit, improving the physical quality of all people, promoting the construction of spiritual civilization, and inheriting classical culture.
Lion dance is a beautiful Chinese folk art. There is a difference between southern and northern lions.
The lions are made from strips of colored cloth and flowers of colored cloth, and each lion is usually performed by two people working together: one dances the lion's head, the other the lion's tail. Two people, disguised as lions, perform various movements in the form of a lion to the music of gongs and drums. The lion dance is considered an auspicious object for scaring away evil spirits and evil spirits, and it has long been passed down from generation to generation, as it is always performed during festivals and major events. The lion dance has also become widespread in overseas Chinese communities, and wherever there are Chinese, there is a lion dance that has become an important ritual for promoting the strength of the nation and affirming the soul of China, as well as a cultural bridge for overseas compatriots to identify with their ancestors.
The earliest lion dance originated during the Han Dynasty, when the Northern Wei Dynasty Yang Xunzhi Luoyang Garan recorded that when the Buddha statue traveled to Changqiu Temple in Luoyang, there were “lions to ward off evil spirits and guide them,” and common people believed that the lion dance was a symbol of glory and good fortune for the country.
After that, through continuous improvement and innovation, a Chinese lion dance culture with a long history was formed, and lion dance has remained popular ever since.
The lion has evolved to its current form through thousands of years of history, having become concentrated in Western culture, retaining the leonine majesty and giving it a new auspicious appearance, making this powerful, but not angry image a symbol of the indomitable Chinese nation.
The northern lion has the shape of a real lion, with a simple head and golden fur, its movements are flexible, unlike the southern lion, which is ferocious. The dance is based on such movements as throwing, falling, somersaulting, rolling, jumping and scratching.
The Southern Lion dances with a horse stance. The Southern Lion mainly relies on the dancers' movements to show the ferocious lion form, also known as the Lion of Awakening, which is most representative of the lion of Guangdong and other places, and is divided into three categories: Lion of Literature, Lion of War, and Lion of Less.
There are many forms in the Southern Lion dance, such as: start, norm, rise, suspicion, scratch, salute, salute, jump, survey, sleep, cave exit, strength, mountain crossing, roof climb, etc. Dancers are abstract express different forms through the different steps of the horse, along with the movements of the lion's head.
The dance of the lion is divided into northern and southern, with the northern lion being realistic and the southern one being fantasy. In the representation of the southern lion, the lion should reflect lion strength and courage, majestic and powerful, and sometimes playful and joyful, humorous and witty, the southern lion is beautiful and generous, and the northern lion dance is courageous. The lion dance troupe of Weihai Vocational College uses the method of the southern lion dance and the northern lion dance to perform acrobatic performances in terms of god-like movements. Among the performance elements are flying forward, head-bouncing big jump, three-in-one, clip back rotation, upper waist, step back rotation, three bows, perineum probing, lotus flower opening, and so on.
During the lion dance exercises, various postures of the human body are combined with lion heads and tails, and strength, amplitude, speed and patience are combined with the lion dance during the dynamic and static changes of forward movement to complete. Various complex movements, moving or static, lion sculptures make up a beautiful image that expresses the heroic, aggressive, mischievous and popular habits of a lion.
The lion dance must be perfect, with a rich and realistic performance, such as: happy, angry, drunk, awake, moving, still, surprised, suspicious, searching, waiting, etc. At least 10 kinds of steps, such as: horse step , bow step, false step, unicorn step, kneeling step, independent step, jump step, large and small two-shift step, grab step, broken step, coiled dragon step, etc. The movements of the lion dance and musical accompaniment must be closely coordinated and naturally harmonized, and the tone should emphasize the harmony of light, heavy, slow and fast, with a unique style, so as to better create the atmosphere of a lion dance performance.
Lion Dance Troupe of Weihai Vocational College
As a beautiful traditional Chinese folk art, lion dance belongs to the intangible cultural heritage of China. The lion dance troupe of Weihai Vocational College is dedicated to revitalize the national spirit, improve the quality of life of people in general, promote the building of spiritual civilization to promote social development, and promote international artistic exchange to promote the international spread of lion dance. Its purpose is to promote the nation's traditional classical culture and inherit the spirit of Chinese lion dance martial arts, cultivate college students' teamwork and devotion through lion dance, and fully display the positive and healthy spirit of today's college students.
The troupe began to form in 2017 and was officially registered in September 2018. Song Tianli, the instructor of the Weihai Vocational College Lion Dance Troupe, trained 220 participants by instilling teamwork and devotion among college students through lion dance, and bringing youth strength to promote Weihai's cultural prosperity and the city's internationalization.
Weihai Vocational College Troupe was awarded as Outstanding College Association in 2018, Outstanding Association in 20192019, the first prize in the dance competition "Dancing Youth Ignite Passion" at the 7th College Culture and Arts Festival, the most influential association in 2019.
Literature:
- (Qing Dynasty) Pan Rongbi / (Qing Dynasty) Fu Cha Dong Chun. "Yanjing Chronicle". - Beijing Publishing House, 1961.
- Yuan Li, Huang Yingyi, Chen Yurong, Bai Bing. International development of dragon and lion dances in terms of cultural differences between China and the West [J] / Modern sports science and technology, 2021. - No. 11 (08). — S. 185–188.
- Cui Jiuzhu, Sui Dongxu. Lion dance traceability research and development of modern competitive lion dance / Shaanxi Sports Science Association: Shaanxi Sports Science Association, 2021. - No. 10.
Basic terms (automatically generated) : lion dance, southern lion, professional college, spiritual civilization, China, lion, national spirit, northern lion, lion dance troupe, teamwork.
Keywords
international communication, art Of China, lion dance, dance of the southern lion and the northern, dance troupe, Weihai Vocational Collegelion dance, southern and northern lion dance, dance troupe, Weihai Vocational College, Chinese arts, international communication
Similar items
Chinese folk dance
lion dance in Weihai.
.. Weihai Vocational College Russian Language Supervisor. Young Scientist Magazine: Chinese Folklore dance lion dance in Weihai Vocational College . №31 (373) July 2021 Authors: Ren Guanghui, Song Tianli (supervisor), Yu...
Dance as part of the historical culture of the nation | Journal article...
Dance is always present in a person's life. The brightest positive emotions, joy and happy moments a person usually fills in
Research hypothesis: Dance has an ancient history and serves as a model of labor activity, interpersonal relationships and...
The model of the superman according to F. Nietzsche: the main prerequisites and their...
2) “ lion ” — a person who denies himself as a “camel”, that is, who absolutely refuses
He overcomes all obstacles and aspires to the peak of the human spirit the epicureans aspired, it is a more stable thing than.
..
Nietzsche and
dance | Article in the journal "Young scientist"In "The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit Music" Nietzsche speaks of the dance in connection with the separation of Apollonism and Dionysianism.
Dance is a breakthrough of excess, fullness, the highest proof of Nietzsche's philosophy.
Timurovtsy of the 40s–50s, red pathfinders of the 60s–80s, modern...
The search work of red rangers was subordinated to the most noble goal - to contribute to the perpetuation of the memory of the events of the Great Patriotic War. Boris Lvovich Vasiliev is a front-line writer, so his attitude to the memory of the war is especially reverent.
Weihai
Vocational College (Weihai) - Young... Weihai Vocational College .
Address: China , Weihai, 30-1-105 Haibin South Road, Huancui. Website: Phones: +86 133 46 31 97 21, +86 063 13 63 01 89.
Chinese folk dance lion dance at Weihai Vocational College .
Coping Behavior: An Analytical Review of Foreign...
In a number of works coping strategies are distinguished taking into account the degree of adaptive capabilities. So R. Moos and A. Billings (1984) [3,4] presented adaptive and low-adaptive coping strategies. The authors attributed the problem solving and the search for social support to adaptive strategies...
The concept of "communicative competence" and its formation ...
Foreign language professional communicative competence... Pragmatically competent students are able to effectively solve communicative-receptive tasks, accurately conveying and clearly perceiving the meaning of oral or written communication.
Sociocultural reasons for the appearance of Russian dance
and its...Dance , which is one of the key elements of culture, is usually considered as an art form
As a result, it became an important part of the rituals that accompanied a person from birth to death, the language of dance was the language of communication with the gods and spirits .
Similar items
Chinese folk dance
lion dance in Weihai...Weihai professional college , head of the Russian language. Young Scholar Magazine: Chinese folk dance lion dance in Weihai Vocational College . №31 (373) July 2021 Authors: Ren Guanghui, Song Tianli (supervisor), Yu...
Dance as part of the historical culture of the nation | Journal article.
.. Dance is always present in a person's life. The brightest positive emotions, joy and happy moments a person usually fills
Research hypothesis: Dance has an ancient history and serves as a model of labor activity, interpersonal relationships and...
The model of the superman according to F. Nietzsche: the main prerequisites and their...
2) “ lion ” — a person who denies himself as a “camel”, that is, refusing absolutely
He overcomes all obstacles and strives to the top of the human spirit : “Towards
The spiritual enjoyment that the Epicureans aspired to is a more enduring thing than...
Nietzsche and
dance | Article in the journal "Young scientist" In "The Birth of Tragedy from the Spirit Music" Nietzsche speaks of the dance in connection with the separation of Apollonism and Dionysianism.
Dance is a breakthrough of excess, fullness, the highest proof of Nietzsche's philosophy.
Timurovtsy of the 40s–50s, red pathfinders of the 60s–80s, modern...
The search work of Red Pathfinders was subordinated to the noblest goal - to contribute to the perpetuation of the memory of the events of the Great Patriotic War. Boris Lvovich Vasiliev is a front-line writer, so his attitude to the memory of the war is especially reverent.
Weihai
Vocational College (Weihai) - Young...Weihai Vocational College . Address: China , Weihai, 30-1-105 Haibin South Road, Huancui. Website: Phones: +86 133 46 31 97 21, +86 063 13 63 01 89.
Chinese folk dance lion dance at Weihai Vocational College .
Coping Behavior: An Analytical Review of Foreign...
In a number of works coping strategies are distinguished taking into account the degree of adaptive capabilities. Tak R. Moos and A. Billings (1984) [3,4] presented adaptive and low adaptive coping strategies. The authors referred to the problem solving and the search for social support as adaptive strategies...
The concept of "communicative competence" and its formation ...
Foreign language professional communicative competence... Pragmatically competent students are able to effectively solve communicative-receptive tasks, accurately conveying and clearly perceiving the meaning of oral or written communication.
Sociocultural reasons for the appearance of Russian dance
and its...Dance , which is one of the key elements of culture, is usually considered as an art form
As a result, it became an important part of the rites that accompanied a person from birth to death, the language of dance was the language of communication with the gods and perfume .
