How to make a dragon dance costume
Making a Chinese Dragon for the Dragon Dance
Dragon Dance in the Classroom
There are two kinds of dances you find at Lunar New Year. The first is the Lion Dance, which is two people and a head that looks nothing like a lion. You can see a quick video of a lion dance here.
Dragon Dance
The second dance is the dragon dance which is much less common, in my experience, than the lion dance. The dragon dance is done with many people holding poles that hold up the dragon. There may be 5 – 21 people dancing the dragon dance. And the dragon chases the sun, which is held by the smiling Buddha. I have seen this dance at the Chinatown Parade and also at a performance at Fair Oaks Mall during their two week celebration of Chinese New Year. But it takes a lot of people, and a lot of practice and coordination to do the dance. Not to mention the costume is very expensive.
It is this dragon dance costume which I made for my son’s second grade class. I wanted something simple to make; I did not make a complicated costume to be held up with poles. I followed the instructions from Chinese New Year for Kids, by Cindy Roberts. It is this dragon that I made. There is a great YouTube video of a much more complicated dragon. I did not make that one. It looks great, but she has several teenagers helping create this costume.
The dragon dance costume I made is the costume made out of two cardboard boxes, one a regular cardboard moving box and a shoe box. The author used plastic table cloths for the back of the dragon. The chapter on making a dragon dance costume includes an illustration of the costume, and after reading it, I was still not sure the author ever made the costume, since there were so few details. But then I found the Adopt Vietnam website where there are actually photos of the dragon she made.
Equipment needed:
- 1 medium size moving box
- shoe box
- wrapping paper, red, gold, yellow, other
- clear plastic packing tape
- scotch tape
- paper towel holders (I used 4)
- plastic cups (red, yellow, white)
- cellophane paper (optional)
- speedy sewing awl (optional)
- glue gun or household glue
- poster board
- polyester pillow filling
- poster board
- fusible interfacing (optional) or copier paper
- 2-3 plastic table cloths – I used 5 yards of cheap cotton woven fabric + 2.
5 yards of felt. - acrylic paint (white, black, gold)
Medium box, covered with wrapping paper.
Athletic shoe box, covered with wrapping paper.
The author suggests covering both boxes with red wrapping paper and wrapping it like a present. Well I did that, but I cut the pieces of wrapping paper up so there were a lot of places where my wrapping paper is taped onto the box. The reason I used so many smaller pieces of wrapping paper vs, wrapping like a package, was so that the wrapping paper would be attached better and in many places. Then you can see I cut holes in both boxes. The child carrying the dragon head will be able to see out of the open mouth.
I tried to use a glue gun to attach the shoe box to the larger box, but that did not hold. I suppose you could just tape it a lot. I wasn’t sure exactly how well that was going to hold given there was a lot of wrapping paper on top of the box. I would have had to cut away the wrapping paper, taped it directly to the box and then put wrapping paper back on the main box.
Part of the sewing of the mouth onto the head
Sewing Awl
Instead I decided to sew the shoe box onto the main box. I have a Speedy Stitcher Sewing Awl, which I had used a lifetime ago to repair some camping equipment. I couldn’t remember how to use it, but thanks to YouTube for the How-to video, I was able to learn.
It worked well. I sewed the shoebox onto the main box. And this is how my dragon stayed for a long time while I tried to find a couple of yellow Solo cups without having to buy 100 cups and spending $8. I never did find fewer yellow cups and finally found some white paper cups and painted them with gold paint.
Before adding the cups, I added the spike on the top of the head with poster board and covered it with gold wrapping paper. I used some wrapping paper I already had to add some stripes around the head. I covered paper towel rolls with the same wrapping paper. I actually used two paper towel holders per horn. I cut one and put one inside the other.
I added some red cellophane paper to the top of the horns because I had the paper.
On the nose, I had to cut the gold painted cups to very short because there was not enough room below the eyes. I taped the cups, horns and spike on with packing tape. This picture is before I put the beard and mustache on. I used red Solo cups and painted the eyes with acrylic paint.
I used old polyester filling. It was not in a roll. I suppose if you had the filling from a roll, it would work better. I think I was supposed to glue the polyester batting onto copier paper. I had a piece of fusible interfacing and ironed the polyester onto the interfacing for the eyebrows, mustache, and beard.
For the body. The article suggests two plastic table clothes taped together and fortified with more packing tape. I bought my yellow plastic table cloths at a dollar store. Those table cloths were so thin, I decided not to use them. I had a third plastic table cloth that I bought at a party store (red).
It turns out that the party store plastic table cloth was much thicker than the dollar store table cloth.
Alas, I decided to find some cheap material. I found some yellow woven material at Joann’s Fabric which was cheap and using my 50% off coupon, got the fabric for $2.00/ yard. I bought red felt (also on sale). I bought 5 yards of yellow fabric and 2.5 yards of red felt. It wasn’t clear how the tail was supposed to look, so I improvised. I had bought this product called “Dritz Quick Turn” and wanted to use it. So I made three long tubes (because that is what this product does) and braided them together for the tail.
The Body
As I said before, I had 5 yards of cheap yellow woven fabric. After making it, I though 5 yards might have been too long, until I got to class and the kids barely all got into the 4.5 yards of dragon body. I cut off about half a yard of the yellow fabric and put it aside. I had 2.5 yards of red felt. I cut four pieces of felt which were 10″ wide and 2.
5 yards long. Then I sewed the felt together so I ended up with two long red pieces of felt, 10″ wide x 5 yards long. The yellow woven material is 44-45″ wide. I sewed the pieces of red felt to the yellow fabric along the selvage of the yellow fabric, so it was as easy as could be. This added both length to the dragon (on the sides) and the heavier felt material made the dragon sides drape better.
Using a newspaper for a template, I made an isosceles triangle out of the extra yellow woven fabric. I had some extra red felt and cut some more 10″ pieces. I sewed the red felt on to the bottom of my triangle of yellow fabric. And then I sewed the triangle on to the body of the dragon to make the rear end. After that, I sewed the sides to the back and then I sewed the tail onto the rear end of the dragon.
Then I just had to figure out how to attach it. In Cindy Robert’s explanation, she used packing tape (and a lot of it) to secure the plastic table cloth body to the head.
I chose to go back to Joann’s Fabric store. And I got a yard of 1″ thick Velcro ® that had glue on one side. After removing the wrapping paper from the flap, I glued two strips of Velcro onto the flap. I then sewed two strips of Velcro on the other side of the dragon body.
The last thing I did was iron the fusible interfacing to the polyester fill and cut out 2 eyebrows, 2 pieces of mustache and a beard. Then I used a hot glue gun to attach them to the dragon face.
With the Velcro on the box and on the body of the dragon, I could easily separate them and put them together.
I think we were able to squeeze 16 kids under the costume. We used it for my class presentation and then we used it at home when we celebrated Lunar New Year with friends.
If I were to do this again, I might forget the wrapping paper and glue the cups and paper towel rolls on with a glue gun. And then papier mâché over the whole head to keep the cups on. And then paint the whole thing.
But then again, the last time I did papier mâché, it took a long time and was pretty messy. So maybe this is the best and easiest way to make a dragon head.
I’m hoping to use it in years to come when we get together for Lunar New Year with our adoption friends, at school and at home.
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How Do You Do the Dragon Dance?
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Have You Ever Wondered...
- How do you do the dragon dance?
- In what country did the dragon dance originate?
- When is the dragon dance performed?
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If you could be any mythical creature, what would you be? A leprechaun leaping through green fields? Or how about a proud unicorn galloping through a dense forest?
If you want to be a fierce flier, you might choose to be a dragon.
Who wouldn't want to breathe fire and fly through the skies, claiming all the territory below as your own?
When you hear the word dragon, what comes to mind? Breathing fire? Scaly skin? Huge wings? How about awesome dancer? If you're like most people, you probably don't associate dragons with dancing, but that's exactly what many people in China think of!
In Chinese culture, dragons are important symbols of a variety of concepts, from heavenly guardians to water spirits. For example, two different types of dragons commonly associated with Chinese culture are the Spirit Dragon, which controls the rains and winds, and the Earth Dragon, which controls the rivers.
To celebrate the importance of the mythology of dragons in Chinese culture, the dragon dance was invented as a form of traditional dance performed at public celebrations, such as parades. The dragon dance is also often performed during the holiday of Chinese New Year.
The dragon dance requires a team of coordinated dancers.
A long, flexible dragon figure composed of many different pieces is manipulated using poles positioned along the length of the figure.
A traditional dragon consists of a head piece, a tail piece, and several pieces that make up the length of the body. Although early dragons were made with metal and wood, today's dragons are more often made with lightweight paper, plastic, and aluminum.
Many dancers can participate in the dragon dance, because dragons can be quite long. Although dragons can be made to be any size, many dragons used for large festivities can be 200 feet or longer!
Using poles to manipulate their particular piece of the dragon's body, dancers create the illusion that the dragon is moving. Since the dragon is often viewed as a river spirit, dancers often seek to mimic the smooth, flowing movement of a river. Other popular dance patterns have interesting names, such as whirlpool, cloud cave, threading the money, and looking for pearl.
It takes an impressive combination of strength and agility by a large group of people to execute a successful dance.
Hours and hours of practice are necessary. Some people believe a dragon dance team is like a combination of a professional sports team and a professional performing arts group.
Historians believe the dragon dance may have originated over 2,000 years ago during the Han Dynasty. Over time, different regions of China developed their own unique versions of the dragon dance. Today, there may be over 700 different types of dragon dances across China!
Exactly what type of dragon an area may create for a festivity will depend on the number of people and amount of available resources. Longer dragons require more people and can be quite expensive to produce.
Dragons also come in a variety of colors, each of which can be a symbol of a particular desire. Popular colors include green (a great harvest), yellow (a mighty empire), gold or silver (prosperity), and red (excitement).
Wonder What's Next?
Tomorrow’s Wonder of the Day really turns up the heat!
Try It Out
Grab your dancing shoes and a friend or family member.
It's time to explore some fun activities!
- Feeling artsy? Grab your crayons, markers, or colored pencils and follow the online directions to Draw an Asian Dragon. What colors will you use? What will you name your dragon? Maybe even draw two dragons, so they can play together!
- Creating a life-size dragon for a parade might be a bit of a tall order, but you could make a smaller version at home. Ask an adult friend or family member to help you. How To Make a Chinese Dragon Costume has some helpful tips and suggestions. You'll likely need to make a trip to the store for a few supplies. Have fun making a dragon you can use to choreograph your own dragon dance at home!
- Up for a challenge? Design your very own dragon dance and perform it for friends and family members at home. Use your homemade costume or no costume at all! What dance moves will you choose? What do they symbolize? Remember to tell a story with your dance routine. If you can, have a friend or family member video your performance, so you can share it with others.
Did you get it?
Test your knowledgeWonder Words
- dance
- pole
- scaly
- strength
- parade
- tail
- dragon
- flexible
- lightweight
- whirlpool
- agility
- harvest
- guardian
- traditional
- mythology
- aluminum
- prosperity
- dynasty
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| MUNICIPAL EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION SUPPLEMENTARY EDUCATION FOR CHILDREN HOUSE OF CHILDREN'S CREATIVITY "CONSTELLATION" Tips for celebrating New Year's Eve
KRASNODAR 2011 Everyone is waiting for the New Year! New Year 2012 will come very soon. In order to adequately celebrate this winter holiday, it is necessary, as it is better to behave throughout the year and, of course, to prepare in advance for this significant event . According to the Chinese calendar, 2012 will be the year of the Black Water Dragon. The sign of the Dragon is an interesting symbol and an excellent drawing for a tattoo, which Asian men love to prick on their arms and chests. But for us, this is just one of the funny characters, under the sign of which the next year will pass. Beautiful traditions and rich paraphernalia have always contributed to considering the New Year the most beautiful holiday of the year. From early childhood, each of us, with bated breath, is waiting for the coming of the New Year, making our most cherished desires, and secretly hoping that they will finally come true. Having matured, any person dreams of making the New Year's Eve unforgettable. In this case, you can go to ski resorts, or celebrate the New Year in some exotic country. 2012 is a special year of the dragon. And it should also be met in a special way. Forget about problems, don't fuss, remember as many good things as possible that happened in the Year of the Rabbit and thank him for it. During the chiming clock, think only about the good, and, of course, do not forget to make a wish. Have fun! The dragon allows loud music to be turned on this night. It is recommended to celebrate the New Year in a house or restaurant, but not in a forest or garden. The reason for this is that open areas are the habitat of the Dragon. As for the menu for the festive table, the Dragon is very loyal. There is only one requirement for dishes - they must be well seasoned with spices. Cinnamon, hot pepper, nutmeg, ginger and other spices will help you here. In our New Year's booklet you will find many interesting ideas for the New Year 2012 The dragon loves fire! However, do not forget about your safety and the safety of your loved ones. Let this holiday be remembered by you only with positive emotions. Happy New Year 2012!
Team MOUDOD DDT "Constellation"
New Year 2012 is the Year of the Dragon. Tough year. But also an important and successful year! Year of battles and victories. Go boldly forward! If you have been putting off something "for later", then right now is the time when you need to decide and do everything. No more pulling. Year of the Dragon - as for the implementation of important plans. THE RAT - the year of the Dragon - is very lucky for her. She may be calm this year
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And what other holiday compares to it? 
But not everyone has this opportunity. Do not despair, because the New Year can be celebrated at home, in the warm company of relatives and friends, while delivering a lot of unforgettable pleasant moments. From time immemorial, the New Year was considered a family holiday, and with a little effort and imagination, you can turn it into a bright, unforgettable celebration. 
Dragon adherent of originality. 
Where is the Dragon without the MONKEY? 
.. 
.. 
This means that funny congratulations in verse and funny SMS to friends will be as relevant as possible in the new year 2012. 
Being written on paper, all these works repeatedly came to life in other artistic spaces - on the theater stage, on the cinema screen, and also in the world of images, when artists and graphic artists drew illustrations for them. We tried to embody fairy tales in colors, associatively starting from the plot and mood of each of them. The floristic language is no less emotional than the literary one, but, of course, it is very different from it. The expressiveness here lies in the choice of floral materials, each of which has its own character, in the overall silhouette of the flower arrangement, in the combination of different textures, in the dominance of one or another color and its calm or, conversely, exciting combination with neighboring tones and even in fragrances. plants. Much in the perception of floristics is based on sensations: the coldness of the Snow Queen is figuratively conveyed with the help of a glass vase sparkling in the light, similar to a multifaceted piece of ice, and mirror "shards".
Orchids for the composition were also deliberately chosen white, but the velvety tenderness of their petals, the warmth of the pinkish cores of individual flowers slightly softens the cold mood. Thus, in floristic language, the author tells that good at the end of the fairy tale still defeats evil, and Gerda's warm heart is the "ice games of the mind" of the Snow Queen. 
In any fairy tale there is at least a drop of a miracle. Samuil Marshak also has it in "The Twelve Months": winter and summer and spring and autumn converged at the forest fire, despite the fact that they cannot be together. In her work, the florist tried to reproduce the same forest fire, combining the warmth that fire gives and the cold breath of a blizzard. Only natural materials were chosen for the composition: birch, spruce and larch branches, cones, gloriosa flowers (1). And only snow is artificial. Any bowl or pot is suitable as a vessel. In this case, a frame is made from the branches, and then, passing flowers through it, they are placed in a container with water. However, you can use the professional material of florists - an oasis: branches (2) are attached to this sponge and gloriosa stems (3) are inserted into it. In their shape, these flowers very much resemble the dancing flames of a fire. 
A florist's master class will help decorate everything in the most fabulous way. 
It was deserted and cold in the halls of the Snow Queen, illuminated by snowy radiance, and in one of the halls the boy Kai fiddled with flat, pointed ice floes, trying to form the word "eternity" from them. The snow-white composition with orchids is the embodiment of "ice games of the mind". To create it, you will need a vase that looks like a block of ice, an oasis in the shape of a ball, a dendrobium orchid, a branch with mirrored "leaves" (Shishi, Norway) and a wire frame holding flowers (1). Orchid flowers are removed from the branches. Each of them is taped (from the English tape - "tape") - they are equipped with a false leg made of wire and wrapped with a special tape so that moisture does not evaporate from the stem (2). After that, they are immersed in an oasis (3, 4). In this state, they live 2-2.5 days. To make the composition stand for a week or even longer, the flowers are placed directly in the oasis without wire and tape. But at the same time, holes for their delicate stems are made in advance.
The tale of the wooden man the Nutcracker is elegant, magical, mysterious. Imbued with the mood of Hoffmann's story, the florist came up with a composition with woolen threads, cinnamon sticks, anise stars, rowan berries and phalaenopsis (1). Threads are wrapped around any rectangular "platform", for example, a box, a piece of an oasis. (2). Then they build a bastion of cinnamon sticks - this "woody", slender, "toothy" material, which, like no other, is associated with Christmas (3). Cinnamon is traditionally used in the preparation of a festive Christmas drink - mulled wine, and even in Europe, intricate Christmas tree decorations are made from it - they are sold everywhere at Christmas markets. The delicate phalaenopsis petals contrast with the hard, rough surface of cinnamon. And clusters of mountain ash add brightness to the composition (4). 
..I just need a blue bird. I am looking for her for my granddaughter, my granddaughter is very sick. 
White color is a symbol of purity, light and childish naivety. That is why white chrysanthemums were chosen for the Blue Bird composition. There are two flowers, and this is also symbolic, because there are exactly two main characters in the tale - the boy Tiltil and the girl Mitil. The flowers are accompanied by blue feathers and a figurine of a bird, and a vase of an unusual shape with an openwork decoration on the sides is used as a vessel (1). With its sophistication, the vase is associated with the image of a magical bird - this symbol of happiness that constantly eludes human hands. Feathers and chrysanthemums are fixed in an oasis (2, 3). It is better to saturate it with moisture before work begins. To do this, the oasis is temporarily immersed in a container of water. The moisture reserve is replenished in the usual way: after a few days, the sponge is watered until it is completely moistened again. 
centerstart.ru -> files > Working with the family: problems and methods for solving them. Note to the social worker 
Classes are very active, a lot of intense amplitude movements. You will learn how to convey the energy of music in your dance. A great way to keep yourself in good physical shape! 
30-20.00 
Includes basic and advanced breakdance techniques. 
00-18.00 
You need to go to the right side of the building. There, go to door 5 (it is to the right of the main entrance. Call the intercom and say: go to the Dragon School for dancing. 
