History of Lion Dance

Introduction

Lion dance is a traditional dance performed by two partners. One controls the head and the other the tail. Movements in the dance stem from martial arts. The dance is traditionally performed by the beat of a drum. It originated in Northern China during the Han Dynasty. This dance is often done during new years to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck to the new year. Dance teams also perform at weddings, business openings, and any special celebrations. Oftentimes dragon dance is confused with lion dance. Dragon dance is performed by many performers and is a long puppet carried by using many poles. However, lion dance has only two performers and they are fully covered by the lion costume.

Creation

The true origin of lion dance is unknown. However many believe it originated during the Han Dynasty between 206 BC and 220 AD. As a gift lions were brought in from Central Asia to Northern China. Then statues of lions were made that guarded the emperor. Due to this the beast or lion was included in traditional Asian dances. Between 618 to 907 AD Lion Dance had become common entertainment for the imperial court. One of the first teams to be recorded was the “Lion Dance of The Five Directions”. They consisted of 5 different colored lions and each had different emotions. They were controlled by two people each and ropes.

Northern

Futsan

Hoksan

Northern vs Southern Style

The northern lion looks like a dog with long red fur as the mane and yellow hair on the legs. Traditionally the female lion has green fur while the male has red on the top of the wooden head. Gold is a central color of the lion's head. A male and female lion perform together. Sometimes northern dancers perform in a family. This consists of two people in the male and female adult lions then one person in the two child lions. A person called the warrior leads the lions and provides a ball for the lions to play with. The lions have a very playful personality and do tricks like turns and rolls. They can be seen playing on high platforms and balancing on balls.

Our team performs with the southern lion. The two main types of southern lion dancing are Futsan and Hoksan. Both come in many different colors. The Futsan lion has a pointy horn and curved mouth. They dance rough and in over-exaggerated movements. Futsan lion dancing originated from Guangdong. It is believed that the Qianlong Emperor had a dream of the lion saving him from a nightmare. He ordered it be created and performed at every festival.

Our team practices Hokson lion dancing. Hoksan was created after Futson by Master Feng during the Ching Dynasty. Feng saw a cat chase a mouse and realized the Futsan lion did not represent animals well. He created more graceful dance movements for the lion as well as new drum beats that fit the graceful lion. He recreated the lion's head to have a flat mouth, different eyes, forehead, and a rounded horn. He was known as “The king of the Hoksan lion” after his creation of the dance style. There are Hoksan dance schools all over the world. Well-known lion dance schools are Kun Seng Keng from Malaysia, Tham Pui from Hong Kong, Khuan Yee from Australia, Gee Yung from Hawaii, and many from the United States.

Competitions

In 1994 the first World Lion Dance Championship occurred. Since then both national and international competitions have been held in many countries all over the world. These are highly athletic events, with the lions often dancing on poles high above the ground.

Conclusion

Lion dancing is a colorful and fun cultural activity that can be enjoyed by all - whether through actual participation or crowd interaction. The dance has a long history, and has changed throughout the years, but its fundamental purpose of entertainment and blessing have remained the same.

If you would like more information on lion dance, many articles and videos are available on the web. We hope this has served as a good introduction for you to the dance style.

Resources

Immendorf , Louis. “About Usdldf.” United States Dragon & Lion Dance Federation, EMGraphics, 5 Feb. 2021, usdldf.org/about-usdldf/.

Kay, Paul. “The Evolution of LION DANCING.” Taikoo Place, Swire Properties, 2017, www.taikooplace.com/en/artistree/content/the-evolution-of-lion-dancing.

Kwok, Gund. “What Is Lion Dance?” Gund Kwok, WordPress, 23 Nov. 2017, gundkwok.org/what-is-lion-dance/.

Na, Chin. “The History and Origin of the Lion DanceChin.” British Kung FU Association , LAU Gar Kung Fu, 2017, www.laugar-kungfu.com/style-lion-dance-origin

Reyes, Anthea. “Anatomy of the Lion DANCE COSTUME.” NOLISOLI, Hinge Inquirer , 30 May 2018, nolisoli.ph/34806/anatomy-lion-dance-costume/.