Lion Dance

The lion is seen as a guardian figure in many Asian countries. The history of Chinese lion dance goes back one thousand years. It is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, in which performers mimic a lion's movements in a lion costume. The dance is traditionally accompanied by drums, gongs and firecrackers, representing the arrival of good luck.

There are several Chinese lion dance styles but the two most popular ones are the Northern and Southern lion dances. The Northern dance originated from the northern regions of China, where it was performed as entertainment for the Imperial Court. The Southern lion dance is more spiritual, and was often performed to ward off evil spirits and to bring luck and fortune.

It is traditional for a new lion to go through the Hoi Gong ceremony. This is when a special person is assigned to dot the eyes of the lion, usually the leader of the dance troupe or owner of the premises where the Hoi Gong ceremony is taking place. The purpose of this ceremony is to 'awaken' the spirit of the new lion.

The Chinese lion dance is often confused with the Chinese dragon dance, which features teams of ten people or more. The lion dance, however, usually only involves two (or maybe three) dancers.

Lion dance is performed in many other Asian countries such as Korea and Japan. Lion dance is also featured prominently in the Cirque du Soleil production Dralion.

chinese translation | japanese translation | korean translation