Lion is an important Chinese totem, the symbol of power, majesty and courage, capable of warding off evil spirits. In this context, the Chinese consider it to be a peaceful creature. In Chinese legend, lion was the ninth son of the dragon and was the best employable guard, thus it was usually seen in front of royal palaces, offices and residences.
Lion dance is a folk recreational and sporting activity, imitating the movement of lions. As an important tradition in China, it is usually performed with the dragon dance on auspicious occasions, as lions express joy and happiness. A good performance is believed to bring luck and happiness.There usually are two performers who play the lion. One, handling the lion's head, leads the dance and shows the lion's emotions. The other plays the body and the tail. They hide themselves under a cloth attached with the head.
For a proper show, the movements must match the music played by a minimum of three pieces: drum, gong and cymbal. The loud music, along with the firecrackers and lion movements, is used to scare away "evil spirits" so that good luck will follow. Throughout the performance, the lion will imitate various moods and demonstrate similar physical gestures allowing the lion to look life-like. Emotions and expressions portrayed by the dancers include excitement, caution, curiosity, playful, anger, sleepiness, confusion, happiness, sadness, and many others.
Chinese lion dance goes back some one thousand years. The first record of the performance of an early form of the dance dates to the early Qin and Han dynasties. By the end of Ming Dynasty and at the beginning of Qing Dynasty, lion dance had become popular in Guangdong. Lion head is often made of paper and lion body of cloth. From the fourth day to the fifteenth of the New Year, lion dance groups would tour from village to village in traditional China.
Lion dance is a folk recreational and sporting activity, imitating the movement of lions. As an important tradition in China, it is usually performed with the dragon dance on auspicious occasions, as lions express joy and happiness. A good performance is believed to bring luck and happiness.There usually are two performers who play the lion. One, handling the lion's head, leads the dance and shows the lion's emotions. The other plays the body and the tail. They hide themselves under a cloth attached with the head.
For a proper show, the movements must match the music played by a minimum of three pieces: drum, gong and cymbal. The loud music, along with the firecrackers and lion movements, is used to scare away "evil spirits" so that good luck will follow. Throughout the performance, the lion will imitate various moods and demonstrate similar physical gestures allowing the lion to look life-like. Emotions and expressions portrayed by the dancers include excitement, caution, curiosity, playful, anger, sleepiness, confusion, happiness, sadness, and many others.
Chinese lion dance goes back some one thousand years. The first record of the performance of an early form of the dance dates to the early Qin and Han dynasties. By the end of Ming Dynasty and at the beginning of Qing Dynasty, lion dance had become popular in Guangdong. Lion head is often made of paper and lion body of cloth. From the fourth day to the fifteenth of the New Year, lion dance groups would tour from village to village in traditional China.
2 comments:
I have heard and seen it in TV before. I'd like to know why people believe that a good performance bring "luck and happiness"? why lion?
sorry, i don't know either.
That kind of believe comes from our ancesters.
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