Lion dance
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Lion_dance_costume.jpg
Lion dance (Chinese: 舞獅; pinyin: wǔshī) is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, in which performers mimic the lion's movements in a cloak of lion costume.
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History
The lion is traditionally regarded as a guardian creature in Chinese culture. It is featured in Buddhist lore, being the mount of Manjusri. The dance is symbolic of the people's prosperity and peace. Until the early twentieth century there existed professional lion dance troupes but the dance is now mostly performed by enthusiasts.
There are two distinct kinds of lion dance in China, the northern and southern lion dance. The northern lion are usually red, orange or yellow in color and is shaggy in appearance. The southern lion is more symbolic, exhibiting more variety of color and has a distinctive head with large eyes and a single horn at center of the head.
The northern lion dance has had a history of close to a thousand years.
There are considerable regional differences in how the lion dance is performed. Some areas have developed their own unique lion dances.
Northern
In the north the lions usually appear in pairs. The one with a red bow on its head is a male, the one with a green bow is a female. Northern lions sometimes appear as a family, when a pair of large adults is accompanied by a pair of small, young lions. Ninghai, in Ningbo, is called the "homeland of lion dance" (狮舞之乡) for the northern variety. The northern hornless lions are believed to be Fu Dogs.
Southern
Guangdong is the homeland of the southern variety. The southern horned lions are believed to be Nians.
Performance
The lion costume may be operated by a single dancer, who springs about while energetically moving and shaking the head and operating the jaws, or by a pair of dancers, forming the back and fore legs of the beast. The use of a pair of dancers is seen perfected in the exhibitions of Chinese acrobats, with the two dancers forming as a team the motions of a single animal as they move between platforms of varying elevations. The dance is traditionally accompanied by gongs, drums and firecrackers, representing the descent of good luck.
When the dancing lion enters a village or township, it is supposed to pay its respects first at the local Buddhist temple, then to the ancestors at the ancestral hall, and finally through the streets to bring happiness to all the people. There are three types of lions: the golden lion, representing liveliness; the red lion, representing courage; and the green lion, representing friendship.
The dance is performed usually at Chinese New Year or other important occasions.
Cirque du Soleil
Lion dance is prominently featured in the Cirque du Soleil show Dralion. The name Dralion was based on Chinese dragon and Chinese lion.
See also
External link
- A webpage that shows both the northern and southern lions (http://sg.geocities.com/sg_chinwoo/Liondance.htm)zh: 舞獅