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Brief History of Lion DanceThe Chinese Lion Dance dates back thousands of years. Its origin begins in the Southern province of Guangdong China. Lion Dance is often mistakenly referred to as the Dragon Dance. One popular saying was that a beast terrorized a village in China. After a while, the villagers were fed up with the beast, so they made a beast from paper mache and created noise from musical instrument like gongs, drums and cymbals to scare away the beast. Finally, the villagers successfully scared away the beast, and they celebrated with lots of firecrackers. Thus, the belief of lion dancing is to bring good luck and prosperity while driving away the evil.
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What is Chinese Lion Dance?
Lion Dance is a demanding, challenging performance art form, complete with martial art postures, dance movements, percussion rhythms and elaborate costumes, including the Lucky Lion and Happy Buddha.
Rich in meaning and dance content, teaching and training emphasizes fitness and performance skills from the classroom, to the playground, to the stage. A fun high energy form of exercise and ceremony, performers move to the beat of percussion drums, cymbals and gong. Two dancers perform under the Lion costume. One performs the lion head and one performs the lion’s body or tail; both perform together in movement as one.
Percussion rhythms that follow the Lion’s movements, require precision and unison. The use of loud percussion rhythms relate to the role of the lion in dispelling evil and bringing good luck. As an art form, lion dance re-creates things unseen and heard, giving form and substance to the intangible as one experiences the creative process at work.
Rich in meaning and dance content, teaching and training emphasizes fitness and performance skills from the classroom, to the playground, to the stage. A fun high energy form of exercise and ceremony, performers move to the beat of percussion drums, cymbals and gong. Two dancers perform under the Lion costume. One performs the lion head and one performs the lion’s body or tail; both perform together in movement as one.
Percussion rhythms that follow the Lion’s movements, require precision and unison. The use of loud percussion rhythms relate to the role of the lion in dispelling evil and bringing good luck. As an art form, lion dance re-creates things unseen and heard, giving form and substance to the intangible as one experiences the creative process at work.
Types of Lion Dance Performances
Guangdong Lion (Cantonese) (Southern Lion)
Its origin begins in the Southern province of Guangdong China. The Guangdong Horned lion is believed to be a protector that bring good luck and chases away evil. The Chinese Lion Dance is often mistakenly referred to as the Dragon Dance. The Guangdong Lion Dance performed by ACCA School is called the Foshan lion (Buddha Mountain Lion). This style of Lion Dance requires powerful moves and strength of stance to operate. Its attitude tends to be aggressive and angry, but it also has a playful side.
Beijing Lion (Peking Lion) (Northern Lion)
Many times Beijing lions are seen as the more playful of the lions. Northern lions have shaggy orange and yellow hair with a red bow on its head to indicate a male lion, or a green bow to represent a female. During a performance, Northern lions resemble Pekingnese lions or what is known as Fu dogs. Their movements are quite playful and lifelike.
Taiwanese Lion (Taiwan)
This lion’s history is built on fortitude and the pride of a nation. After the fall of the Qing (Ching) dynasty, a master by the name of Gan Deyuan gathered a group of martial arts experts together to hold lion dances and teach the meanings of them. The original Taiwanese lion was known as “the green-faced lion”. This lion’s symbolism was based on rebellion and overthrowing the Qing. As a show of political correctness, the green-faced lion is rarely seen in performances today. When the green-faced lion does make an appearance, it is in recognition of a country's independence from its neighbors or from the mainland.
Its origin begins in the Southern province of Guangdong China. The Guangdong Horned lion is believed to be a protector that bring good luck and chases away evil. The Chinese Lion Dance is often mistakenly referred to as the Dragon Dance. The Guangdong Lion Dance performed by ACCA School is called the Foshan lion (Buddha Mountain Lion). This style of Lion Dance requires powerful moves and strength of stance to operate. Its attitude tends to be aggressive and angry, but it also has a playful side.
Beijing Lion (Peking Lion) (Northern Lion)
Many times Beijing lions are seen as the more playful of the lions. Northern lions have shaggy orange and yellow hair with a red bow on its head to indicate a male lion, or a green bow to represent a female. During a performance, Northern lions resemble Pekingnese lions or what is known as Fu dogs. Their movements are quite playful and lifelike.
Taiwanese Lion (Taiwan)
This lion’s history is built on fortitude and the pride of a nation. After the fall of the Qing (Ching) dynasty, a master by the name of Gan Deyuan gathered a group of martial arts experts together to hold lion dances and teach the meanings of them. The original Taiwanese lion was known as “the green-faced lion”. This lion’s symbolism was based on rebellion and overthrowing the Qing. As a show of political correctness, the green-faced lion is rarely seen in performances today. When the green-faced lion does make an appearance, it is in recognition of a country's independence from its neighbors or from the mainland.
What Does Lion Dance have to offer?
Lion Dance takes both the performers and viewing audience off the beaten path down a road of history and culture into the depths of a unique dance performance, rich in story that reflects universal human experience and understanding.
Lion dance performance art is a magnet for both children and adults, capturing the imagination, expanding and reaching the depths of educational opportunities for students and the general public at a hands-on, sensory, and personal level. In this way, a meaningful connection made directly, broadens an understanding of the diverse world that we live in today. Lion Dance as we know it today has a continuous history of some one thousand years and continues to be an important symbol for not only ethnic Chinese, but is shared globally throughout the world today. Through ritual dance a meaningful vehicle for all is established not only as dance, but as music, physical fitness, orderliness, cooperation, personal responsibililty and acting out the drama of life itself. It is a true reflection of life and what successes may be gotten through cooperation, understanding, humanity, determination and devoted hard work.
Students first begin with a historical and cultural backdrop of Chinese Lion Dance. Made up of a diverse Lion Dance Team emphasis is placed on the art of performing Lion Dance. Students first learn percussion rhythms (drum, cymbal, and gong) followed with dance training to animate and bring life to Lion Dance. This includes practice and training drills in martial arts postures, footwork, and movements which are later applied to a choreographed routine and then performed from the studio to the street or stage for major public events.
Lion dance performance art is a magnet for both children and adults, capturing the imagination, expanding and reaching the depths of educational opportunities for students and the general public at a hands-on, sensory, and personal level. In this way, a meaningful connection made directly, broadens an understanding of the diverse world that we live in today. Lion Dance as we know it today has a continuous history of some one thousand years and continues to be an important symbol for not only ethnic Chinese, but is shared globally throughout the world today. Through ritual dance a meaningful vehicle for all is established not only as dance, but as music, physical fitness, orderliness, cooperation, personal responsibililty and acting out the drama of life itself. It is a true reflection of life and what successes may be gotten through cooperation, understanding, humanity, determination and devoted hard work.
Students first begin with a historical and cultural backdrop of Chinese Lion Dance. Made up of a diverse Lion Dance Team emphasis is placed on the art of performing Lion Dance. Students first learn percussion rhythms (drum, cymbal, and gong) followed with dance training to animate and bring life to Lion Dance. This includes practice and training drills in martial arts postures, footwork, and movements which are later applied to a choreographed routine and then performed from the studio to the street or stage for major public events.
Brief History of Kung Fu
Shao-lin hong fist is a southern Chinese martial art. According to historians, shao-lin temple was the staging area for bandits and opponents of the Qing (Ching) dynasty to train and overthrow and the government. Soon after it became revealed as such, it was destroyed. Survivors of the temple destructions fled and vowed revenge. One of the patriots was Hung Xiguan who gave his name to the system. In doing so, he created a sacred society known as the Hung Mun. The Hung Mun was created by the surviving monks and disciples of the temple, and the martial art they came to practice was known as Hongquan or Hung Gar (Cantonese).
The hallmarks of Hongquan include deep low stances, strong hand techniques, and the powerful tiger claw. It is commonly mistaken as an external styled martial art, only using brute force and outer muscle strength, even though through diligent practice students progressively build to an internal focus. Other attributes of the Hongquan ststem are its teachings and combinations of the 5 animals (tiger-crane-leopard-snake-dragon) and 5 elements (metal-wood-fire-water-earth). This powerful system brings these forces together creating a devastating fighting art. The 5 animals each teach a different characteristic, such as: (tigher) power, strength, ferocity (crane) balance and passivity (leopard) alertness and speed (snake) suppleness and fluidity (dragon) wisdom.
The hallmarks of Hongquan include deep low stances, strong hand techniques, and the powerful tiger claw. It is commonly mistaken as an external styled martial art, only using brute force and outer muscle strength, even though through diligent practice students progressively build to an internal focus. Other attributes of the Hongquan ststem are its teachings and combinations of the 5 animals (tiger-crane-leopard-snake-dragon) and 5 elements (metal-wood-fire-water-earth). This powerful system brings these forces together creating a devastating fighting art. The 5 animals each teach a different characteristic, such as: (tigher) power, strength, ferocity (crane) balance and passivity (leopard) alertness and speed (snake) suppleness and fluidity (dragon) wisdom.