Dragons Lions and the Pulse of the City Tasmin Little

In many Chinese communities, festivals are celebrated with street dances like the dragon dance, ribbon dance, and the most famous of all, the lion dance. There is a long-standing tradition of dancers wearing animal masks to represent mythical or real creatures. The lion symbolizes power, wisdom, and superiority. Ornate costumes are worn by two dancers, forming the head and body of the animal a bit like a pantomime horse, while percussion instruments such as drums, cymbals, and gongs provide the beat for their movement. The two main styles of the lion dance are the northern and the southern. I spoke with Dan, who runs a thriving Chinese dance and performing arts company in the UK, to find out more. The northern lion dance has a longer history than other forms of lion dance and was performed as entertainment in the Imperial Palace. The movements are closely related to Kung Fu martial arts. Northern lions sometimes appear as a family, with two adult lions and a pair of smaller young lions. Acrobatics and gymnastics are very common, involving rolling, wrestling, leaping, and climbing. In one version of the dance, the Heavenly Tower Lion Dance, a number of lions climb up a tall tower structure, and another version is performed as a high-wire act. The costume is completely different from the southern lion, being more robust and less decorative to allow for more movement, and generally featuring bright red and yellow colors. The southern lion dance, which originated in Guangdong, can take on many colors, the most common of which represent the three main characters from the epic Romance of the Three Kingdoms. It is a highly entertaining performance, featuring the lion vigorously shaking his body, licking his fur, chasing his tail, and playing with a ball, sometimes even swallowing it. The southern lion has a single horn, and different colors represent the age and character of the lion. White fur represents the oldest lion, and golden yellow fur, the middle child. The black lion is the youngest member of the family, whose movements are fast and impetuous, like an unruly child. A red lion denotes courage, and a green lion denotes friendship. In both dances, when the lion arrives, it traditionally bows three times, left, right, and center, to show respect, and to say hello to the whole audience. The music is an integral part of the performance, and often leads the activity of the dance, with the lion listening to the noise, and reflecting what he hears in his movements. Most historians believe the origins of the dance date back to the late Han Dynasty, in the early 1st century AD. Before the Silk Road was established, there were no lions in China, and like the dragon, it was something of a mythological animal. But as the newly arrived lions grew in popularity, their appearance and actions began to be incorporated into existing traditional dances. By the time of the Tang Dynasty, the lion dance was well established, and had become important enough to be one of the court dances. The dragon, like the lion, represents power and authority, and both dances are celebrated to bring good luck, which is why they are very popular during the New Year festivities. But the dragon dance is also performed at the opening of big businesses, due to the length and versatility of its size. Because the dragon has such a long body, the dance needs a lot of space, so is almost always performed outdoors. The animal is represented by the dancers each holding a pole, and there can be as many as 20 people, all forming the elongated body. During the parade, the dragon dancers run in spiral formations, and jump over or through the other dancers to make the dragon's body twist and turn. They also rotate like a corkscrew, and stand on one another's legs and shoulders to increase the excitement. Quite a spectacle! A holiday dance brings its own happy atmosphere, and if it's called a holiday dance, you can guarantee there's a most auspicious occasion going on. But best of all, these dances bring everybody together through the shared experience celebrating the community. I'm Tasmyn Little, violinist, recording artist, and culture contributor for The China Current.