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Tradition and Symbolism
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The body of the lion is made from bright multi-colored cloth and is adorned with hair, bells, and other decorations.
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 © Kimberley Stickel One of the Jing Mo Kung Fu Club lions |
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The Participants |
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 © Kimberley Stickel Glen Doyle performs as the head of the lion |
The head of the lion is the most prestigious position and requires strength, stamina, and versatility. This dancer must carry and balance the lion's head and control the lion's facial expressions (eyes, ears, mouth) with his upper body, while performing the cat-like movements (stances, footwork) with his lower body. It is this dancer that gives the lion its personality and attitude. The second dancer follows the lead dancer and maintains a bent over position forming the body and tail of the lion. |
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(a.k.a. Funny People)
Often times the lion is accompanied by one or two
Buddhas or funny people. The Buddhas wear a painted
mask with a large smile and either a traditional Kung
fu uniform or a monk's robe. Sometimes a pillow is placed under the robe
for a more Buddha-like appearance.
The Buddhas are comic and acrobatic characters who
interact with the crowd and tease the lion with
a fan or a ball. The lion in turn will play with, chase, or
even bite and kick the buddha depending on its mood.
Because it is difficult for the lion dancers to see, the
Buddhas also help the lions find their "food", etc.
The Buddha's movements are also based on Kung
fu stances and moves as well as acrobatic
and gymnastic moves.
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The lion dance is usually accompanied by a musical
ensemble consisting of a large chinese drum (called a da shih
gu) played with two wooden mallets, a gong (called luo), and
one or more sets of cymbals (called bo). The lion's dance
is not choreographed to music; instead the musicians follow
the lion's movements. Each of the lion's moods and moves
has its own associated rhythm.
 © Kimberley Stickel Jing Mo Kung Fu Club Lion Dance The Dance
There are many styles of the lion dance
that vary depending on the Kung fu school and the dancers.
All of the dances simulate the movement of a lion and
use the footwork, body movements, balance, and agility
that are found in Kung fu.
The freestyle form of the lion dance is frequently used.
In this form there is no standard set of steps. However,
all
of the movements imitate a lion's habits and expressions and
the moves are all based on Kung fu. For example
the dance might include any number of the following - walking,
sniffing, pawing the ground, scratching, acting curious,
acting mad, playing and interacting with the little buddhas and the crowd.
 © Kimberley Stickel Jing Mo Kung Fu Club members The Sleeping Lion Dance
The "Sleeping Lion" dance (Suai Si) consists of steps and
movements that imitate a sleepy lion. The lion walks around
and gets sleepy and stumbles waking himself up for a bit.
Finally, the lion gives in to his sleepiness and falls asleep.
Bothered by a flea, he then wakes up, scratches himself, falls
back asleep, etc. These various movements continue until the
lion finally wakes up for good and then grooms himself.
Eventually, he realizes he is hungry and then the
"lion eating" (choi chiang) dance begins.
Traditionally, the lion eats lettuce or bok choy but often
times when the dance is performed in front of a crowd, the
lion has been known to improvise and eat all sorts of things
including baby strollers.
During the Chinese New Year, it is a tradition for the lion
to go from business to business to perform. The business
owners "feed" the lion with oranges, a head of lettuce or bok
choy which includes a red envelope filled with money.
This brings prosperity to the business for the upcoming year.
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© Martha Cooper |
Part of the fun in the feeding ritual is to place all sorts of obstacles in the path of the lion to get his food. Frequently the head of lettuce with the red envelope is hung up high in the doorway. The lion must use his skill to retrieve his food. There is also a long list of traditional methods to feed the lion which involve some type of puzzle. The ability of the lion to solve the puzzle is a testament to the quality of his Kung fu school. An example of such a puzzle is shown on the left. |
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Special thanks to Sheila H. for providing some of the background
information.
-- Lisa T.
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