Lion Dance
China and
Taiwan
Sports
The Lion Dance is a traditional festival during Chinese New Year and other celebrations. Youngsters in Taiwan and China, even the ones who cannot walk yet, have seen all parts of the Lion Dance at a young age.
In the Lion Dance, people dance with a Lion mask and a tail. The Lion Dance usually only required two people – one to control the head and the other to control the tail. Another person is sometimes added, dressed in the mask of a smiling Buddha and holding a fan, leading the lion into its’ moves.
The Chinese consider the Lion Dance to be a machine for letting out all the wonderful blessings of heaven to the whole community. The Chinese Lion Dance was first performed during the Han Dynasty. It is done not only during the New Year's celebration but also on successful occasions, and represents the hopes and ambitions of the Chinese people for all the good things life holds.
The Lion Dance is a part of the Chinese martial arts and is always performed by martial artists. Lion dancing develops flexibility and endurance as well as the ability to work in teams and overcome challenges through group effort. Not only do the performers show strength, coordination, and nimbleness, they also show honor and the right way of mind.
“I look at the Lion Dance as an extension of the Chinese forms of Martial Arts because all the movements of the Lion are based on positions from Kung Fu,” Janie Lin, a Lion Dance watcher since youth mentioned.