Dear readers
This is the video taken by Gwen with editing by myself of the Lion dance at Tan and Tan Lawyers. Enjoy.
Copied from the net:
The Lion Dance is a well known Chinese folk tradition and an important part of traditional kung fu school. It is an essential part of Chinese festivals/holidays and important functions such as weddings,business openings etc. Often performed by gung fu schools at such events to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune, happiness and prosperity, that is if it is well performed. Traditional lion dance performances also include the lighting of firecrackers to scare away the evil sprits. Although this is not very common in many western countries due to the legal issues, it is still done in many parts of south east Asia.
Lion dance displays the spirit of the gung fu school and it is often performed by gung fu practitioners. No traditional gung fu school is considered complete without a lion dance team. Along with the style, lion dance has been passed down from master to student for centuries. The skills needed for lion dancing include strength, stamina, flexibility, balance, and the ability to visualize and improvise dramatic movements. The heavy lion head requires a dancer with strong shoulders and arms, and the performers footwork incorporates most of the various Kung Fu stances and kicks. The person portaying the tail is bent over most of the time, and needs a very strong back and legs. Many Hung Gar masters were famous for their lion dance performance. The legendary Wong Fei Hung was extremely well know for his excellent Lion Dance and was referred to as the "King Of Lions". During the long revolutionary resistance against the Ch'ing government the Hung Gar practitioners often used their lion dance to communicated with the other Chinese patriots.
History And Origins
Although
no real lions ever existed in china, lion and the tradition of lion
dance have existed in Chinese culture and history for thousands of
years. Chinese lions bears very little
resemblance to the real lion, which, however plays a important part in
Chinese folklore. In traditional Chinese culture the lions are seen as
peaceful creatures and widely considered as divine animals of nobility
and dignity. Through out Chinese history the lion has been used to
symbolic strength, courage and wisdom.Since the 3'rd century AD pair of
guardian lion statues, can often been seen in front of official
buildings and temple's to protect these premises. The pair is often made
up of a male lion on the right and a female lion on the left. The right
paw of the male lion rests on an ornamental ball and under the left paw
of the female lion is a cup. The number of curls on the head of these
lions depends on the rank of the officials whose premises they are
guarding. Lion dance has a very long history. The first record of the
performance of an early form of the Lion Dance dates to the early Ch'in
and Han Dynasties (Third Century BC) However there are many different
stories and myths about how and when the lion dance was originated, but
sadly there are no exact historical records about its origin. This being
the case it is difficult to place lion dance historically and state
exactly how it started.
Copied from the net:
The Lion Dance is a well known Chinese folk tradition and an important part of traditional kung fu school. It is an essential part of Chinese festivals/holidays and important functions such as weddings,business openings etc. Often performed by gung fu schools at such events to ward off evil spirits and bring good fortune, happiness and prosperity, that is if it is well performed. Traditional lion dance performances also include the lighting of firecrackers to scare away the evil sprits. Although this is not very common in many western countries due to the legal issues, it is still done in many parts of south east Asia.
Lion dance displays the spirit of the gung fu school and it is often performed by gung fu practitioners. No traditional gung fu school is considered complete without a lion dance team. Along with the style, lion dance has been passed down from master to student for centuries. The skills needed for lion dancing include strength, stamina, flexibility, balance, and the ability to visualize and improvise dramatic movements. The heavy lion head requires a dancer with strong shoulders and arms, and the performers footwork incorporates most of the various Kung Fu stances and kicks. The person portaying the tail is bent over most of the time, and needs a very strong back and legs. Many Hung Gar masters were famous for their lion dance performance. The legendary Wong Fei Hung was extremely well know for his excellent Lion Dance and was referred to as the "King Of Lions". During the long revolutionary resistance against the Ch'ing government the Hung Gar practitioners often used their lion dance to communicated with the other Chinese patriots.
History And Origins
Although
no real lions ever existed in china, lion and the tradition of lion
dance have existed in Chinese culture and history for thousands of
years. Chinese lions bears very little
resemblance to the real lion, which, however plays a important part in
Chinese folklore. In traditional Chinese culture the lions are seen as
peaceful creatures and widely considered as divine animals of nobility
and dignity. Through out Chinese history the lion has been used to
symbolic strength, courage and wisdom.Since the 3'rd century AD pair of
guardian lion statues, can often been seen in front of official
buildings and temple's to protect these premises. The pair is often made
up of a male lion on the right and a female lion on the left. The right
paw of the male lion rests on an ornamental ball and under the left paw
of the female lion is a cup. The number of curls on the head of these
lions depends on the rank of the officials whose premises they are
guarding. Lion dance has a very long history. The first record of the
performance of an early form of the Lion Dance dates to the early Ch'in
and Han Dynasties (Third Century BC) However there are many different
stories and myths about how and when the lion dance was originated, but
sadly there are no exact historical records about its origin. This being
the case it is difficult to place lion dance historically and state
exactly how it started.
