Welcome to the Liondance FAQ-section.

This page is intended to answer often asked questions that I get through my web pages. It contains questions and answers about the Lion Dance in general and questions that people often ask me via the web, and my answers.
If you have a question to me personally that you don't see answered here, feel free to get in touch with me at: rteng@free.fr
If you have a question that is general about lion dancing, you can also try the Lion Dance Mailing List. The list groups a lot of people who are 'into' lion dancing, with up to 25 years of experience.

Questions:

What is the lion?
Where does the lion dance come from?
What is the significance of the lion dance?
Where can one learn to perform the lion dance?
At what occasions is the lion dance performed?
What different kinds of lions are there?
What equipment and instruments are needed?
Where can I buy that equipment / those instruments?
How many persons are needed for a performance?
Can girls play the lion?
What parts should be contained in the lion dance, and what do they mean?
What are the difficult moves and how do you practise them?
I want a lion dance performance for my special occasion. Where can I find a team and what does it cost?
What is the music like, and why don't you have any soundfiles of it on your site?
For that matter, why don't you have any video clips either?
How are the lion heads made (how can I make one)?
Are there any books you can recommend?

Answers:

What is the lion?
The lion consists of two major parts, namely the head, made out of paper-mache and bamboo or other strong but light material; to the back of the head, a long cloth is attached. During the dance, two people handle the lion: one handles the head, the other stands under the cloth and plays the tail. Check out the photos on my other pages to see what it looks like.

Where does the lion dance come from?
Generally spoken, the liondance comes from China; there are different kinds of lions in different parts of China. More in particular: it comes from the Chinese Opera in the most direct sense. Statues and images have been found that date from around the beginning of the second millenium, so we can conclude that it's not a recent phenomenon.

What is the significance of the lion and the dance?
The lion is a sacret animal, not to be confused with the well known predator that stalks the savannahs of Africa. Here we are talking of the imaginary, holy animal, that has its own place among the divine creatures. Of course the lion has a spot that is much lower than the gods, but nonetheless, it is a bringer of luck and good fortune.
Generally, the lion dance is used to bless. When performed well the lion dance chases away evil spirits, and so opens the door for all good things: health, happiness, wealth and prosperity.
On a side note: I've quite often had to dance on a really gray day, with rain and all, and every single time, the rain stopped as soon as the lion dance started. And that in the Netherlands, in winter (chinese new year),.... I'm not superstitious, but I'd say it works,..:-)

Where can one learn to perform the lion dance?
Traditionally, the liondance is connected to Kung Fu / Chinese martial art. This means that it is trained and performed by Kung Fu-students (and their teacher). Not all Kung Fu schools practise lion dancing, and not all lion dance schools practise Kung Fu though. Since the movements are related, it does help the lion dancer if he also practises Kung Fu. This also works the other way around: practising the lion dance can also help improve the practitioner's kung fu.
If you're really looking for a school, try the Lion Dance mailing list.

At what occasions is the lion dance performed?
The lion dance can be performed at celebrations of all kinds, for instance at openings of restaurants, New Years, weddings. Basically any occasion where people may want to ask for good luck/prosperity.

What different kinds of lions are there?
Basically, there are two types: Northern and Southern, that come from those respective parts in China. The Northern lion is a furry, yellow lion. It can often be seen at the Chinese Circus shows, walking on a large ball; it's accompanied by a lion-tamer, who generally holds a small ball with rings around it.
The Southern lion has a multi-coloured body-cloth and head. The eyes are larger, and so is the mouth, which also opens wider. The colour-palette of a lion can consists of mainly black and red or all colours of the rainbow, or (for the recent lions) silver glitter and white (or gold and yellow). In any case, the players wear matching pants, and sometimes also shoes shaped as lion feet. Recently, the Southern lion has changed a bit, it used to be quite long, but for the acrobatic performance more and more the rear person holds the front person's hips, which means that the lion has become shorter.
Then there is the Unicorn. The ones I've seen are multicoloured, and quite long, like the southern lion used to be some 10 years ago. The moves of the Unicorn are very different, it's constantly waving/shaking its head.
BTW: "Wow that's a cool dragon!"
Well, the lion is definately not a dragon, which is played by at least six or seven people, that aren't inside it, as with the lion. Have a look at a dragon here.

What equipment and instruments are needed?
Firstly, you need the lion head+cloth, and 2 paires of matching pants + feet (well, optional, but it does look so much better and more professional).
When it comes to the music:
most groups have a large drum, one or more sets of cymbals and a gong. The unicorn (similar to the southern lion) has no large drum, but one set of very large cymbals.

Where can I buy that equipment / those instruments?
If you're in the vicinity of the Netherlands (In Europe), I may be able to help you. If not, I suggest you check out the links.
Of course, you can check the local Chinatown or Kung Fu schools.

How many persons are needed for a performance?
Two people play the lion, but for long dances, like New Year parades, there can be 4 or 6 dancers, or more of course. It doesn't have to be an even number, but it is best if the dancers are coupled, in the sense that they are really used/trained to dance as a couple.
Then there are the musicians; as a minimum: one person to play the drum, one to play the cymbals and one to play the gong.
This leads to a minimum of 5 people for a performance.
For a nice show, it's better to have two sets of cymbals. Also, an extra drummer to take over if the performance is long, and a person to instruct the lion (tell where it has to go next etc.). Of course, some people can play a double part, but typically, about 10 people are needed.

Can girls play the lion?
Yes they can, but in that case, the lion must be played by 2 girls, there can be no mixed lion.

What parts should be contained in the lion dance, and what do they mean?
Basically, there are very few 'musts', but the more interesting stuff a lion does, the better the show is to look at. The better they perform, the more luck and good fortune the dance brings.
Typical parts are: greeting, eating, spitting the salad (over the restaurant owner, to bring good luck), 'biting' the door posts / licking the lion statues (often placed at the entrance of Chinese restaurants).
Greeting: consists of three movements, normally left-right-left, swaying/swinging of the head. They can be quite large movements, but inside restaurants there's often too little room, so there's a number of short versions. Greeting has to be done in the beginning and the end, when a lion meets another, before entering a restaurant, and when confronted with statues of Divinities (like the ones often seen in groups inside restaurants).
Licking the door posts / lion statues: to bring good luck to anyone who passed by that door. If it's the kitchen door, it's to bless the food/kitchen.
Eating and spitting the food: the salad that the lion eats is usually placed quite high, so the lion head-player has to stand onto the shoulders (or legs) of the tail-player to be able to reach it. The lion can't just grab the food, it must first walk around and look carefully if it's not a trap. Usually there are two approaches before the lion really eats the salad (making for 3, the magic number, in total). The salad must be torn to pieces that then have to be spit back, also in 3 times: left-right-middle (to where the owner should be). Of course this story can be much more complicated, when the restaurant owner places a number of oranges (that have each to be peeled) or other fruit, or better: spit a live fish into a small pond inside the restaurant
Then, sometimes, the lion offers a small flag/cloth with a text (in Chinese), saying something like: so-and-so lion dance school wishes Mr.X. a Happy New Year and good prosperity etc..

What are the difficult moves and how do you practise them?
I would say, the most difficult thing is just to dance nicely: good fluidity, synchronously with the drum, and the rear person should move correctly with the front one.
Of course, the acrobatic moves are very spectacular, hence the need to be able to do those. I would say, the acrobatic moves are the following ones:

• front person standing on the rear persons legs, both legs
• front person standing on the rear persons legs, on one leg
• front person standing on the rear persons shoulders, both legs
• front person standing on the rear persons shoulders, on one leg
• front person wrapping his legs around rear persons body to hang horizontally or downwards

I want a lion dance performance for my special occasion. Where can I find a team and what does it cost?
If you're in the neighborhood of the Netherlands, contact me here. If you're not, you may be able to find a team through the Lion Dance Mailing List.
About the cost: it varies, and honestly, I don't know. I think it can be from a couple of hundred US dollars to a couple of thousand, depending on the occasion, how many people are involved and what they have to do (if they have to bring their stage to dance on, etcetc.), if they have to travel far, and if the occasion can be of their benefit (if the school may be able to get more students through the performance, the teacher may consider it publicity). Also, it depends if the occasion is profitable for the organiser or if it's all on a more or less voluntary basis...

What is the music like, and why don't you have any soundfiles of it on your site?
Well, there are two main types of music that I know (maybe there are plenty more types..), that can also be combined. The type I'm most familiar with consists of 4 main different rythms: greeting, high drum/dance, normal walking beat, ....
Actually, yes, I could use a nice .wav file here to explain what I mean, but: I don't have the means (no recording of our dances, nor possibilities to sample that to a sound file). So if you have any, contact me!

For that matter, why don't you have any video clips either?
Sorry, same answer: I don't have the means: no recording (may have one soon though), and no way to sample that into a .mpg file...

How are the lion heads made (how can I make one)?
The heads are traditionally made of paper-mache on a rottan frame. Nowadays there are more and more lions (from Singapore I think) that are made on an aluminium frame.
For those wanting to make one: honestly, I can only advice you to buy one. Firstly, I don't know how they are made, I can just see what the construction is like. Secondly, those who are good at making lion heads, are good because of a lot of experience and practise.

Are there any books you can recommend?
There is only one that I know, but a second part should be out shortly:
Chinese lion dance explained, by doctor William Hsu (? sure about the title, not about the authors name, I can't check since I lent mine to a friend..).