The Village in China

   A long time ago a stranger creature appeared in China and terrorized a village. It horrified and ate men and animals. This creature was called nian, which sounds like the Chinese word for year. After a while, the villagers were fed up with the beast and concocted a plan. The villagers made a beats from paper mache and used noise-making instruments, such as the drum, gong and cymbals, to scare away the beats. Their plans worked and the villagers celebrated with firecrackers. Thus, it is believed that lion dancing brings good luck and prosperity while driving away the evil.

   Others say a kung fu expert learned of the beast and went to the forest to fight it. He fought with the lion on three occasions but was unable to capture it. So he called up some of the villagers and trained them in martial arts with the intention to kill the lion. A few months later, they went up to the mountain again and finally they killed the lion. The villagers, in order to celebrate the occasion, followed the steps of those who fought with the lion and thus, the lion dance was composed.

   Others say that the villagers asked the fox and the tiger for help, but neither of them could fight the nian effectively. In despair the people asked the lion for help. The lion shook his mane, rushed towards the creature and wounded it. The nian hurried away with its tail between its legs. But it announced that it would exact its revenge. A year later, the nian returned as promised. This time, the lion could not help the people; he was too busy guarding the Emperor's gate. So the villagers decided to do the jobs themselves. Out of bamboo and cloth they produced an image of the lion. Two men crawled inside it and approached the nian. The “lion” pranced and roared and the monster fled away again. This is the reason why on the even of the Lunar New Year, lions always dance. They are frightening evil away for yet another year.

   Others say that the beast itself was a lion and that the villager didn't know how to stop its attacks so they asked for the help of a Buddhist monk. It is said that the monk tamed the lion, which in turn became the protector of the people.

The Emperor's Dream

   The Emperor had a dream one night while traveling to the South. In that dream a mystical creature, whose head bore a horn, saved the Emperor's life. In the dream he became separated from his army and, lost with no food or drink, he began to panic. The creature protected him and guided him back to the palace. The creature looked at him and then with sparkling eyes disappeared as surprisingly as it had appeared. When the Emperor awoke, he decided that from that moment on, that creature was to be considered the King of all animals. Immediately he gathered his servants, artists and craftsmen around him and began to search for a possible meaning to his dream. His subordinates later concluded that this creature could have been a lion, who wanted to let the Emperor know that he was the same rank as the Emperor. Since the lion saved the Emperor in his dream the lion quickly became a symbol of good luck throughout China.

From Heaven to Earth

   The mythical character was very mischievous and a practical joker which created a great deal of trouble. On one occasion he decided to play a practical joke on the Jade Emperor. The Emperor became infuriated by all the trouble the lion caused so he cut off the lions head and threw the head and body down to the Earth to rot. However, not long after this incident, Guan Yin felt sorry for the lion and decided to help him. Using a long red ribbon she tied the lions head back on brought him back to life. This red ribbon is still seen today and is said to give the lion all its power. Guan Yin also gave the lion a horn to fight with a mirror to frighten away evil spirits.

What is the Lion Dance?

   There are generally four factors that are needed to make up the Lion Dance: the head, the tail, the Buddha, and the drum or musical section. The musical section is normally made up of: a drum, a gong, and one or two pairs of cymbals.

   The prestigious positions in a lion dance troupe are either the Lion's head or the drum. The tail position is overlooked by most people and is undoubtedly one of the most difficult roles to play. The person whom is the tail must make sure that he follows every step that the head makes every time and also follow the music. He is also required to be couched over in an uncomfortable position in order to operate the tail. With recent evolutions of the lion dance, the tail becomes more important with the number of stunts and acrobatic tricks that are used today.

   The drummer also has a difficult job. He must follow the Lion with his beat and also lead the lion when a change of plans suddenly happens. The drummer must also adjust if the Lion happens to make a mistake, He must be versatile.

   Then there is the Buddha head. The Buddha is a Chinese monk. The person must wear a mask which is usually painted pink (white for a female) over his head. He must wear a robe and also carry a fan which is made up of a palm leaf. He plays with and also teases the Lion. He must lead the Lion to the lettuce, called the Lion's Chan, which the Lion tries to catch and eat. This denotes good luck. The Buddha is also a very demanding role to play. The person playing it must be a very athletic and perform movements like an acrobat by doing cartwheels, jumps, and various Kung Fu moves. But in return, the Lion, depending on it's mood, will either play with, chase, bite, and or kick the Buddha around.

   By far, the most important role is the person who plays the Lion's head. He must be very versatile and very athletic. In order to play this position, the person must have the ability to make cat like movements with only the use of his lower body. His upper body duplicates the head movements, which leaves the hands and arms to control the eyes, mouth, ears, and facial expressions.

   There are two basic methods used when performing the Lion Dance. The first is called the freestyle method, in which the dancers must improvise by making up all the moves as the performance moves along. The dancers must also have the skills to be able to follow the music being played with the Lion's movements at the same time. This method is primarily used when performing in the streets. For example, on Chinese New Year, the Lion dancers traditionally take their lions and dance their way though the streets and alleyways, going to every door of every building that are on blocks that are within the area, usually throughout Chinatown. The Lion pays a visit to each place. This visit is called the Pai, which means to visit or honor with one's presence. The Lion dances in front of the entry way to bring good luck. Those who are visited will put out a Chan, which could be a piece of lettuce or oranges, along with a red envelope and sometimes a traditional puzzle will be set out. A true test of knowledge and experience is needed when the Lion is confronted with a puzzle. The Lion must know how to solve it. For instance, if there is a pan of water with some coins at the bottom, the Lion must remove a certain number of the coins and leave a certain number of coins in order to fulfill the traditional act in order to bring good luck. There is a long list of traditional problems the Lion must know how to answer correctly if he is to show the quality of the Kung Fu school.

   The second method of Lion Dancing is called a routine set, in which the dancers know exactly what moves are going to be performed before hand. Everything from stunts, footwork, music, and movements are choreographed so that the entire routine is synchronized.