The Lion Dance is a traditional Chinese dance, whereby performers wear costumes that resemble that of a lion and attempt to mimic a lion’s movements and actions. It can be divided into two distinct areas – the Northern Lion Dance and the Southern Lion Dance.
Northern Lion Dance
The Northern Lion dance was introduced to Singapore in the 1930s and was once used as entertainment for the imperial court, and the performers usually carry out acrobatic acts that may sometimes be dangerous for the audience’s entertainment. The Northern Lion is made to resemble the features of a real lion, with long and shaggy orange and yellow hair as well as a bow on its head to represent its gender [red for male, green for female]. Performers usually perform in pairs, with the first person holding the lion’s head and the second person bending down to hold the first person’s waist to resemble a lion.
Southern Lion Dance
The Southern Lion Dance, which is the more commonly seen version in Singapore, originated from the coastal provinces of Guangdong and Fujian, is more symbolic in nature and performed to summon luck and fortune.
The Southern Lion can come in a variety of different colour combinations – the yellow or golden lion, kind-hearted, auspicious, and brave. The red and black lion represents courage, wisdom, might, and chivalry. The black and white lion symbolizes power and loyalty. The green lion represents invincibility and friendliness.
Lions may also have a white beard that symbolize steadiness, seniority, and prudence, or a black beard symbolizing invincibility, wisdom, and a fighting spirit. A brief classification of them would be into 4 types: the Zhou Jia [Zhou family] lion, the He Shan [Crane Mountain] lion, the Fo Shan [Buddha mountain] lion, and the Fo He [Buddha crane] lion.
Today, Lion Dance is often practiced as a form of sports-oriented activity and can be seen as a type of recreation.
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