I (sadly) had been referring to the dance as the dragon dance.. only to be corrected by locals and expats that knew better! My bad. After making the mistake twice, I did my research and discovered that I wasn't alone, it is a common misconception...
The traditional Chinese Lion dance, usually performed during festivals and most commonly during Chinese New Year celebrations, involves performers mimicking a lion's movements in a lion costume. However, there IS also a dragon dance! An easy way to tell the difference is that the lion is operated by only two people who are 'inside' the lion. A dragon needs many people, sometimes up to 50! In this dance, the performers can be seen since the dragon is held up on poles.
The Lion's movements go in time with loud drum and symbol beats which can be heard BLOCKS away. The moves resemble those I've seen in top Kung Fu movies, taking inspiration from traditional martial arts.
I loved the cheeky and playful nature of the Lion. Simply put, the dance 'made my NY'!
Lion acrobatics in China town!
Lion Dance - Lion providing offerings to the gods and people
I also had the pleasure of seeing some of the top floats from the annual Changay Parade - AMAZING!!! Snaps below!
What a month! Love love love the vibe and (as mentioned before) BEAUTIFUL decorations all around the country.
Can't wait til next year! :)
S x
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