WTF is dragon dancing?

[SevenStar]

My job is hosting a local cultural event in a few days. I looked at the itenerary, and one of the things listed is chinese dragon dancers. I've heard of lion dancing, but dragon dancing?

[MasterKiller]

Big long dragon chases a ball around. Similar to Lion Dancing, but done with more people.

[SevenStar]

aa friend of mine trained under a hop gar sifu named ku chi wai. He said "if your lion dancing is good, your kung fu is also good". Would that apply to dragon dancing also?

[MasterKiller]

Not really. It's not really on the same level, athletically speaking.

[red5angel]

how is lion dancing supposed to equate to good martial skill?

[Reggie1]

how is lion dancing supposed to equate to good martial skill?

How is breakdancing supposed to equate to good martial skill? ;)

Besides, I imagine that's just what the sifu said to get his students to lion dance. :)

[red5angel]

lol, seriously though, I've heard that said a few times. I'm just curious what it is about lion dancing that is supposed to equate to good martial arts?

[PangQuan]

how is lion dancing supposed to equate to good martial skill?

A good lion dance team will work in syncronization, implying good timing. The head will show his upper body strength, which is developed through hard training, by rigorously shaking the head of the lion. Acrobatics are involved as well to show how nimble, flexable and dexteritous the individuals are. The tail end of the lion is responsible for leading up many of the higher end acrobatics and is also responsible for following the directions and leads of the head, showing good reaction time and reflex.

Trust me, if you see good kung fu practitioners do a lion dance and then see awfull kung fu practitioners do a lion dance, you will imediately see the difference. A good martial artist will be able to tell how good the dancers are at their martial arts by observing the body mechanics used as well as the difficulty in movements performed, in acordance with teamwork.

edit: this is just a small list of simple examples.

[zenile]

I also think you can tell who are good kung fu practioners while doing lion dancing by the deepness of there stances and transition between stances. It's not easy to stay in those low stances for extented periods of time... :D

[red5angel]

makes sense to me, and what I suspected, just wanted to confirm. So it doesn't translate directly, but in theory if one is training well in the martial arts, one will probably also be good at the lion dance?

[PangQuan]

makes sense to me, and what I suspected, just wanted to confirm. So it doesn't translate directly, but in theory if one is training well in the martial arts, one will probably also be good at the lion dance?

Precisely. Also, it can be darn tough for a lion dancers to keep their sync going and stances low while they have firecrackers blowing up at their feet.

[bigdoing]

Ive also seen some really strong lion dancers who are only decent in there martial side of training.

As far as the endurance for repetious movment, and the leg strength for the tail, then yes, it can be seen how hard somebody has been training.

[PangQuan]

One of the easiest ways to understand how you can tell someones kung fu is good by watching lion dancing is this. Watch some 3rd year practitioner dance. Then watch an actual master dance. Trust me, you will see the difference. Its fluididy, timing, preciseness, control, strength, flexability, endurance, dexterity. An only decent kung fu practitioner will not possess all of these in his dancing. He would be missing or severly lacking several of the above named attributes.

[bigdoing]

I would sat somebody who never trained in martial arts, meaning the fighting techniques or fighting priciples can of course learn how to lion dance with the best of them. Your kung fu would be in lion dancing and not kung fu in martial forms of application.

[PangQuan]

This is true. The main difference you would see in someones dancing who has no martial background would be things such as powerfull kicks. You will note a flowery substance to the movements versus a direct power driven form. But bigdoing is correct, you could develop dancing kung fu without any wushu training. But a veteran martial artist will be able to tell the difference. A martial artist will take every advantage to show their skill when dancing. Especially if they are challenged by another lion.

Woe is the day a non martial artist is lion dancing and challenged by a martial artists lion team.

[isol8d]

Not really. It's not really on the same level, athletically speaking.

It can be close. Depends on the school I suppose. Wah Lum's demo team(I think they were from the Temple, but I was just a spectator) did a very athletic Dragon last year. Head jumping over the tail and what not.

It was fun to watch, but I've seen some Lion dances that have blown me away in comparison.

Explanation of Lion Dancing vs Dragon Dancing (http://www.rising-dragon.co.uk/feng-shui/dragon-dancing_lion-dancing.htm)

[David Jamieson]

A bunch of martial artists doing a dragon dance is not the norm though. I would expect a martial arts troupe to jazz up the Dragon Dance considerably over the standard fair Dragon dance.

But, I totally agree with PQ's statement. A good Kungfu school usually has a really, and I mean really, good lion dance team. It's all there.

If your kungfu is not developed, that will show in your lion dance as well.

Lion dance is very complimentary to kungfu training. It uses a lot of footwork and builds a lot of stamina in a player and when it's on the street it's innovative and fast thinking stuff. cool to watch.

the choreographed stuff on the jongs is cool too, just not as spontaneous as street lion dance.

Dragon dance on the other hand is a community thing for the most part and the local euchre group from the Chinese senior citizens home can hold one of them and still have the right spirit in it. Run and follow the ball, side to side, walk, run around etc, etc. Not quite the same athletic skills required.

[GeneChing]

Took me a bit of searching, but I figured we had a dragon dance thread somewhere.


Dragon Dance 101: Chinese university tries to keep fiery tradition alive (http://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/2116472/dragon-dance-101-chinese-university-tries-keep-fiery-tradition)
Students given chance to learn the finer points of a complex team performance
PUBLISHED : Sunday, 22 October, 2017, 5:04pm
UPDATED : Sunday, 22 October, 2017, 5:04pm
Laura Zhou

https://cdn3.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/styles/980x551/public/images/methode/2017/10/22/d84c287a-b701-11e7-95c2-e7a557915c7a_1280x720_170426.JPG

A university in eastern China is taking a step back in time to become the latest college offering classes in traditional dragon and lion dances.
Zhejiang University in Hangzhou is one of more than 200 tertiary campuses around the country offering the classes in a national push to keep the tradition alive, news portal Thepaper.cn reported on Sunday.
In all, 170 Zhejiang University students signed up for the classes, 20 more than organisers had hoped for, the report said.

https://cdn1.i-scmp.com/sites/default/files/images/methode/2017/10/22/d80ecc64-b701-11e7-95c2-e7a557915c7a_972x_170426.JPG
At least 15 people are needed to manipulate the dragon. Photo: Handout

Course coordinator Jiang Kai said each student would have to learn to play his or her part in the complex dances, with at least 15 people needed to move a dragon’s tail that can be up to 18 metres long.
Jiang, who studied martial arts and dragon dance at Beijing Sport University, said the performances were difficult to learn and many had abandoned the tradition.
“I had 30 classmates learning the dragon dance at university, but only eight of us kept on going,” he said. “The dragon dance is not easy, and many people give up.”
Jiang said he worried about the future of the tradition as fewer people were interested in the performances.
“It is a traditional sport and not as trendy as tennis or golf,” he said.

[GeneChing]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04CGkm6-wDc

[GeneChing]

130 legs and a 27kg head: world's longest imperial dragon unveiled – in pictures (https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/gallery/2019/apr/22/130-legs-and-a-27kg-head-worlds-longest-imperial-dragon-unveiled-in-pictures)

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/73d8ab0653225923460890ff0c715196da04fd8b/0_0_3543_2365/master/3543.jpg?width=1900&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&
Dai Gum Loong parades through Bendigo at Australia’s oldest cultural festival. Photograph: David Hawkswood

The Victorian city of Bendigo ‘awakened’ its newest Chinese dragon – thought to be the longest imperial dragon in the world – at one of Australia’s oldest cultural festivals, which dates back to the gold rush. The three-day Easter festival featured parades, fire crackers, music, markets and dance – and a hunt for 170,000 chocolate eggs hidden through Rosalind Park

Photos by David Hawkswood; text by Guardian staff

Sun 21 Apr 2019 21.43 EDT

Dai Gum Loong, Bendigo’s new Chinese dragon, was unveiled at a ritual awakening on Saturday: a ceremony involving 100,000 fire crackers that dates back to 1892 during the gold rush, which brought an influx of Chinese people to the regional Victorian town.
Photograph: David Hawkswood

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/cfb269c78f359baedae3f45a86782991c1105450/0_0_3543_2365/master/3543.jpg?width=1010&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&

Until recently, Bendigo was the only place in the world which celebrated this ritual – and Dai Gum Loong is only the third new imperial dragon the city has welcomed. He is also the first male dragon in Bendigo to be carried by women as well as men.
Photograph: David Hawkswood

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/fb75cf2e77ed7a61c931913b0efb3ba5aa6979b5/0_0_3543_2365/master/3543.jpg?width=1010&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&

The dragon measures 125 metres, and comprises 6,000 individual scales and 100,000 mirrors – a particularity of imperial dragons that require special craftsmanship. Dai Gum Loong, created by dragon maker Master Hui Ka Hung, requires 65 people to carry him.
Photograph: David Hawkswood

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/57b607e70e99977c954a9ba7dccb7682aad9474f/0_0_3543_2365/master/3543.jpg?width=1010&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&

His head alone weighs 27 kilograms.
Photograph: David Hawkswood

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/9775af428926f06f7b114496f701ccf4816a5fce/0_0_2831_2365/master/2831.jpg?width=1010&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&

The Easter festival was a three-day affair that culminated on Sunday, when Dai Gum Loong wove through streets lined with 80,000 people, according to the festival promoters. On Friday, 170,000 chocolate eggs were hidden in Rosalind Park; a hunt began at 9am with three-year-olds, opening up to progressively older children as the day continued.
Photograph: David Hawkswood

https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/4ed0c3bb4820749121978aa9f6f8b7cde298c6c6/0_0_3543_2365/master/3543.jpg?width=1010&quality=45&auto=format&fit=max&dpr=2&


125 meters = 410+ feet
27 kilos = 56+ lbs

oh crap - the pic poaching didn't work.

just follow the hyperlink then.

[SPJ]

Lion dancing is more common.

It brings fortune to business.

:cool: