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Thread: Chinese Lion Dance

  1. #61

    Wink

    Jaguar Wong,

    Was wondering if you could e-mail me.
    I have a friend that recently moved to Las Vegas.

    Into lion dancing as well as 7* mantis. Wanted to put him in touch with the team you mentioned.

    Thanks
    enjoy life

  2. #62
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Vancouver, Canada
    Posts
    12
    Just as a reply about the main topic, up in Vancouver, Canada we have a lot of kwoons that participate in lion dancing. Although the kwoon that I go to is mainly Tai Chi Praying Mantis, my sifu also learned Hung Gar. That's how we are able to have lion dancing up here. There are also several different styles/kwoons such as Choi Lay Fut, Lama, and some others that I can't remember. The last tournament that we held in Vancouver (Dec 1st) we had at least 6+ clubs with lions there doing a lion dance accompanying a dragon before finishing off with the grand championships. I have also seen dragon dancing but not very often. Many of the kwoons up here including the one I attend do many dances for Chinese New Years especially in malls and of course China Town. But we do get requests year round, for either grand openings of stores or other occassions. Just a word of elaboration that there is lion dancing up in Canada as well.

  3. #63

    fei

    The Canadian LD teams I have seen are really good, I imagine you would have quite the demand considering the large Chinese population in B.C.

    In 2000, I saw a lion dance from a Canadian team at the USCKF International Campionships in Maryland, I gotta tell you, those guys rocked!


  4. #64

    Talking Lion Dance

    Hi!
    I'm hoping that there are some other women out there practicing lion dance thay may have some tips for me and carrying that BIG LION head on my small shoulders. I'm also interested in playing the roll of tail.

    Let me know if you have any good training ideas!


    Thanks!!!
    Vixie
    learn kindness, learn fellowship, learn kung fu

  5. #65
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Boston
    Posts
    706
    Hi, vixie!

    I began learning some lion dance moves a few months ago -- I practiced with the lion head back in May/June and right now I'm learning the tail for New Year.

    With the lion head especially, my si hing told me that arm strength and stamina are the two biggest elements -- he said I should do lots of pushups and some running to build up both.

    On the opening set of the lion dance -- you'll be holding the lion head high for quite awhile. When you bring it down and when you're stepping side to side (lady horse/riding horse), rest the back of the lion head on your shoulders. This will take a little stress off your arms. Other than that, he said the best way to get stronger is to practice the set over and over and over and over ...


    On the tail, stamina and back strength are important -- do running, situps/crunches and work the back flexor muscles. Also, a quote from Sifu Mimi: "Watch where your hands are! I don't wanna see any fingertips poking out from under the tail!" And just stay low. Real low.

    Peace,
    Sam

    P.S. -- don't let the discussion on the other Wah lum thread get you down. People always have comments/questions about other systems, and everyone thinks their system is the best. That's not a bad thing. I don't know if you followed a certain thread several months ago, but that was serious Wah Lum bashing. The current discussion is just that -- discussion. Please don't leave the board over that.
    There is a great streak of violence in every human being. If it is not channeled and understood, it will break out in war or in madness. ~Sam Peckinpah

  6. #66
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Sydney, NSW, Australia
    Posts
    4,418
    Track down Triskellin (sp?). She does lion dance I think.
    cxxx[]:::::::::::>
    Behold, I see my father and mother.
    I see all my dead relatives seated.
    I see my master seated in Paradise and Paradise is beautiful and green; with him are men and boy servants.
    He calls me. Take me to him.

  7. #67

    Talking THANK YOU!!

    I really appreciate the tips! I do a lot of running (4 miles 3x/wk and 6'ish on Sundays)...I think my shoulders and arms are my week point so, I'll start working a little harder on that. Oh...and practicing the set over and over and over...*giggles*

    Thanks again!
    Vixie

    p.s.
    I know that some of it is genuine information sharing, but a lot of it is just plain bitterness, so..I won't leave the board entirely, I'll just disregard those names that seem to have the biggest axe to grind. You've been most helpful and informative...THANK YOU!!!
    learn kindness, learn fellowship, learn kung fu

  8. #68
    I practice the lion dance, too.

    You'll also want to improve your grip so you can work the facial features and the mouth. I use those chinese exercise balls--economical and easy to do.

    Also, improve the stregnth in the trapezius muscle. It'll help you hold up the head as your hands are manipulating the face. One thing to do for this is to lift a barbell or dumbells straight up your body, hold, then back down. The weights should glide up close to your body and your elbows will bend up and out.

    There are other exercises, but that one should help out a bit. I don't know how much you want to get into resistance training.

    Robin
    Surrender yourself to nature and be all that you are.

  9. #69
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Austin
    Posts
    146

    Lion Dancing

    Over last weekend there was a big politicl gathering for Chinese New Year with the Asian consolate... my school was invited to open the festvities with a Dragon.. and another school was then going to do a lion dance.. it ended up that they lost one of their dancers... My instructor decided to volunteer me for the other half of the lion.. me not having practiced with a lion EVER.. he said just follow the guy in front of you... hmmm OK

    We did it and the dance took bout 5 min to do.. but afterward I was soaking wet with sweat and my legs felt like I practiced for a couple of hours..

    So now I siked about this and want to learn it.. I tried to do some research on the net about it.. but there isn't a whole lot of info out there (or i may just be looking in the wrong places)

    Can any of y'all give me any resources to look at.. like where to get the costumes.. differences between northern and southern lion dancing.. etc.

    I'm sure anything will be helpful

    Thanks
    Greg

  10. #70
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Sydney, Australia
    Posts
    1,400
    Hey Greg
    I cant help you in your search but i would like the same information as well.
    I did my first lion dance in Sydney the other night and i had approximately 3 hours of practice before being tasked with the head
    Just jump around in stance to the drumb he says, here watch me he says, BAH!


    Still i ended up doing well enough to keep my sifu happy and the crowd happy and had an absolute blast whilst doing it. Plus i found out girls like lions

    It would have been REALLY nice if my sifu had mentioned a few SMALL details to me BEFORE we started.
    Like...
    It goes for 10 minutes not 2 and i will be expected to parade around a popular Sydney night spot with a roof thats so low i have to sit in parralel horse to not hit the head on the roof and that there are stairs EVERYWHERE.
    That and the whole heavy lion, low stance, sweating like a german sausage part.
    Having said all that ive got several more to do over the next comming days including tommorow night and even looking forward to it
    Up and down, forward and backward, left and right, its all the same. All of this is done with the mind, not externaly.
    ------------------------------------
    Shaped dragon and looking monkey, sitting tiger and turning eagle.


    "I wonder how they would do against jon's no-tension fu. I bet they'd do REALLY WELL."
    - Huang Kai Vun

  11. #71
    there's plenty of information on the net about lion dancing. take a look at this website, it's got very good resources. and you can join the lion dance mailing list (which i'm on) as well: http://www.geocities.com/lionscave1/

    and check this site out if you think you're good at lion dancing, it'll shatter all your hopes and dreams, haha! these guys are AMAZING: http://www.genting.com.my/en/videocl...2001/index.htm


    happy lion dancing, it's very easy with alot of practice! though maybe not half as good as the genting participants!!
    Last edited by ji way lung; 02-14-2002 at 09:31 AM.
    If you have nothing to prove, you have no need to fight.

  12. #72
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Austin
    Posts
    146

    Thanks

    Thanks for the good info..

  13. #73
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Sydney, Australia
    Posts
    1,863

    Jon

    Did you see my schools lion dance in chinatown at all last weekend? we also did the dragon on sunday, i was all over the news with the lord mayor and in most news papers holding the head of the dragon etc.

    ykm is the only school here that does the mui fa jong flowery poles with the lion. it was off the hook, chinatown has never been so packed to watch a lion dance.

    Hows your new style going? didnt hung gar do the lion dance?

  14. #74
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Sydney, Australia
    Posts
    1,400
    Hi F.T
    Sounds like your lion dance went off with a bang in more ways than one Im afraid i missed your schools as i spent the morning in Bagua and the afternoon practicing lion for our school.
    Are you guys doing any more, if so ill come down? We have one tommorow in Parramatta and another on Monday in Newcastle.

    Bagua has been great ive been training solidly everyday with Ho sifu. Its different to what i expected and is much more easily addapted to other arts than i thought. Its actualy an excerlent coupling with my Hung and i would have to say that doing an internal and external art at once is very eye opening. My Hung is starting to round out and be more fluent which is a help.
    Next i wanna get a few Xing Yi lessons just for a little spice

    My Hung sifu is not into lion dance and im actualy not sure if he even knows it himself, he has never spoken of it. This is at odds with many Hung schools as its kinda part of Hungs culture but never the less i respect his judgement. I think the main issue would be finding the time to train it. He has enough hassles getting everyone to train stance outside of class so we dont have to take up hours every lesson doing that. I cant imagine trying to get us all doing lion when we only have a few hours together a week. Not to mention the costs in getting all the stuff in the first place.

    Anyway i hope your school and yourself are doing well and enjoying Chinese new years.
    All the best
    Jon
    Up and down, forward and backward, left and right, its all the same. All of this is done with the mind, not externaly.
    ------------------------------------
    Shaped dragon and looking monkey, sitting tiger and turning eagle.


    "I wonder how they would do against jon's no-tension fu. I bet they'd do REALLY WELL."
    - Huang Kai Vun

  15. #75
    Are any of u sydney peeps going to be at the parade in chinatown tomorrow doing lion dance. My CLF school is doing lion dancing there with 2 lions & kung fu demos at the end of the day on dixon st. I was at glebe temple on monday night with my school, there was kung fu demos & lion dance, it was done on the benches too. The gwoon has been real busy with lion dance, theres a photo of my sihing doing lion dance on the plum blossom poles on our website in the gallery. (cool)
    "The Dragon and the Tiger met in Heaven, to revive our Shaolin ways"

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