WTF is dragon dancing?

[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

[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
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



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.


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]

[GeneChing]

130 legs and a 27kg head: world's longest imperial dragon unveiled – in pictures


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



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



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



His head alone weighs 27 kilograms.
Photograph: David Hawkswood



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

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.