What is the purpose of lion dance? To answer that please refer to the Story of the NIAN.
Within that story you can draw the conclusion that lion dance was used to scare away the beast by
2 men disguised as a lion and also the noise created by the villagers banging on they're pots and pans. Lion dance is thus
seen as cleasening your property or business of any evil or bad spirits for the forthcoming year.
What type of event is lion dance suitable for? Lion dance is suitable for
many types of events, all year round and not just Chinese New Year.
How much space do you require to perform lion dance? Ideally a minimum of
5 metres x 3 metres, but we do a lot of shows in resturants and the space is very tight and we can adjust a performance to
your venue.
What is the signaficance of the lettuce? The lion will perform
a Cai Qing (pluck the green - Choi Cheng in Cantonese). The green represents fortune, the lion willl test and investigate
the green and then when the lion is satisfied that the green is safe to eat he will Chi Qing (eat the green) and
to spread the fortune he will Peng Qing (spit the green). It is considered fortunate to be covered or hit by the Qing,
as you are considered to be covered in fortune for the forthcoming year.
OK, I understand about the lettuce but I have seen other types of vegetables, fruit and
even flowers used? We commonly use Gum (Cantonese for Mandarin type oranges) Gum shares the same character and
sound for gold, therefore laying out many oranages is like laying out lots of gold. This is particulary meaningful in a routine
called Si Ji Hua Kai (lit meaning: 4 seasons flower opening) where the each orange represents a season, the lion will spit
the oranges to spread gold for the forthcoming 4 seasons.
There are over 400 types of routine that the lion can play such as the Snake Qing where a stick is
used to represent the snakes body and 2 oranges the eyes and 2 daggers the fangs. Props can also be used in a performance
a bench can represent a bridge , a table a mountain, typically in this type of routine the lion will search for the flower
of immortality or Ling Zhi (type of Mushroom). As you can see there are many types of routine, but the most important thing
is that you should be able to see a story within the performance.
Should I provide the lettuce? Yes, it is customary for the person requesting
the lion to provide the lettuce, oranges and a red packet with a token amount of money inside.
Can the lion greet the guests as they arrive at the venue? Yes this is commonly
performed in Malaysia at business openings and weddings, guests will normally give the lion a Hong Bao or Lai See (red packet
with money inside) as they are greeted by the lion.
I would really like the lion dance to be a suprise for my guests, are you able to this?
Yes, as long as you inform us in advance.
How far in advance can we book you? We can take bookings up to a year in
advance and have even taken performances on 24 hours notice. We adivise that you book ASAP, as dates can go very quickly and
we accept bookings on a first come basis. Please note that we require a 10 % deposit to reserve a date.
How far in advance of showtime do you arrive at the venue? On
average 1 hour before so that we can look at the performance area, change and warm-up. During busy times such as Chinese New
Year this may be decreased to 15 minutes before showtime. We can arrive earlier at venues but is subject to agreement.
What areas do you cover? Nationwide & Europe.
