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The traditional lion dance began thousands of years ago. Legend tells us that the practice of lion dancing began when the fierce and beast-like guard of the South Gate of heaven, Lin Shu, attacked a village on New Year's Day. When the villagers' efforts to fight off the beast were all unsuccessful, the terrified villagers prayed to heaven to save them and their village. They were told by the gods to feed the beast a vegetable with a powerful herb mixed in to intoxicate him. The next time the beast came to attack the village, the villagers had already set a trap for it. While they hid, the vegetable was placed in the middle of the village for the beast to see. Thanks to the special herb in the vegetable, the beast found itself irresistibly attracted to it. Being unsure of what it the vegetable was the beast slowly moved towards it to investigate. After testing it for traps and checking for anyone nearby, it lunged toward the vegetable and engulfed it. Promptly afterwards, the beast became drowsy and eventually fell asleep. Then as instructed, the villagers all came out of hiding and banged their pots and pans together with all their might, frightening him out of his sleep and out of their village. The instructions from heaven worked - the beast ran away!
However, the very next day, the beast had returned. The villagers, believing that the trap had failed, were once again terrified. Luckily, instead of laying waste to the village, the beast had returned to protect them. As time went on, the village grew and the beast eventually left the village. To express their gratitude after the beast's departure, the inhabitants began the lion dance in memory of the beast and his transformation form evil to good, from the village's destruction to its protection.
Today the practice of lion dancing continues. A lion dancing demonstration includes a paper mache lion with many elaborate decorations, a tail that is around 12 feet long, and is operated by two people. One person performs as the head of the lion while the second person follows in as the tail. A group of musicians playing a drum, a gong, and cymbals accompany lion dancers. The drum represents the lion's roar, while the gong and cymbals represent the pots and pans the villagers used. The musical team includes one person playing the drum, two people for the cymbals and two for the gong. Depending on the requirements of the demonstration, two additional people may be needed to carry the drum so on average 10-12 are needed per demonstration.
Each demonstration goes on for up to thirty minutes and can be flexible depending on your needs. For example we can for a certain amount of time, interact with the crowd for another given amount of time or split it by dancing and then allowing the crowd to try some things with the lion for themselves. So no matter how time is split, the demonstration will go on for the full run.
The Tai Yim Kung Fu Lion Dancing Team has been performing in the United States for over 20 years. Our team members spend many hours each week practicing together and are committed to giving only the very best lion dancing performance. Our lion dancing demonstration is available throughout the year and can bring excitement and energy to any event.
Please call (301) 949-9299 for details.
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