Lion Dance
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What is lion dance? Is it the same thing as dragon dance?
- Lion dance is a form of a traditional Chinese dance intended to scare away evil spirits and bring good luck to the audience. At its core, it’s a way for a kung fu school to demonstrate its power and showcase the abilities of its students. Lion dances perform in lion costumes, with one person at the head and the other at the tail.
- Contrary to popular belief, it is NOT the same thing as dragon dance. Dragon dance has no legs, with many performers. Lion dance has four legs and two performers.
- For more information, check out this Tumblr post made by a former member!
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What style of lion dance do you perform?
- We perform the fut-san (or foshan) style of southern Chinese lion dance.
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Eew, you threw lettuce on me at a performance! What’s with the lettuce?
- In a traditional performance, the lion “eats” a head of romaine lettuce, then spits it back out at the audience. Lettuce, with its green color (kind of like money!), is a symbol of good luck. Essentially, the lion is throwing good luck on its audience members!
Performances
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When are your performances?
- On campus at Johns Hopkins during the fall semester, we perform during the Dance O-Show and Culture Show. We also perform at various off-campus events throughout the year.
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Can you perform at my wedding/New Year’s Event/birthday party/school event?
- Yes, we can! Fill out this booking form to get in touch with us. We will respond within 24 hours.
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How much does it cost for a performance?
- Performance costs depend on the length of the performance, number of lions, and type of performance. Please contact us for specific performance questions.