Lion Dance
Chinese Lion Dance is an integral part of the rich history & traditions of Chinese culture. Originally the Lion was actually a mythical creature tamed by the villagers & used, along with loud drums & cymbals, to scare other demons away from their crops.
Now it is used to celebrate any number of events such as birthdays, weddings, the opening of a new business & so forth.
However, still the most popular use for the Lion Dance is at the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival. The Lion represents the New Year concept of celebrating new birth & new beginnings.
Traditionally martial arts clubs would perform Lion Dance because only they had the strength, flexibility & stamina to handle the rigours of the difficult movements.
Chinese Lion Dance became an integral part of almost all Kung Fu clubs in China & the Far East. However, as with so many of these traditional skills, many modern Kung Fu clubs do not practice Lion Dance.
White Crane Martial Arts practice & perform Lion Dance regularly. This is of great benefit to the students as the movements are very martial in their performance. Plus, of course, it is great fun!
ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A CHINESE LION DANCE FOR YOUR EVENT OR FUNCTION?
White Crane Martial Arts can perform a Chinese Lion Dance for a wide variety of events including:
Chinese New Year
Opening of a new business
Weddings
Corporate functions
Chinese society events
School Events
Fetes
Fairs
& many more!
(South East Area only)
Please call 07885 963979 to discuss your individual needs.
All Female Lion Dance Team- An Article by the Chief Instructor, Mr Russell Suthern
Lion Dance, although very popular in the East, is quite rare in the West. It is even rarer amongst the non-Chinese community. It is also very rare to see females performing Lion Dance, as it is usually seen as a male dominated activity. I am extremely pleased to be able to reveal my all female [...]
Chinese Lion Dances 2013- An Article by The Chief Instructor, Mr Russell Suthern
Chinese New Year Lion Dance season has closed and what a crazy two weeks it was! We had more performances and travelled further afield than ever before. There was just too much to include in any one article, but outstanding memories include the school where Shaf dropped the Lions mouth over the teachers head to [...]
A Year’s Preparation for the Chinese New Year of the Snake- An Article by Shafagh Amiraftabi, Instructor WCMA
Sunday 10th February 2013 Year of the Water Snake or Black Snake As you may be aware we will soon be saying Goodbye to the Year of the Dragon. For some the Year of the Dragon can bring extreme good fortune, for others the Year of the Dragon can be tumultuous. However if you believe [...]
Lion Dance for Brighton Breast Cancer Support Group Christmas Party- An Article by the Chief Instructor, Mr Russell Suthern
I am very proud of my association with the Brighton Breast Cancer Support Group. I have been teaching a Tai Chi class for these amazing ladies for several years now, & we often perform Lion Dances for events that they hold. This Christmas WCMA was invited to perform our Lion Dance for their Christmas party. [...]
The Diwali Festival of Light Lion Dance Performance- An Article by Kirsty Sloman Brighton WCMA
On Saturday 10th November the WCMA Lion Dance Team went out to a community centre in Goring in order to perform a Lion Dance for the Indian community that was celebrating a very significant and important festival called Diwali. Diwali is a five day celebration that occurs during October or November, depending on the [...]
Lion Dances at the Worthing Dragon Boat Race Festival 2012- An Article by Jason Lee Brighton/Worthing/Shoreham WCMA
The Worthing dragon boat race festival has run for the last two years to help raise money for the very hardworking charity, Wadars, and WCMA lion dance team were there again this year to support and entertain. Since 1969, Wadars, based in Worthing, has worked to rescue and rehabilitate wildlife and rescue and rehome domestic [...]
Lion Dance for Pearls Bubble Tea in Gardner Street Brighton- An Article by Mr Russell Suthern Chief Instructor WCMA
Recently WCMA performed a Lion Dance for the opening of Pearls, a new shop selling Bubble Tea, a healthy drink rich in antioxidants. Gardner St and Kensington Gardens are known for being very colourful and bohemian, so a Lion Dance fitted in perfectly! Fortunately the weather held again and the Lion looked beautiful as it [...]
Lion Dance for Oriental Arts, Brighton- An Article by Russell Suthern, Chief Instructor WCMA
Louisa Yuen has run the Oriental Arts shop in Brighton for as long as I can remember. Recently she has relocated her shop to Rock St in Kemp town and launched a new website to promote her business. To celebrate this auspicious occasion, White Crane Martial Arts were proud to perform a double Lion Dance [...]
Chinese Lion Dance – An Article by Josh Haigh
Chinese Lion Dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, which is often confused with Chinese Dragon Dance. It is easy to tell them apart, as Lion Dance has only two performers, and their faces are covered, since they are inside the lion costume. Dragon dance has many performers who hold the dragon [...]
IMPORTANT LION DANCE NEWS!
WHITE CRANE PERFORMS LION DANCE FOR LABOUR PARTY! Recently White Crane Martial Arts performed their most prestigious Lion Dance to date. We were asked to perform at a diversity event celebrating cultural variety within the Labour party. This event was attached to the Labour Party conference & the guest list looked like a whose who [...]