Northern and Southern Lion

Lion Dance usually involves two performers (representing the head and tail of the lion) emulating the movements of a lion to the accompanying beat of drums, cymbals and the gong.   The person at the head portrays the emotion and bearing of the lion.  The “tail” person has to ensure that the lion’s tail movements are synchronised with the front as they perform, and while executing acrobatic stunts.

There are 2 groups of Lion Dance –Northern and Southern – each with distinct differences in their costumes and execution of the dance.

Northern Lion

The Northern lion, wearing shaggy red, orange or yellow fur, has a flat golden head adorned with a coloured bow – red to indicate male, green to indicate female.  They usually appear in pairs or as a family with 2 “adult” lions and 2 “child” lions.   Acrobatic stunts with lifts and balancing on a giant ball are integrated in its dance routines – making the Northern lion dance very popular in the Imperial court.  Ningbo, in northeast China, is known as the homeland of the Northern Lion.

Southern Lion

Guangdong (in south China) is home to the Southern lion.    Its head and fur are trimmed in a variety of colours – each with significance and meaning rooted in the history of the Three Kingdoms.  Traditionally, yellow or gold lions represent the wisdom and stature of Liu Bei (a ruler and learned official), red and black lions represent Guan Gong (a famous general, brave leader and warrior), black lions represent Chang Fei (the most aggressive and youngest of the 3 famous officials).

There are many variations to the Southern lion dance - Fut-San (Buddha Mountain) and Hok-San (Crane Mountain) being the popular ones.  Traditionally, Fut-San lion dancers focus on the powerful moves/stances used in Kung-Fu, requiring strength and stamina.   The Hok-San lion dancers use a lighter lion head with a shorter body - making it ideal for performing stunts and for pole jumping competitions.