Commentary
By Ng Yi Kai, Aaron
Managing Editor (Production)
Feb. 17, 2007

Mention lion dance and the image of a lively lion prancing around to the tune of noisy clashing cymbals and thundering drums will immediately come to mind of most Singaporeans.

Lion dance is an integral element of Chinese festive celebrations and is usually performed by a troupe of at least five to six performers. The lion requires two performers – one as the head and the other as the rear. Additionally, a drummer and at least two cymbalists are required for sufficient “noise-making”.

Despite being a relatively common performance in Singapore, it is probably unknown to most Singaporeans that lion dance as we know it today did not start out as a dance.

When I was training in the art some years back, my coach told me that the lion dance actually started out as a form of martial art.

In Chinese phonetics, the words “martial” and “dance” have the same pronunciation (wu). Even though both “lion dance” and “martial lion” are identical under Chinese pronunciation, the original form of the art was that of the latter, before evolving into the commonly known “lion dance.”

According to my coach, the key difference between martial lion and lion dance is the latter’s emphasis on aesthetics. The modern lion dance is extremely focused on the lion’s movements and facial expressions. To be considered an expert in the art, the lion dancer has to be able to make the prop lion appear as realistically alive as possible.

Lion dance can be broadly classified into two main categories: traditional and free-style.

The traditional lion dance follows an established set of routines while free-style lion dancers have the liberty to create their own routines – such as performing stunts on metal stilts that can go as high as three metres.

During Chinese New Year, most performances are variations of the traditional style.

The most sought after performance during the festive period is known as “plucking the green.”

Typically, a green leafy vegetable is either hung in the air or placed on the ground for the prop lion to “pluck” and “devour.” Mandarin oranges are placed on the ground for the lion to “devour” as well.

After the lion has “devoured” the vegetable and the oranges, it usually lays on the ground. The performer playing the rear of the lion would have to peel the mandarin oranges and arrange the orange slices to form auspicious Chinese characters. The performer at the rear would then pass the peeled orange skins to his partner playing the head.

Following that, the performer playing the head would then tear the orange peel and vegetable into small pieces and throw them out of the lion’s mouth for a total of three times. As this is considered to be an auspicious ritual, some people refrain from immediately clearing away the pieces of orange skin and vegetable to prevent sweeping away of good luck.

Aside from the most popular version of lion dance described above, there are other variations of “plucking the green” as well.

One of the more uncommon variations is called “snake green.”

In “snake green,” the leafy vegetable is replaced by a long bamboo pole or sugarcane, which symbolizes a snake. The lion engages in a battle with the “snake” by biting on one end of the sugarcane or bamboo pole and repeatedly hitting it on the floor.

The performance only stops when the “snake” is dead, which is symbolized by the end of the sugarcane or bamboo pole becoming completely frayed.

One other uncommon variation of the lion dance is the “eight diagram green.” For this version, eight sets of mandarin oranges are used to form an octagon and the lion “devours” all eight sets of oranges in a predetermined order.

Both the “snake green” and “eight diagram green” are considered to be very advanced forms of lion dance. It is not surprising that in every lion dance troupe, only a handful of lion dancers know how to carry out such performances.

Lion dance is interesting not only in terms of the variety of performances, but also in the traditions that have to be observed. For instance, a newly-made lion cannot be used in performances unless its eyes have been “opened” by a master through a ceremony. Furthermore, one is forbidden to step or jump over a lion that is laid out on the ground.

I hope you will be able to appreciate the art a little bit more the next time you catch a lion dance performance.