Lion Dance

The Lion Dance class will teach students the basics of a traditional southern lion dance and the Kung Fu necessary to give life and spirit to the lion.  To be a strong lion dancer, one must have strong Kung Fu.  Lion Dance movements are derived from fundamental Kung Fu techniques.  To lion dance without Kung Fu is like drinking from an empty cup, one performs all the motions but obtain none of its benefits.  Kung Fu gives lion dance its meaning, context, and history.  In modern times, the lion dance is used to ward off evil, bring about good fortunes, mourn of loss or a celebration of festivities.  In the past, it was also used to hide Kung Fu training and communicate secret messages to revolutionaries.  A lion dance consists of 6 roles—lion head, lion tail, drummer, symbols, gong and an optional big head Buddha.  Students will learn lion head first before being cross-trained into other roles.

In this class students will learn basic Kung Fu fundamentals to give them the foundation required to understand the lion and to move it with sharpness, grace, and liveliness.  Building from the ground up students will learn and practice the following: flexibility, kicking, stances, footwork, power generation, blocking, punching and other exercises to become a well-rounded lion dancer and Kung Fu practitioner.