This same time last year, I swooned about the Chinese Lion Dance, a performance I have loved since I was a kid. I should be more specific. There are many types of lion dance but the one that hits home for me is the Southern Nian ‘fancy’ style…
In that article I had longed to get a grant that would allow me to learn to play the lion dance drum, remember that post? Well guess what, I actually did! I am happy to say that this year I have the support of the Ontario Arts Council Access and Career Development Grant to learn the Lion Dance drumming, dance, and the martial art Choi Li Fut, as the foundation. I recently began my intensive training with sifu Kin Sze at Bamboo Kung Fu, and my whole body has been so sore that I’ve been brining myself in Epsom salts since. I feel my wimpy artsy self, getting stronger already.
This so-called lion is the Chinese unicorn (Qilin, or Kirin in Japanese). The myth of a one horned beast is the only mythical creature that existed in every ancient culture. Described as a composite of different animal traits, it could only be tamed by a good, pure (aka virginal) maiden, whereby it would lay its horn in her lap. Eventually, by way of rumour and broken telephone translations by ancient Greek philosophers, it became associated to symbolize Christ, and the maiden of course turned into Mary. In China, the Qilin was associated with Guan Yin Po Sat. It doesn’t need to be said that the unicorn was a universal symbol of phallic power. In Mesopotamia, it dipped his horn in the seas and created life!
Facts From Wikipedia:
This Chinese Southern dance is more symbolic than the other styles. It is usually performed as a ceremony to scare away evil spirits and to summon luck. It has a distinctive head with eyes (of an eagle), a mirror on the forehead (demons are supposedly scared of their own reflection), and a single horn at center of the head (the horn of a unicorn).
The story goes that once upon a time a monk had a dream in which there were many sorrows and evils plaguing the land. The monk prayed and asked the gods how he could prevent these evils from occurring. The gods told him that a lion would protect them and fight back the evils. The Chinese people had never seen a lion before, but had heard stories that the lion was the king of all the other animals, so the monk combined all the lucky or magical animals he could think of and so made a lion.
If you look closely at any lion, you can see a red sash tied on its horn. It is told that the lion was disrespectful to the Jade Emperor. This of course caused the Jade Emperor to get very angry, so as a punishment he chopped off his horn (The source of his life) and the lion died. The Goddess of Mercy (Guan Yin) felt bad for him so she tied his horn back on with a red sash with golden leaves and chanted to the lion and he came back to life.
Here is a video of the dance:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXN1qLid5z8&feature=related
