Lion dance needs more foreign participants, association says

Sam Lau

Toby Leung

In order to be included into the Olympic Games, the dragon and lion dances require more foreign countries to take part, said the vice president of the Chinese Dragon and Lion Dance Association, Sam K.S. Lau.
Lau further explained that there are two types of lion dances in China — a northern dance and a southern dance. “The northern dance is more frequently found during celebrations, and is a performance with acrobatic elements, aiming to create a humorous atmosphere,” he told reporters. There are two sub-divisions of the southern dance, namely the traditional southern lion and the high-pile lion, according to Lau. “The latter requires dancers to move around on high piles and thus dancers must have a good lion dance skill foundation and quick reflexes, such as those found in young people and children. The traditional southern lion is easy to handle, without being too limited by gender and age. (…) What we wish to promote to the world is the traditional southern lion dance,” he told the Times before a press conference introducing the MGM Lion Dance Championship in Beijing. The association is the co-organizer of this Beijing event, which comes as part of MGM Macau’s fifth anniversary celebrations of their international lion dance championship. Ten top lion dance troupes from a variety of countries will compete in the capital city on August 30. The event is scheduled to take place at Sanlitun (Three Miles Village), an area situated in the Chaoyang District.
The International Dragon and Lion Dance Federation has been sparing no effort in their quest for the inclusion of dragon and lion dance in the Olympic Games, but they still have a long way to go to reach the final stage.
One important criteria for the Olympic inclusion is that it must be a sport or game enjoyed and played by a majority of countries. “Therefore we hope to bring the lion dance to the world. With more countries and foreigners joining in, the likelihood of it becoming an Olympic sport increases,” said Mr. Lau.
He also admitted that it’s not enough to rely purely on government support, which might be variable due to policy changes. “But when combined with the involvement of corporations, and corporates encourage more corporates to join and maintain the tradition together, it may take some time but we’ll be there.”
Toby Leung, Vice President of Marketing and Communications at MGM Macau revealed to the Times that the MGM lion dance competition aims to expand to more mainland cities alongside MGM China’s opening of more hotels in the region. According to him: “In 2016, aside from Macau and Beijing, the competition will probably also take place in Shanghai and Chengdu.” He expects to spread the word about the sport: “Promoting the lion dance is not only about emphasizing healthy lifestyles, but also respecting traditional culture. I hope more Chinese people, especially the younger generations, will notice this sport,” said Leung.
The dragon and lion dances, a traditional performance art that has been connected to Chinese culture for thousands of years, are an important part of many Chinese festivals and ceremonies. Grace Yu, Beijing