Lion Dances Pay New Year Calls in Guilin
Performing lion dances during the Spring Festival while paying New Year calls has been a long
tradition in Guilin, Guangxi Autonomous Region. It is the most spectacular event in
Guilin in this festival season, believed to bring good luck to the households or
businesses which they visit.
The lion is enacted by two dancers. One handles the head, made out of strong
but light materials like paper-cloth and bamboo, while the other plays the body
and the tail under a cloth that is attached to the head. The "lion" is
accompanied by some musicians, playing a large drum, cymbals and a gong. Tow
other masked dancers in the front teases it with a fan or a giant ball. To give
life to the lion, the head dancer can move the lion's eyes, mouth and ears for
expression of moods.
The lion dance combines art, history and kungfu moves. Normally the performers are
kungfu practitioners. Each move has a specific musical rhythm. The music follows
the moves of the lion: the drum follows the lion, and the cymbals and the gong
follow the drum player. The use of firecrackers, drums, gongs and cymbals are
related to the role of the lion in dispelling evil and bringing good luck.
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