Dragons: Chinese Dragon Dance (2)

Because the dance is a sacred ritual, the colors of the dragon have particular meanings.  The head is green, red, and gold.  The color green represents the harvests; while red is happiness, and gold prosperity.  Meanwhile, the scales of the body and tail are silver.  As the scales shimmer, they bring joy to the dancers and to the onlookers.

Often, the dragon is following a man carrying a ball on a stick.  This is called “seeking wisdom” since the dragon is following the “pearl” of wisdom.  The man with the “pearl” initiates the dragon’s moves for the lead dancer. During Chinese New Year’s, this ball is either red or yellow, representing the sun.  Now the dragon follows the sun to bring spring rains.  In addition, firecrackers are often thrown at the dancers’ feet to keep the dragon awake.

The dragon “puppet” that most people are familiar is the one made of cloth.  However, dragon dances also feature dragons made of bamboo, fire, grass, and paper.  For fire, the fire dragon has candles placed in each section of the body.

The Grass Dragon Dance is often done in the summer time to keep the insects down.  This dragon is constructed from rice straw and green vines.  Then burning incense sticks are placed inside the dragon’s body.  As the people continue with the Dragon Dance, insects are attracted to the burning dragon.  When the dance is finished, the dragon is placed in a pool of water to drown the insects.

Sometimes more dragons are included in the dance.  A double-dragon dance of intertwining dragons is supposed to bring great fortune to everyone.    At the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, the Taoist Tai Chi Society of Canada performed a double dragon dance.  The second dragon they used was smaller, requiring only twenty people.  The two dragons together needed seventy people to perform the dance. 

A full array of nine dragons in a dragon dance is called “Kawlung”, which is considered the best since the Chinese consider nine to be a perfect number. In addition, nine is frequently connected with dragons.  There are nine forms of dragons, nine attributes, and each dragon has nine offspring as well.  Therefore, the Kawlung is the most auspicious of the dragon dances.

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Dragons: Chinese Dragon Dance (1)

The highlight of a Chinese New Year parade is the Dragon Dance.  A group of martial artists dance while carrying a dragon “puppet” on long bamboo poles.  Their dance imitates the snake-like movements of the River Dragons of China.  Marching with them are usually musicians playing drums and gongs.  Meanwhile, the onlookers throw fire crackers at the feet of the dancers making this into a more festive occasion.

Many Westerners may not know that the Dragon Dance is not done for entertainment purposes.  Instead it is a sacred ritual to bring happiness and prosperity to everyone, both the dancers and onlookers.  By honoring the dragons with their dancing, the Chinese hope that they will, in turn, reward them with good luck and fortune.

Started during the Han Dynasty, the Dragon Dance was done to ensure a good harvest.  Dragons, according to the Chinese, are the masters of water and the weather. Since the dragons brought the rain, the Chinese reasoned that the dragons would be pleased with their dances.  They also hoped that the dragons would stop sickness in the land.

The dragon of the dance is a “puppet” separated into at least nine sections, with a head and a tail.  (Longer dragons bring more luck to the people.  One dragon at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games was 100 meters (about 50 feet) in length, with fifty people holding the poles.)  Wearing the head, the lead dancer starts each movement.  Leaping, twisting, dipping and crouching, he copies the sinuous actions of the dragons.  The people who are holding the body move with him.  Meanwhile, the person with the tail of the dragon keeps time.  Many hours of practice are needed to coordinate the movements and to build the stamina of the participants.  Therefore many dragon dancers are members of martial art schools (which encourage both).

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