Little Dancing Lion Dancer

One of the biggest things I have been working on with lion dancing is how I can make the tail come alive without being “too much”. It’s tricky, I think, because I have to rely primarily on feedback from others. I cannot see what I am doing real-time, and even with a video it can be hard to see every angle. 

There is a lot of reliance on the head adding personality and life to the lion and as such, I think it can be easy for a tail to become disillusioned with a lack of responsibility. I have been focusing on making sure I do not fall into the mindset of “I do not have to do anything, the head is responsible”. As such, here are some of the things I have been thinking about during the last few practices.

Watching my partner's feet. With a small, raised stage being occupied by three lions, there have been times in practice where we are very close to the edge of the stage. Not a lot of consequence while practicing, obviously, but if we go over that edge during the real thing? Not good. As such, I have been focusing on making sure I can communicate to my partner when we are on the edge of the stage and making sure I can pull them away from the edge if necessary.

Matching my partner's pace as efficiently as possible. By utilizing the hand on the hip as well as trying to understand how my partner is thinking, I’m trying to reduce the reaction time which is required for me to step after they step, as well as reduce the number of mistakes I make. I think this contributes to being “invisible” as a tail, and can reduce the chance of breaking the image of the lion.  

Being dynamic. I’ve been trying to add movement with the tail in as many ways I can. The biggest ones have included making the body of the lion breathe during the wake up sequence and moving the tail in beat with the drum. These are little things I do not believe will be seen by much of the audience, but contributes to the overall image of the lion.

Also with this, something I have subconsciously begun doing is adding a “sway” to my hips while I am not moving (such as doing the four-corners). By shifting my weight side-to-side while adding tail movement, I’ve been trying to add a level of dynamic that does not make the head seem isolated. 

As a tail, continuing to dance in such a way that I can add life to the lion and take off some of the burden of the head is something I want to continue to develop in my pursuit of being the best I can. 

Numbers

Pushups: 1720

Situps: 1020

AoK: 34

Katana: 29

Snake: 22

Sparring: 65

Distance (km): 32