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Dragon Dance
(01)
Dragon dance (Simplified
Chinese: 舞龙;
Traditional Chinese: 舞龍;
Pinyin: wǔ lóng) is a
form of traditional dance and performance in Chinese culture. Like the
lion dance it is most often seen in festive celebrations. Chinese
people often use the term "Descendants of the Dragon" (龍的傳人
or 龙的传人,
lóng de chuán rén) as a sign of ethnic identity.
 In the dance, a team of
Chinese people carry the dragon — which is an image of the Chinese
dragon — on poles. The lead dancers lift, dip, thrust, and sweep the
head, which may contain animated features controlled by a dancer and
is sometimes rigged to belch smoke from pyrotechnic devices. The dance
team mimics the supposed movements of this river spirit in a sinuous,
undulating manner. The movements in a performance traditionally
symbolise historical roles of dragons demonstrating power and dignity.
The dragon dance is a highlight of Chinese New Year celebrations held
worldwide in Chinatowns around the world.
Dragons are believed to
bring good luck to people, which is reflected in their qualities that
include great power, dignity, fertility, wisdom and auspiciousness.
The appearance of a dragon is both frightening and bold but it has a
benevolent disposition, and so eventually became an emblem to
represent imperial authority.
One of the illustrations at
right shows a Double Dragon Dance, rarely seen in western exhibitions,
with two troupes of dancers intertwining the dragons. Even rarer are
dances with the full array of 9 dragons (Kawlung), since 9 is a 'perfect'
number. Such dances involve large number of participants from various
organizations, and are often only possible under the auspices of the
greater community...
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