Lion Dance Costume, Northern Style

North Lion Dance Costume

This colorful traditional costume is made of sheep's wool and bamboo structure.

Features of the Northern Lion dance costume

• Complete costume including cape, head, two pairs of pants and two pairs of shoes
• Northern-style lion made of bamboo and sheep's wool
• Head dimensions : 50 x 50 cm
• Composition of head: bamboo
• Size of pants: one size
• Size of shoes: 42-43
• Adult size
• Ideal costume for a height between 1.70 m and 1.90 m
• Dominant color: red
• Ball supplied with costume
• Moveable ears, eyes and mouth thanks to a traditional wire mechanism

History of the lion dance

Many legends exist as to the origin of the lion dance, but we present the most popular.

The origin of this dance dates back to the Hans dynasty during the development of the Silk Road linking Western countries to China. The Western countries, highly dependent on China at the time, decided to give these people a major gift: lions. This was an animal that had never been present on the territory, and the inhabitants, intrigued by this new species, decided to analyze and reproduce its movements.
This Western gift thus, over time, gave rise to the traditional lion dance that we know accompanied by drums and gongs and which is performed at major events and festivals in China; notably during Chinese New Year.
This dance is a symbol of courage, strength and wisdom and places the lion as a lucky animal guaranteeing good news.

The lion dance style

• Northern Lions:
  The dance associated with these lions is highly acrobatic and has a very precise organization. In fact, the dance is always performed in pairs (male and female lions) whose sex can be distinguished by the color of the knot situated on the animal's head: green for the female and red for the male. Before the dance begins, one or two protagonists are tasked with shaking a ball designed to excite the lion and make it perform its technical prowess. Each costume is worn by two dancers: one who moves the head and front legs, the other who moves the back legs and acts as the lion's backbone. Sometimes, it's possible to have a lion cub controlled by a single protagonist.
  The performance involves dancers performing on platforms and balancing on large balls.
  Originally, the Northern Lions dance was intended to entertain the imperial court. The costume of these lions is made of wood or fiberglass (head) and fur (very often sheep's wool) to represent the body.

The dancer's body is made of fur (very often sheep's wool).