lion dance Traditional Chinese ceremonial and celebratory dance performed by one or two people using a mock lion head and cape or costume. There are two main types of lion— the northern or ‘Beijing lion’ (which is hairy and has a long mane) and the southern lion (which has a stylized head and a decorated cape). The southern lion is more popular than the northern lion in Singapore.

The lion dance is usually performed during festive or auspicious occasions, such as Chinese New Year or the opening of new business premises. Skilled ‘lion dancers’ are capable of extraordinary feats of dexterity and athleticism, such as dancing on fragile earthen pots or scaling perches as high as a three- storey building to snatch hongbao (red envelopes containing money).

In January 2005, the Singapore Tourism Board unveiled the ‘new lion’. This lion featured a locally- inspired version of the traditional lion head. The ‘new lion’ was designed as a Singapore icon, and it was hoped that it would become established in lion dances abroad.

Photo credit: Singapore Press Holdings/The New Paper