Dragon Dance and Lion Dance 舞龙和舞狮

中国是龙狮运动的发源地。舞龙、舞狮自问世以来，一直深受各族人民的喜爱，历代相传，长盛不衰，并由此形成了灿烂的龙狮文化。长期以来，很多青年朋友都以为龙舞、狮舞就是春节、庙会、庆典时的喜庆表演，殊不知它历经了几千年的传承流变，积淀了深厚的历史文化，是祖先留给我们的极其宝贵的文化遗产。
China is home to the Dragon Dance and Lion Dance. The two performances have been welcomed by people from various ethnic groups for generations. These activities thrive and have formed a glorious dragon and lion dancing culture. Many young people know that the dragon dance and lion dance are performed during festivals such as Spring Festival, Spring Festival fairs and celebrations. But they don’t know that after several thousand years the two activities have accumulated thick historical cultures and are extremely valuable cultural heritages handed down from Chinese people’s ancestors.
舞龙
The Dragon Dance

舞龙的主要道具是“龙”。龙用草、竹、布等扎制而成，龙的节数以单数为吉利，多见九节龙、十一节龙、十三节龙，多者可达二十九节。十五节以上的龙就比较笨重，不宜舞动，主要是用来观赏，这种龙特别讲究装潢，具有很高的工艺价值。还有一种“火龙”，用竹篾编成圆筒，形成笼子，糊上透明、漂亮的龙衣，内燃蜡烛或油灯，夜间表演十分壮观。时至今日，舞龙经过不断发展和改进，经常成为一种具有观赏性的竞赛运动。
The dragon is made of straw, bamboo shoots and cloth. Each dragon is different in size. There are nine-section dragons, 11-section dragons, 13-section dragons and even 29-section dragons. Dragons longer than 15 sections are heavy and difficult to dance with. These longer dancing dragons are more for decoration than performances.
There are also fire dragons. To make a fire dragon, cylinder-shaped cages are made with bamboo strips. Transparent and beautiful dragon cloth is pasted on the surface. Inside the cages are candles or lamps. The fire dragons illuminate the night skies, providing viewers and passersby with a stunning display.
舞龙的动作千变万化，九节以内的侧重于花样技巧，较常见的动作有：蛟龙漫游、龙头钻档子、头尾齐钻、龙摆尾和蛇蜕皮等。十一节、十三节的龙，侧重于动作表演，金龙追逐宝珠，飞腾跳跃，时而飞；中云端，时而入海破浪。再配合龙珠及鼓乐衬托，成为一种集武术、鼓乐、戏曲与龙艺于一身的艺术样式。
The movements in the Dragon Dance vary greatly. Movement skills are very important for dancing as a dragon with nine sections or less. The following movements are very common: a roaming dragon, a dragon moving through arches, simultaneous movement of the head and tail, a dragon wagging its tail, and snake sloughing. Performances are stressed for dragons of 11 and 13 sections, such as Golden Dragon Chasing Treasure Pearl. The dragon sometimes flies and jumps into the air; sometimes it dives into the sea. With the dragon pearls and drum tempos, the Dragon Dance is an artistic form combining martial arts, drum music and dragon arts.
舞狮
The Lion Dance

狮子外形威武，动作刚劲，神态多变，民间有许多不同的传说，一时变作神话，一时拉上历史，为舞狮增添了不少神秘色彩，亦令它更加深入民心。人们相信狮子是祥瑞之兽，舞狮能够带来好运，所以每逢春节或其它一些庆典活动，都会在阵阵锣鼓鞭炮声中，舞狮助庆祈求吉利。舞狮是我国优秀的民间艺术，每逢元宵佳节或集会庆典，民间都以狮舞前来助兴。这一习俗起源于三国时期，南北朝时开始流行，至今已有一千多年的历史。
Mighty and splendid, the Lion Dance features rigid movement and various expressions. There are many different versions of the Lion Dance. Some use fables and some are related to history, adding a mysterious element to the Lion Dance. People believe that lions are auspicious animals and that the accompanying dance can bring good luck. So, during Spring Festival and other celebrations, the Lion Dance is often performed to beating drums, gongs and firecrackers to pray for good luck.
The Lion Dance can be traced back to the Three Kingdoms period and became popular in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. It has a history of more than 1,000 years.