Chinese New Year: The Lion Dance

Getting Ready for the Parade

1. Make your costume.
   • We drew a stylized lion head on a piece of foam board. Then a parent cut it out for us. Then we colored in the eyes and mouth and decorations.
   • Here is a pattern, but it would be best if you used your own ideas. If you use our pattern, enlarge it. Print
   • Find a sheet, or a piece of long cloth, to cover the body of your lion. We were lucky enough to have red cloth with a gold fringe. (A parent made it for us.) Remember red is a lucky color!!
     
2. Practice the dance.
• Decide who will hold the head of the lion. Who will be the tail. Who will be in the middle.
• The San Francisco lion dancers say that they learn how to move by watching how a cat moves and pounces on a toy - or bird
• Practice making your foot movements as big as you can. Remember you arms will be holding the lion head or the cover for the body.
• Practice doing your movements together. We found that the middle and tail dancers could stay together better if they put their hands on the waist of the person in front of them.
  
  
3. Practice the music.
• Decide who will play which instrument.
• The drum should have a steady beat if possible.
• The other instruments make noise to scare away the bad spirits!
  
  
  
4. Decide who will distribute the lay see. It will be best if you count out the right number of envelopes for each class room and put them in a large envelop, ready to hand to the teacher.
5. Explaining the Lion Dance
   Finally, you should help one or two students prepare an explanation of your lion parade and the lay see you have made. You should tell the school about your parade so they will understand what you are doing!
   Arrange to make an announcement to the school about your parade. If that is not possible, make a flyer to tell the students what will happen and why.
   
   Here are some ideas you might include.
   • It is Chinese New Year. Tell about the holiday.
   • Tell about the Lion parade. (Be certain to mention that there will be lion dancers; musicians with noise makers and drums; each student will receive a lay see.) Perhaps you want to share your route - where you will start and end.
   • A lay see is a red envelop with a lucky penny in it. (Or if you don't have pennies, just say it is a red square with a lucky saying on it
   • Practice what you will say.

Have fun with dancing in your parade and distributing your lay see.