Chinese New Year Lion Dance Troupe

YES! Two lion dance troupes came to the school on Wednesday, 9 February 2011 and thrilled all the children .......... well, only those who were not afraid. The children who found the lion dance frightening were kept indoors out of sight. It was an exciting and a memorable day. We were fascinated and enthralled by the agility, coordination and acrobatic skills of the lion dance performers. Chinese New Year will not be the same without the lion dance.

In the Chinese belief, the lion itself is regarded as a guardian creature to scare away evil spirits. The lion dance is performed to drive off the bad, evil spirits and to summon good luck, fortune and prosperity. For these reasons, it is common to see the lion dance performed on special occassions such as opening of new business, festivals apart from Chinese New Year.

The lion dance from the first group. The lion teased the children, nuzzling them causing the children to squeal in delight.
The lion nuzzling the girls!

Before leaving the school.

The farewell gestures before the lion left the school.
The arrival of the second lion dance troupe.

Performing the traditional ceremony at the door of the school to drive off all things bad and to usher in good fortune, prosperity and all things GOOD ~ we hope!

The Chinese drum.
This lion was very playful too ~ nuzzling the children. The children were so thrilled, most of them wanted to touch the lion.

Teasing the children. The rest of the photos showing the lion interacting with the children.

The pole with the flowers hanging from it. The lion 'eying' the flowers.

Performing acrobatic skills to reach the flowers.

GOT IT !
The BRAVE ones of Junior 1 & Reception (a quarter of the class - the rest in hiding)

Junior 2 Junior 3

The lion dance troupe that came to our school. Thank you for entertaining the children.

We hope that you will come back to visit us again next year.