Lion Dance? Dragon Dance?

Riddle:
Sound the gong, beat the drum,
A clamorous racket is all around;
Half seems like a wild animal.
Half like a man.
Inside and out, altogether six ears;
The ears outside can't hear,
But the ears inside can.

What’s the difference between the dancing lion (often looks like a fudog to me) and the dancing dragon?

There are only 2 people under a dancing lion – and there is often a Buddha outside, guiding it. The first person holds the head up with both hands and the second person's head is covered. In fact the second person is usually bent over. However the lion can rear up as one kneels on the back of the other, or as the 'back; person holds up the front person.

Here are some thumbnail pictures of Holland's Hong Ying Chinese Martial Arts Association working on a Lion Dance demo. This lion dance is part of a competition, and this is a longer clip of the same lion. Lion Dance: Bringing Luck and Happiness

Here there be dragons: With the dragon dance, each person holds a pole which is connected to the dragon. There can be many (20, 30, 40) people under a dragon. Here's a clip of a parade dragon dance. Wikipedia's Dragon Dance entry has only still pictures.

These performers have 2 lions and 2 dragons. YouTube has quite a few clips when you search for "lion dance" or "dragon dance".

Riddle Answer: Dancing Lion

Updated: January 2007