I was recently invited to attend a “Lion Dance” with a group from the ship. I had no idea what it was and neither did most people in the group but it sounded like an adventure so I decided to go along.

The night began by boarding one of the local buses which was chartered for us. On the ride there I learned the Lion Dance was ran by a traveling troupe of dancers, drummers, and singers. The bus took us to the neighborhood where they were performing that night.

After arriving at our destination we walked a hundred meters or so into this neighborhood where are first taste of the Lion Dance was a flock of a dozen screaming children running at us, or more correctly, away from a group of men dressed in their “lion” garb.

At this point we had the opportunity to take some photos of the “lions” before the show began.

After some photos and mingling with the performers we were escorted into the performance area and given chairs to sit on. The event began with several individual dance performances by the “lions” while songs were sung and drums were played.

As the night went on the dances became more elaborate with more dancers involved. We were never really sure what was happening as we could not understand what they were singing about. At one point we were pretty sure a man in the audience was pulled to the middle of the dance floor and shamed for sneaking in without paying. We also may have witnessed some form of a interpretive dance mating ritual between a “Lion & Lioness”. The whole thing was a bit of a silly blur.

Before going to the “Lion Dance” I was not really sure what I was getting myself into. After witnessing it for myself, I am not sure I have any better of an understanding of what a “Lion Dance” is. All I know is that it was an enjoyable experience filled with live music and dancers in colorful outfits. I am thankful for the opportunity to witness some of these interesting events far different from what I would see back home.

Thank you for your continued support! God Bless!