How to Hold the Lion Head and Blinking - Basics 

You're very welcome, Robert Turpin! Please check out the comments as well - several experienced LDers have included their input & I had missed one holding method in my video (center mouth), so there's additional info there :) Happy LDing! -EJ

+southernfist Thank you for the great explanation!! I had forgotten till you mentioned it - one of my Masters from my old team also holds with one hand in the center of the mouth flap & I now recall seeing you do that as well when you performed the "doorway/entrance" routine for us during our visit. Also love how you detail how your teaching changes as your students progress. Thanks again! -EJ

+southernfist Thank-you for your continued support! Please do let us know if there are other holding/blinking tips your team has, we are always trying to improve as well :)

Thanks for watching! It takes practice to get used to the balance. Try resting the head on your shoulders/back of your head on the pad and only use one hand to hold the lion. Can help as then you have a free hand to blink.

what's your lion made off???

Sad Strange Little Woody Completely agree with the pillow making it easier for your hands to do what they need to :D Happy to hear about the use of winking too! Definitely a skill up to control the strings individually. Whatever works and is comfortable for you, right? :) Thank you for the detailed description! -EJ

+5elementsld thank you and you're welcome! Yes, it's actually pretty comfortable. I can see why some people think it isn't since you are putting lots of pressure on your back and neck, but I have had no problems with that whatsoever. As long as you do it right and get used to it, you should be fine doing it this way.

Hello! We will add this to our list of videos. For the tail, horse stance is still important. If you lean down without the stance you will hurt your back. Horse stance and shift your weight between your right and left legs to "shake". Some lion costumes have a stick that goes between your legs to move the tail on its own. You do need to shimmy to generate bigger movements 😉.

btw im form Jing Qing lion dance trube

I love your videos too

Hi WMCNG NG. Yes, you can use our videos as long as you credit us. I hope you'll share your movie with us in the future =).

Thanks for your support!

Yes definitely ill share the film with u your the best thx

Hello Lung! I was first taught to hold the lion head "like a pizza" - both palms facing up, fingers in the slots in the lion's mouth. The two bars inside the lion head are supported by your upper arms. However, my shoulders are not as wide as a male's, so I had to adjust. I do the "pizza hold" with my left hand, but hold the right bar with a fist, like I'm punching upwards. The pad inside the lion for the back of your head is also very useful for balancing; you don't have to only use your arms! A lot of beginners I teach forget about the head pad. Since it's been a few years now, I'm able to balance the head with just my left hand for short periods while I use my right to blink, handle objects, or prepare a qing. It will still come down to practice, but I recommend trying out different holds and seeing what works for you, because you will the lion dancer :) Best of luck!

+Jayson Yap Thank-you for sharing! We've found that teachings can vary quite a bit between teams. The way you're describing is how EJ holds it, but that wasn't how she was taught to hold it when she was a newbie.

technically, it depends on the style of the troupe/team. also it can depend on the persons dominant hands

Hey Luke! That's pretty much how I hold it, but I wasn't taught that way when I first started (when I wasn't with 5 Elements). Guess it worked out, eh? :D Thanks for sharing! -EJ

+Brandon Tran You are welcome! We hope to generate more discussion and sharing amongst other Lion dancers.

Hi, @notAme_Yomi! I'd recommend an oval-shaped laundry basket over your head. This is good practice with being unable to see well (#1 spatial awareness). A basket is larger than your head and will also help for getting used to the lion size (#2). If that is too silly, you can also use a small hula hoop, although you lose being able to practice limited vision. #3 Weight. Hold 5-10 lbs dumbbells in >both< hands while pretending you're in the lion. Drill lion stances or your performance routine. This will help with endurance and your arms/shoulders for the lion weight. Nowadays, Hoksan lions average to be about 10 lbs and a well-decorated Futsan around 20 lbs. This isn't very heavy, but performances are usually 10-15 mins long or even more. Most people aren't used to holding that weight away from their body for that long. #4 Stances. Even without a lion head, laundry basket/hula hoop, or weights, you can practice lion stances. Footwork and horse stance 馬步 is very important. In practice, if someone is struggling to get a move, VJ or I often just say, "bend your knees" or "馬步!" and then they get it :) Welcome to lion dancing!

@@5elementsldThank you so much!! I will definately be trying these out and I will come back to this video when I finally get a lion head!

The video shows how to hold the head in a general way. To hold higher you can push the head outwards and up, usually with the head at a 45 degree angle down.

+Aldrik, You're very welcome! Give us a shout back if you learn something we haven't talked about here - we're trying to improve too :) -EJ

Hello! It depends on the manufacturer but most will have one.

+khar big yeong We will add this to our to-do list and send you a link here when we have it ready :) -EJ

Hi Amanda! A few things: 1. Going through your basic move-set or routine move-set repeatedly will help you build up strength and endurance. You don't have to go 120% every time; the repetition will condition your body. If there are segments you're finding trouble with strength for, try practicing only that part slower (repeatedly) but being intentional with your movements. It's similar to building strength with weights - quickly pumping and using momentum to swing doesn't engage the muscle(s); proper form is key. Same for lion dance! 2. If you don't always have access to a lion head, you can make do with wrist weights or small weights and go through your lion moves. Or do exercises for shoulders and back for general strength. If you find you're struggling with any other muscles (biceps, triceps, forearms, etc.) work on exercises that improve those instead! 3. Resting. If you're finding you "run out of juice" in performances or practice runs, look for opportunities within your routine where you can "break." Take a brief pause to glance around, work the eyes/ears, or hold a stance for effect. These may not be directly strength-based, but it will help overall. Also is a great chance to "air out" your tail partner and give them a break or cool breeze too =) 4. Balance. I'm not sure of your experience in lion dance so I will also mention balance. A lot of my new students lose control of the head for certain movements because their horse stance (or other stance) is poor/not using a stance, their body is off center of gravity, or they are relying on only their arms to keep head control (when it should be stance/back/shoulders in conjunction). Not directly strength-based again, but may be something that can assist the strength side. If balance is a struggle, workouts for the core or abs will help and that can meld into having more strength overall. Those are my thoughts! I didn't give specific drills but hope that helps. Do message back if I didn't quite answer what you were looking for. Pick and choose what works for you. Happy LDing! -EJ

Glad you found something that worked for you! -EJ

There are usually spaces at the end of the head where you can tie the tassels of the body to.

@@5elementsld how ? can you please show me

Hello +Rayziar! The best places to check would be your local Chinatown gift/trinket stores, but if you're not in a large metropolitan, the quality of the lions sold at such places is generally poor (this is just my opinion). If they do not carry them in stock, some stores may be willing to order & ship to their shop for you to pick up, but they will most likely charge you a bit more as the middleman. We can try to find a local source for you if you email us at 5elementsld@gmail.com with your city & possibly information on what type of lion/details you want. Hope that helps! -EJ

Focus on improving one thing at a time, versus everything at once! It takes practice :) Hope you have lots of fun! -EJ

Hello! To clarify, how to blink and dance at the same time? Or how does the blinking work?

Hello, to clarify, how to buy a lion head?

@@5elementsld yes

It depends on the supplier, your location for shipping, size and any extras you want (customization).

Also, does the height of a person matter as well? Thanks!

Hello Goji, If you intend to use them, you'll need to check with the lion manufacturer on their sizing. It's not universal. You will also need to decide if you want a hoksan, futsan, or futhok lion, as the difference in the head construction changes how the lion feels. As an example, Emplion's sizing is at the bottom: www.emplion.com/store Their measurement is based around the rim. Others may measure across the lion head. To give you an idea, I'm female (smaller shoulders than a man, about 38'' around), 5'4'', 125 lbs. -Taro (purple yingyang hoksan) is an Emplion S3 (54'' rim): I find this size most comfortable. -Sesame (black futsan) is an Emplion S3 (54'' rim): Is large for me, but I can still use it. -Matcha (green hoksan) is 52'' rim (from WSH): Snug size. Any smaller is too small. -any hoksan/futsan/futhok 56''+ rim will be too large for me to use. If you're just collecting to display, smaller sizes so you can fit more lions! :) Hope that helps! -EJ

Hi again Goji, In terms of picking a lion head, not really. The length of the body is tied to the head size. Larger head size = longer lion body. If you're short with a huge lion head on, you might look like a Corgi dog :P But that isn't likely as that lion will be too heavy/big to use. It may matter for your partner though. If the tail person is much taller than the head, he/she will have to bend over more to not make the lion have a "camel hump." A lion head much taller than the tail would make the lion look like it's dragging the tail end. -EJ

Hi +Philip Alvendia! Our heads are from www.emplion.com/ and www.wansenghang.com/ -EJ

+SuperNguyen Hello

+Jayden Soh A lion can cost from $450 to over $1000+ (USD) depending on quality, customization, shipping location, etc.

Hey SuperNguyen, Our lion heads are from www.emplion.com/ and www.wansenghang.com/ -EJ

5elementsld Thanks!

Hello, you can buy them online or in person if your location has a store. We buy online. There are many suppliers around the world.

5elementsld which store online ? I don’t want to guess and get a bad cheaply made product.

Ours are mainly from www.emplion.com and www.wansenghang.com/.

Hello Rosa! The weight of the lion head varies depending on the style of head, material, & size. Taro (purple ying yang) in the video is a hoksan & made out of bamboo, making it super light at ~10 lbs. Sesame (black futsan) has a bamboo and aluminum frame, about ~15 lbs. Very traditional futsan heads can be 30-50 lbs depending on the ornaments on it. -EJ

She said on the beginning. At least 10-15 lbs

Hello +Philip Alvendia, 5 Elements is self-taught :) Our eldest members have 12+ years of experience, ranging from 6 years with Jing Qing Lion Dance Troupe in Canada (where we are based), several Kun Seng Keng (Malaysia) workshops, & it is our "tradition" to visit local lion dance teams when we travel abroad to try & learn/share knowledge with other LD teams/Masters. We also have a friendly relationship with some of the local teams in our city & have done joint training days with them. As expected, different Masters have different ways of teaching & it also depends on what style/type of lion dance they have chosen to pursue. 5 Elements taught junior high & high school lion dance clubs for several years in the past - I'm happy to hear you will be joining your school's class & hope you enjoy it! -EJ

5elementsld thank you

From www.emplion.com.

+Diana warrant betie Lions can range from $500-1000+ USD depending on how much detail and customization you want.

Part of the frame is aluminum, mainly the handle bars. Light weight but sturdy.

@@5elementsld that’s sooo cool :) my head has a horn that has cracked :(

Hello. What do you need help with?

+莉莉李 Thanks for visiting! Hope the video helps :) Others have also commented on how they hold their heads below - but please note there is not "one proper" way to do so. Different masters have different opinions, keep an open mind and practice hard :D -EJ

I also having problem on holding the head too

Dandy! :D We try to find a lion dance team and visit them whenever we travel, so there might be a friendly one near you! Shout-out to southernfist and Team WcM for being very gracious hosts to us in the past. Respectively: Arizona Martial Arts Lion Dance Association from Phoenix, AZ Wan Chi Ming Hung Gar Institute Dragon and Lion Dance Team from New York, NY -EJ

Oh no. Is it possible to tape back? We had to tape some of our lion's mouth as we've poked a hole through after many uses.