Everything hosts ask before booking a lion dance

How much does a lion dance performance cost?

Pricing depends on the date, location, number of lions and length of the program, so we quote each event individually. Contact us with your date, venue and the occasion and we will send a quote, usually the same or next business day.

Lunar New Year dates, events far from Kensington, multi-lion programs and combined lion dance and kung fu demonstrations are priced differently from a standard single-lion blessing. Tell us everything you have in mind and we will recommend the option that fits your event and budget.

How long does a lion dance performance last?

A standard performance runs about 15 to 20 minutes, which is long enough for the lions to enter, greet the guests, perform and complete the choy cheng blessing. Longer programs, multiple sets during a long event, or a route with several stops can be arranged.

For weddings, the dance is usually timed to a natural pause in the reception. For grand openings, the performance often begins outside at the entrance and moves inside. For festivals and corporate events with a stage, we can extend the program with a kung fu demonstration from the Shaolin Hung Fut Kung Fu School.

How far in advance should I book a lion dance?

Book as soon as your date is confirmed. We perform mainly at weekends, because most of the team works during the week, so Saturdays and Sundays fill first. Lunar New Year is the highest-demand fortnight of our year and peak wedding Saturdays go next; outside those periods we can often accommodate an event with a few weeks' notice.

If your date is close, contact us anyway. Our school is in Kensington, Maryland, and for nearby cities such as Bethesda, Silver Spring and Rockville we can sometimes fit a short performance into a busy day.

What is the red envelope for?

The red envelope, or hong bao, is a traditional gift of good luck offered to the lion during the performance. The lion 'eats' the envelope along with the lettuce during the choy cheng blessing, and the gift symbolizes the host's generosity and the good fortune returned to them.

Hosts often tie a red envelope to the lettuce hung at the entrance, and guests sometimes offer envelopes to the lion as it greets them. The amount is at the host's discretion. The envelope is a customary gesture and is separate from the performance fee.

What is choy cheng, the lettuce blessing?

Choy cheng ('plucking the greens') is the ceremonial high point of a Southern lion dance: the lion approaches a head of lettuce hung at the entrance, 'eats' it, and scatters the leaves to spread prosperity to the business or household. The Cantonese word for lettuce sounds like the word for growing wealth, which is why the lettuce is used.

For a grand opening the lettuce is usually hung above the door with a red envelope. For weddings the lion may present a scroll or the greens to the couple. We bring what is needed and explain the sequence to the host beforehand so the moment is captured on camera.

Do you perform dragon dance as well as lion dance?

Yes. Besides the lion dance, the team performs the traditional Chinese dragon dance, in which a long dragon is carried on poles by a team of performers who follow a pearl. The dragon suits Lunar New Year celebrations, festivals, parades, school and community events and any large venue, and it can be combined with a lion dance in a single program.

The dragon needs more room than a lion: a long clear run outdoors, or a gym, ballroom, atrium or parade route indoors. Tell us about the space when you enquire and we will recommend the dragon, the lions or both. See the dragon dance page for details.

What is the difference between a lion dance and a dragon dance?

A lion is danced by two performers inside one costume, one at the head and one at the tail, and it works close to the audience: greeting guests, playing, and 'eating' the lettuce in the choy cheng blessing. A dragon is a long body carried on poles by a team of performers who move it in waves, turns and spirals as it chases a pearl carried at the front.

Lions fit rooms, storefronts and banquet halls and carry the blessing rituals. Dragons need a longer run and are at their best at festivals, parades, Lunar New Year celebrations and large venues, where the whole length of the dragon can be seen moving. Both are performed to live drum, gong and cymbals, and many hosts book the two together.

What occasions are appropriate for a lion dance?

A lion dance is traditional for Lunar New Year, grand openings, weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, corporate celebrations, cultural festivals, school programs and any occasion where the host wants to welcome guests and invite good fortune. It is a blessing as much as a performance.

We regularly perform for Chinese cultural events, restaurant and business grand openings and Lunar New Year celebrations across the Washington, D.C. metro area, and have performed for dignitaries and celebrities, most recently for the Vice President of the United States at her personal residence.

How much space does a lion dance need?

A single lion needs a clear area roughly the size of a small room, about 15 by 15 feet, plus a path to enter and move among guests. Two lions need proportionally more. Ceilings should clear the lion's head when the performer at the front lifts it overhead, so about ten feet is comfortable.

Restaurants, lobbies, ballrooms, sidewalks and plazas all work. We also perform in tighter rooms by adapting the choreography. Tell us about the venue when you book and we will plan the routine for it.

Can a lion dance be performed indoors?

Yes. Most of our performances are indoors, in restaurants, hotel ballrooms, offices, museums, schools and private homes. The drum, gong and cymbals are loud by design, so we adjust volume and placement to the room and coordinate with the venue.

For an indoor event, let us know about stairs, elevators, loading access and any noise policy. Outdoor performances need a level, dry surface; in extreme heat or rain we may shorten the routine or move under cover for the performers' safety.

How many performers come to a lion dance?

Each lion is danced by two performers, one at the head and one at the tail, and is accompanied by a percussion team on drum, gong and cymbals. A single-lion performance therefore involves roughly five to six people; a two-lion performance adds two more dancers.

Larger events can add more lions, a Buddha character who leads and teases the lions, or a kung fu demonstration from our school. Tell us the scale of your event and we will recommend the right team.

What is included in a lion dance booking?

A booking includes the lion or lions, the trained performers, live percussion on drum, gong and cymbals, and the traditional choy cheng blessing with the lettuce when the host wants it. We arrive early, set up, perform and clear the space.

Hosts typically provide the red envelope and, if they prefer to supply it themselves, the lettuce. Sound amplification is not needed because the instruments are acoustic. Anything else, such as a longer program or additional lions, is agreed in the quote.

What is the difference between Southern and Northern lion dance?

The Southern lion, which we perform, comes from Guangdong and has a large, expressive head with a horn, a moving mouth and blinking eyes, and its dance emphasizes character, footwork drawn from kung fu stances and the choy cheng blessing. The Northern lion is shaggy, more animal-like and closer to acrobatics, with a smaller head and full-body fur.

Southern lion dance is the style traditionally taught in Chinese martial arts schools, and it is the style associated with Lunar New Year visits to businesses. Our team comes from the Shaolin Hung Fut Kung Fu School, a Southern Shaolin lineage, and the lion's movement is built on the same stances used in the kung fu.

What areas do you serve?

We serve the entire Washington, D.C. metro area: the District, Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland, and Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County in Northern Virginia, with occasional bookings farther afield. Our school is at 4961 Nicholson Court in Kensington, Maryland.

Frequent destinations include Washington, D.C., Rockville, Bethesda, Silver Spring, Wheaton, Gaithersburg, Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax, Vienna and Tysons. Travel time is built into every booking.

What happens if it rains on the day of an outdoor performance?

Light rain rarely stops a performance, but heavy rain, lightning or a slippery surface can make the dance unsafe for the performers inside the lion, so we will ask to move under cover or indoors. We work with the host on a backup location when the event is booked.

Extreme heat is the other concern: the performers are working hard inside a heavy costume. On very hot days we may shorten the routine or add a short rest between sets.

Who are the performers?

The performers are students and instructors of the Shaolin Hung Fut Kung Fu School in Kensington, Maryland, founded in 1979 by 8th Generation Grandmaster Sifu Tai Yim. Lion dance is part of the school's traditional curriculum, and the team has performed across the Washington area since the 1970s.

Because every dancer trains in Hung Fut kung fu, the lion's stances, footwork and stamina come from the martial art itself, which is what gives a traditional Southern lion its character.

Can you add a kung fu demonstration to the lion dance?

Yes. We can pair the lion dance with a traditional Hung Fut kung fu demonstration, including hand forms and weapons, for festivals, school assemblies, corporate events and celebrations that want a longer program.

Mention it when you request a quote and tell us how long a program you would like. Demonstrations are performed by instructors and senior students of the school.

Can guests take photos and video during the performance?

Yes, and we encourage it. Lion dance is meant to be shared, and the choy cheng blessing, the lion greeting the couple or the owner, and the lion eating the lettuce are the moments most hosts want captured. Let your photographer know the sequence so they are in position.