Basic Stepping

The Lion Dance has a prescribed set of footwork – basic stepping.  This doesn’t mean that the basic stepping is the only way you can step when under the Lion – it simply means it’s a starting point.

The footwork is simple – left glass horse stance, right twisted horse, left twisted horse and then right glass horse stance.  If you repeat the pattern twice it should (provided you step in time) fill up one phrase of the basic beat.

When the footwork is done properly, it moves the lion in a zig-zag pattern.  This reflects the Lion’s benevolence, as good moves in angles while evil moves in a straight line (at least that’s how the story goes).  Click on the photo above or here to see a brief movie of the basic stepping.