Training Days

Do you want to be a PMLDer? Would you like to join us?

PMLD trains once a week and up to two times a week leading up to Chinese New Year:

- Sundays: Room 6, 3:00pm to 5:00pm at Flemington Corner, corner of Flemington Road and Lysaght Street, Mitchell.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

After visiting our website and/or watching our performances, some of you may have a couple of questions so we’ve started a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to share with everyone:

1. Why is the lion dance performance so important?

The Chinese lion is a mystical creature that descended from the heavens many hundreds of years ago to protect people from evil spirits and to bless the New Year with prosperity and happiness.

Today, the lion dance is performed throughout the year to ward of negative energy and welcome positive energy for the new year, houses, businesses, weddings, festivals or any kind of celebration.

By having a lion dance troupe perform at your house, business, wedding or celebration you are cleansing your place and people as well as welcoming auspicious energy whilst providing entertainment for everyone!

2. What date will Chinese New Year start in 2009, and what animal will it be?

The next Chinese New Year will start on Monday 26 January (Australia Day) 2009, and the Chinese zodiacal animal will be the Ox. Traditionally, Chinese New Year continues for 15 consecutive days.

3. Will PMLD be performing during Chinese New Year?

MOST DEFINITELY!! PMLD aims to raise the awareness of lion dancing in Canberra by doing as many shop and public performances as possible!

Check out our Performance Datespage for upcoming performances and our blog for summaries and photos of past performances.

4. Some call them dragons and some call it lions, what is the difference?

A Chinese dragon is a mythical beast that requires 8-10 people to operate as well as a pearl bearer who leads the dragon as it chases it.

A Chinese lion requires only two people to operate and his aim is to explore and eat the green vegie.

Both dragons and lion dances are accompanied by percussion instruments, and are used in Chinese New Year to ward off negative energy and invite positive energy. Check out some photos of other mythical beasts.

5. How many lions does PMLD have at the moment?

Currently, PMLD has 4 lions, with the first being the gold fur and sequins, followed by the black fur and silver sequins then the Chinese New Year twins. Over time, PMLD hopes to add to this collection to bring more variety and colour to our performances.

Check out the photo of our lions lined up together.

We've recently purchased a new addition to our family and he will be blessed in time for Chinese New Year 2009!

6. How many lions does PMLD usually perform with?

PMLD usually performs with 2 lions as it is more entertaining for the audience than a single lion. With time, as more members join and train with PMLD we hope to have more lions performing simultaneously.

7. The lions look the same but slightly different, what are the differences?

According to history and tradition, all lions are males. There are two main types of southern lions with PMLD lucky enough to perform with both types. One type of lion is the Futsan and the other is the Hoksan lion and they can distinguished by the following:

Mouth – the Futsan’s mouth is bigger and more arched

Horn – the Futsan’s horn on the top of the head has a sharp tip

Forehead – the Futsan’s forehead protrudes more than the Hoksan's forehead

Movement – the Futsan’s movement is stronger and more energetic while the Hoksan’s movement is more gentle and friendly.

To see the difference between the two types of lions, check out the poster of mythical beastsand aside by side comparison with our lions.

8. What is the drum made of?

The drum isused to unite the percussion and the lion together in a performance. It is made of the following materials:

- Lightweight but strong wood as the base

- Buffalo skin at the top (known as the head of the drum)

- Nails to hold the skin tight onto the wooden base

- Steel springs inside the drum to help carry the sound.

9. What style of drumming does PMLD play?

PMLD's base beat is Hoksan style, however, we’ve included hints of Futsan and JowGar style drumming to make it a Hoksan-hybrid beat!

We understand that our Hoksan-hybrid beat may not be conventional, but we want our beat to be unique and have the best of all worlds for a more enjoyable performance.

10. How long has PMLD been training together?

The core troupe members have been learning and training together since April 2007. We’re happy to invite people of all ages and ethnic backgrounds to develop this physical and exciting artform.

Check out our training times at the top of this page (under our logo).

11. Does PMLD still train if there is a performance on the same day?

Generally, we do not train if we have a performance on the same day, however, we might hang out together if the two times are close to each other.

12. If I want a lion dance performance at my event, how much is it?

PMLD doesn'thave a simple price structure as it may disadvantage some from requesting lion dance performances.

If you like to request a performance at your next event or function, please send an email to info@canberraliondance.com telling us a bit about your organisation, event details and how many lions you wish to have.

Based on your requirements, we will be able to provide you some prices so that you can make an informed decision.

Feel free to download and print our flyer for your reference.

13. When is PMLD available to perform?

PMLD is generally available to perform throughout the year with our peak season occurring during the months of February and March (bookings during this time are essential).

However, we have some guidelines to respect the troupe members’ studies and work priorities and they are:

- Unavailable for weekday daytime performances

- Unavailable for performances before 5:30pm on weekdays/nights

- At least 5 days notice before the event.

14. I saw PMLD perform for the shops along the street in the Civic and Dickson during Chinese New Year in 2009, will you be doing it again in 2010?

Through consultation and advanced notice for each shop owner, PMLD introduced FREE shop blessings during Chinese New Year to bless the new year and bring good luck to the businesses. PMLD will be doing the same again for Chinese New Year in 2010, and we plan to include selected areas in Belconnen, Gungahlin and Woden.

Do you have a question that you want answered?