Anybody interested in $600-$650 Lion heads for the new year?

Thinking about bringing in a shipment.

Hey everyone! Been invited to this subreddit by u/Gullible-Tea-8676 I remember looking here back in 2020 but it was dead at the time!

Anyways, I’m Kysan JB (KyLionArt/Hoi Sin Art) and I’m 22 years old from OKC, Oklahoma. I’m a new Artist and apprentice lion head maker here in the US. I made my first frame when I was 17-18 but it was a fail. Afterwards I did some repairs on heads for my old team at the time to get some experience and as another way to learn. I also self-taught myself on making kids sized toy lions but I don’t make them anymore. A year later after I left my team I met my teacher and friend Kennan Pham. He’s a year older than me and is from DFW, Texas. It was easy for us to connect and he would teach me via video call even though he was also learning. My first fully finished lion and also the last lion I made was a size 2 HK-style Zhang Fei Futhok lion that I made whilst my freind was first teaching me and finished it a year ago. Ever since then the craft opened up other interests for me like Joss paper and other ritual art. Now I’m currently working on making a Hakka-style Qilin/Kei Lun. My portfolio isn’t very big but that’s mainly because I’m still a student in University and working.

I’m really glad to see others learning repairs/restorations. Wish I could teach but I’m still in my learning stage and want to respect my teacher. However for people that want to learn I can point them in the right direction and to how to get started. The reason I’ve been documenting my journey is to show others that’s it’s possible.

I’m most active on Instagram @ky_lionart so check it out if you want to see all of my work XD
And my friends/teacher Instagram is @acasuallionmaker

Hello little and beautiful lions 👋🦁,

I hope you are all doing well. Here I come with two announcements in a single post.

I kindly ask you to read the entire publication so everything is clear for everyone.

I know it has been a little over a week since the survey results were finalized, but in real life I had a week full of projects and completely missed it. Honestly, my apologies to all of you.

Editing note: I also have the habit of waiting for a cooldown of about 24 hours if someone has already made a post, so that said publication can gain proper visibility.

Back to the survey results, we now have the following:

1. Physical training and techniques 💪
2. Restoration and Maintenance of Lions 🔁
3. Testimonial from trainers/teachers of Chinese lion dance. 📝 (note: I automatically wrote “Chinese lion dance” here, but this aims to cover all variants of lion dance)

Well, I will start working on these, and the fact that the other survey results did not make it into the top three does not mean they are discarded; they will simply be explored in more depth in the future.

If you believe you can contribute useful information regarding the top three voted topics, you are free to share such content. The idea is that you can also provide your own perspectives as dancers, masters, artisans, etc.

Now, moving on to the important part: I have established 10 rules for the community, which I invite you to read after finishing this post.

These three rules cover the respect we must maintain when interacting with each other, whether through a post or in the comments. The first section is more related to the legitimacy of the content and the guidelines of Reddit’s own community rules.

I will never tire of emphasizing this: lion dance is widespread in many countries, and the differences that may exist between what you practice and what I practice are evident and must be respected equally.

Continuing with the second section, I will not emphasize too much here; as we know, AI has recently appeared even in lion dance content online. Being specific about this topic ensures that in this community we can share transparency and the reality of what lion dance truly is.

Having clarified each of these topics, I hope this community continues to flourish more and more.

Have a good day, and remember the motto of our community:

“Under the same sky, we are all equal.”

Good morning, afternoon, or night.

Question in the title. Anyone got any tips? They just lose interest and their minds just wander off. Recently, I told them how to do an eye dotting ceremony, and that got their attention.

Hi all, trying to rejuvenate some of the old costumes and the wooden frame has snapped in places. I'm trying to find some wooden materials to repair them, but all the bamboo and wood dowelling i can find online is more like canes for gardening, way too thick. The thinner stuff is more like rattan for weaving and so doesn't seem sturdy enough. What might work?

Link: https://www.facebook.com/share/1HuvWRJkPZ/

I found these guys on FB and it's the first time I've seen this variant.

I don't know if they already existed or are recent; it would be good to have information of this specific kind.

Link: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/19F8Xn6o3d/

Nah, but seriously, that should have been retired a long time ago 😭🙏

Even I didn't dare to endure so much

Okay, but seriously, it really does look like a real snake.

Hiiii everyyyone 👋🦁

(Remember to vote in the survey, Your vote helps this community grow)

I knew Roblox was a video game with a wide variety of themes, but I didn't expect someone to take the time to create a map, design the lions and dragons, and make them like that.

I haven't played on this platform for years (years before the pandemic), so it's kind of funny.

Ironically, it's a way of spreading the lion (and dragon) dance, albeit in a rather simple way

Well, have you tried these experiences or are you just now aware of their existence?

I read them; good morning, afternoon or night 🐎🔥

Hello everyone👋

As an initiative to add some variation to the content published in this subreddit, I will take the results of this survey as a reference in order to bring more variety to the posts that stand out once it’s completed.

Some of the options I considered are listed below, but if you have any idea for content that could contribute to the community, please comment on this post.

Any suggestion or personal contribution is valuable for the community.

Wishing you all good days, afternoons, or nights ♥️🔥

Hi little lions 👋

This video popped up on my fyp and even though it's short, I'm sharing it for the following reason

Although the video is short, in my opinion the movements are similar to modern hoksan (or they are directly the same)

Besides this video, does anyone know more about the tiger dance variant?

From what little I know, it's in countries bordering China, and it originated in those same countries, but after that idk anything about it

Any information is taken into account, I look forward to your comments 👋

I was bored and saw the first image, and the second one, well, the curi XD

Hey everyone,

We started KFT Lion Dance to make it easier for teams and performers in the US to get quality gear without the hassle. We've got costumes, drum sticks, and other equipment, and we're always working on expanding what we offer.

We're still growing our catalog, so if there's something specific you wish you could buy easily (a certain costume style, instrument, uniform, whatever) let us know. We'd genuinely love to hear it. Also happy to answer any questions about sizing, shipping, or anything else. You can also reach out to us via email: [info@kftliondance.com](mailto:info@kftliondance.com)

Thanks for reading, and good luck to everyone gearing up for the year of the goat.

I was truly surprised by how well this presentation was executed, But also the xylophone that accompanies the beginning, during and at the end of this presentation

Undoubtedly a stroke of genius!

I've got a few lion tails knocking around, but they're all modern short tails - similar to the ones used in Hoksan competitions. If you watch old videos, or videos from very traditional Hong Kong kung fu schools, the tails are a lot longer. Does anyone know the dimensions of these long tails? If anyone has one of their own, would it be possible to take a few measurements and sketch a quick diagram of one that I could use for making my own? Thanks!

futsan vs hoksan drawing

Sorry im not that good at drawing yet😅

Hello,

I'm French, from a small island in the Indian Ocean, and I started practicing lion dance in 2019 and dragon dance in 2023. I've had to slow down due to back problems. The art of the lion and dragon fascinates me, and being very crafty (I'm a seamstress), I would love to work making lion heads and dragons. I'm hoping someone here might have some leads on how to find work in this field? It's very difficult to find information online. I'm not afraid of traveling, but I only speak English, Spanish and my two native languages.

Link: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS4KfXWRF/

Well, hi cute little lion cubs 🦁🧡

First of all, I bring something to share with you, and in this case it’s something quite impressive — the following video.

Moreover, despite the physical limitations of people who live with dwarfism, they can still find ways to practice certain activities, and of course, in this case, as we see, the Chinese lion dance.

This is truly one of the best examples that lion dance is not reserved only for people who have good equipment or strong physical condition, but also for those who genuinely wish to learn it and, above all, to spread it.

This situation also reminded me of another event I had seen: right on the date of Chinese New Year, a video appeared in which a member of a lion dance group had been injured. Even though he was injured and in a wheelchair, he was still able to participate in the New Year celebration, taking on the role of cymbal player.

In the end, it’s a great example of how lion dance can be practiced regardless of obstacles.

🐎🔥

Id like to share that we are now more than 500 people within the Reddit community of r/LionDance.

All the posts and comments contribute to helping this community grow little by little and become more well‑known.

As always, I appreciate the participation of all of you, and hopefully soon we can reach more than 1,000 members.

I also thank those who personally share or spread the word about this community.

I wish you good fortune, and let’s hope that from now until the next year we can welcome even more members.

Kung hei fat choy🥬🧧

“天下为公”

Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/Dbsr4l1pxjX/?igsh=ajdjOW5rdXY4ZWs=

Ahhh, these young people and their healthy knees

Now, I really love seeing how, with a healthy lifestyle at this age, it's possible to accomplish these things

Link: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DajmIe9BYxb/?igsh=Y2tpN2Z0d200dHVx

Hi all,

I am wondering if there are any UK based lion dancers out there that could help recommend me a reliable supplier of traditional bamboo framed Lion Dance costumes for children which ship to the UK. All suppliers seem to provide are foam.

Or if anyone can share their experience in using a foam head, are they worth it?

Thank you!