Everything You Need to Know About Lion Dance Bench Routines

Bench routines are specialized lion dance performances that take place on stacked wooden benches, adding more height, jumps, and acrobatics to wow audiences during major celebrations like Lunar New Year.

In these performances, lion dancers leap on top of and across benches, often telling a story about overcoming obstacles and triumphing over challenges. These performances showcase the talent of the most experienced lion dancers in a way that also demonstrates traditional Chinese martial arts and culture. Plus, the acrobatics involved are plain amazing to watch!

In this article, we’ll dive deep into this iconic art form, delving into the meanings and legends associated with it, and why the Chau Luen Athletic club performs this to bridge tradition and modernity.

Why do lion dancers use benches in their performances?

Benches for lion dance originated in China from the early days of lion dancing, giving performers (who may have just used the closest available furniture as props) a chance to improve their coordination, stability, and agility. This evolved into live performances in the streets or at festivals, adding some excitement, flair, and height to their standard ground routines.

In Vancouver, the first kung fu instructor to incorporate high jumps into their routine was Sigung Peter Wong, who was teaching with SiTaiGung Wong Ha at the time. These evolved into the bench routines you’ll see today, which are also a staple of Chau Luen Athletics performances at numerous community events.

Often, a bench routine tells more of a story and is a more performative and artistic piece compared to lion dances for business’ grand openings or for weddings. For instance, one of our bench routines, “Lion Goes Up the Mountain” (獅子上樓台) is a story of a lion overcoming a great obstacle, which is exemplified by the courageous climbing of a dizzying stack of benches. These are accentuated by numerous jumps, lifts, and head sits that have dazzled crowds all across the city.

Aside from telling a story, benches bring a ton of excitement to a performance. As lion dances are often restricted by low ceilings at wedding venues, offices, and restaurants, bench routines are often performed outdoors, leading to great heights that drop the jaws of our audiences.

Benches bring new twists to the common lion dance performance and plenty of suspense

In a multicultural city like Vancouver, many people have seen a lion dance, perhaps at the Chinatown Spring Festival Parade or even in the suburbs like our annual performance at Coquitlam’s Henderson Place Mall.

However, seeing a bench routine is a much less common sight. Not all venues have space for the heights we are able to reach. There is also a great deal of suspense when the lion gets up to the highest bench. We even highlight this as the lion may be presented as “timid” or “anxious” before mustering up the courage to jump up to its maximum height (one performer balancing on the shoulders of another).

Having such a spectacle does wonders to put the spotlight on such an exciting cultural performance. And to put smiles on the faces of thousands of people watching is a big bonus as well.

What a lion dance bench routine typically looks like

Though it depends on the routine, lion dance benches are commonly stacked for height but can also be staggered or put in a bridge formation for the lion to cross. There may be other obstacles or goodies for a lion to avoid or grab during the performance, sometimes located somewhere on the bench apparatus, hanging on a prop, or laid out on the ground. In most of our bench routines, we stack our lion dance benches up to three “levels” high for the lion to jump and climb on.

When on the benches, the lion will perform a variety of movements, including jumps and lifts. The lion will often jump from one level to the next, as well as perform moves like split-kicks. These require athleticism and timing from the person performing as the lion head.

The performer in the tail of the lion costume has a different job, first matching the footwork for the lion head, while also providing the strength to boost the head performer upwards. Aside from jumps, this also includes precarious balancing acts. These include:

• the head performer jumping and landing on one foot on top of tail performer’s leg,

• the head performer jumping and landing squarely on the tail performer’s hips, and most impressively,

• the tail performer supporting the head performer sitting on their head or standing directly on their shoulders.

All of these require plenty of practice, coordination, and trust between both performers. There is little room for error when at such heights.

Below is a bench routine from our Chau Luen Athletics at Vancouver’s Canada Day celebrations downtown. This shows some of the movements discussed on a three-level bench set-up.

Where you can see lion dance bench routines performed

Lion dance bench routines typically take place during large-scale celebrations. Most commonly, you will be able to see them performed at Lunar New Year celebrations in your city, as well as at lion dance competitions and tournaments.

You may also see them performed at weddings and grand openings, but these are less common because of the increased cost of transporting the benches or the height restrictions of the venues chosen. That being said, we are able to create new stories that are tailor-made for your business or wedding celebrations and can make a memorable show.

Want to learn the secrets to performing a bench routine?

Lion dance bench routines make for some of the most complex but rewarding performances, and present a real treat for anyone watching. We believe that it plays an important role in honouring the tradition of our martial art and Chinese culture as a whole. The Chau Luen Athletics team hopes to use this to pass on the torch to the next generation of lion dancers and inspire more shared cultural experiences in a fun and exciting way.

Interested in learning how to perform a bench routine? You can join our lion dance team in Vancouver. Since it takes a lot of training and commitment, the earlier you start, the better—you can use the button below to sign up for a free trial class today! And if you want to book a lion dance performance with a bench routine, feel free to reach out. Our team will be glad to assist you in making a splash at your upcoming event!

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Lion dance bench performance FAQ

Are lion dance bench routines safe for performers?

With proper training, bench routines can be safe for performers. At our club, we use a gradual approach with experienced spotters to slowly build up the confidence and coordination of our performers. The use of jumping and strength training exercises is also key to ensure safe movement from bench to bench, as well as for lifts.

What is the difference between a pole routine and a bench routine?

Bench routines involve dancers moving between, balancing on, and performing jumps on wooden benches that are usually arranged upwards like stairs. These routines are typically more portable and require less setup. Bench routines are also considered more traditional. Pole routines use metal poles that are usually higher than the bench setups. They often require more precise coordination, with dancers performing high-flying stunts several feet off the ground, but both are exhilarating to watch.

What do benches symbolize in Chinese lion dance?

Usually, the arrangement of the benches and the performance is centred around a story of overcoming adversity. The lion will often be timid to start, unsure of the benches and other obstacles (like a body of water placed on the ground), but will always succeed with courage and determination.