A Dialogue of the Lions performed by the Hung Sheng Lion Dance Theatre under the guidance of Director Zhang Sheng-rong break through the limitations of conventions by creating unique patterns that instill a new energy to the traditional lion formation. In contrast to the traditional lion formation, the performers create a vertical presence by mimicking the movements of lions without props to enable the audience to observe their subtle movements and expressions. To present such a performance without props, the dancers have to observe lions carefully and imagine how lions feel before they can “transform” themselves into a lion and present the lion in concrete images.

The lion formation is performed by two dancers who first mimic a lion stretching by extending their limbs in different directions. Then the two dancers move together as a lion, showing its fangs as the lion’s face and ears are revealed. The lion then blinks, turns, rolls, grooms its fur, and scratches: a ferocious lion takes shape. On special occasions, the dancers jump on top of stakes of uneven height, their dance symbolizing the lion crossing a broken bridge over a deep canyon and reaching the other side with “Cai-qing.” These difficult acrobatic movements arouse the audience’s wonder and admiration.