MANILA, Philippines - It's hard to miss that colorful animal dancing across the street during Chinese New Year.

Most non-Chinese people think it's a dragon, but that's only 50% correct.

Last Saturday night, I saw three lions dance outside the lobby of the Makati Shangri-La Hotel as part of its Chinese New Year celebrations.

Philip Chan, team head at the Philippine Ling Nam Athletic Federation, told me that most of their clients usually ask them to do a lion dance performance. 

In other words, he's saying that people may have been watching lion dance performances without even realizing it.

Lion and dragon

Here's an easy way to tell the difference between a lion dance and a dragon dance: look at how long the animal is.

If it's short (or it has only two or three dancers), it's definitely a lion dance, Chan said. On the other hand, a dragon dance involves a team of at least nine people, since a Chinese dragon is considerably longer.

Moreover, the dragon puppet used at the dance is supported with poles, he explained.

According to Chan, the dragon has a superior position when compared to the lion in Chinese mythology and folklore. But he said clients usually ask for more lion dances since this can be done by pairs, a move seen to bring in good luck.

"They usually ask for two lions para swerte (for more good luck). They also ask for three, five lions. In parades, there can even be 10 or 20 lions," he told abs-cbnNEWS.com.

The dance

Both the lion and dragon dances are meant to bring in luck and drive away evil spirits.

There are a number of differences in style between the two, but fundamentally, the dances are the same, Chan said.

After the costume is placed on the area where the dance will be performed, a person (usually the one who heads the establishment) brushes red-colored water (called "chusa") on the animal's eyes, nose, mouth, ears, neck, body, tail, and limbs to bring it to life.

"Ito ang nagbibigay ng spirit sa lion (This is what gives the lion its spiritual essence)," Chan explained.

The sound of the drums and cymbals would then grow louder as the animal slowly recovers its stance. Chan said a very loud drum beat signifies that the animal has fully returned to life.

The dance usually starts with the animal running around and jumping, celebrating life. It would then do a variety of movements, from crossing a bridge to running along the waters, depending on the occasion and the client's request.

Chan said the dance may look easy, but it actually takes months of practice to perfect either the lion or dragon dance.

"Form din naman ito ng martial arts. Kailangan marunong talaga sila (This is also a form of martial arts, they really have to know what they're doing)," he said. Report and photos by Karen Flores, abs-cbnNEWS.com

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For comments and suggestions, email the author at karen_flores@abs-cbn.com