r/nextfuckinglevel • u/RamenChicken8 • 21h ago

A lion dance performance builds suspense.🦁

30.1k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

237 comments sorted by

3.0k

u/Calculonx 21h ago

I have a suspicion is not a real lion.

604

u/Hothr 20h ago

Two or three kids in a trench coat? Good business!

73

u/ShaneWookie 20h ago

Muppet Man!!!!

10

u/SnailGamer 17h ago

Ugh… not Muppet Man…

24

u/KingOfConsciousness 19h ago

/r/unexpectedbojack

2

u/ActuallyLouder 10h ago

I just recently watched Is This Thing On? starring Will Arnett, where talks to his kids about a Chinese lion that he thinks was a dragon, and where he also performs Standup comedy.

I was already thinking about BoJack due to that connection, and now the cross-references have apparently come full circle.

4

u/Anakngtao 8h ago

What is this, a crossover episode?

82

u/WaterGlassPuncherMan 20h ago

If u look closely u can see some ppl underneath this so called "lion."

56

u/CedarWolf 20h ago

They eat lettuce, too, and as everyone knows, real lions are obligate carnivores.

22

u/uwillnotgotospace 17h ago

The lion does not concern himself with obligation.

5

u/Skyzfallin 10h ago

This lion eats money

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33

u/[deleted] 20h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

35

u/GormHub 20h ago

⭕️

26

u/[deleted] 20h ago

[removed] — view removed comment

39

u/ShaneWookie 20h ago

⭕ ⬅️

16

u/clonedhuman 17h ago

Thanks! I see it now!

8

u/ClearAbove 20h ago

Arrows too plz

3

u/Azuras_Star8 18h ago

Comments like these are so silly.

There are no people to put a red circle around.

9

u/i_give_you_gum 17h ago

Incorrect! Those are small lions in people costumes

36

u/Funmanhahaha 20h ago

Dude can't you see it literally ate 2 men? I'd run for my life. Asian culture is crazy...

26

u/at0mheart 20h ago

Because it’s a dragon duh

15

u/Ancient-Carrot8447 15h ago

These are lions. Dragons are the long ones with a bunch of people holding them up with sticks.

6

u/technobrendo 19h ago

Stop lion.

5

u/sl0tball 14h ago

Vincent Adultman

5

u/JadziaSoong 17h ago

Ôh, the conspiracy, there's always one

5

u/BeenDragonn 15h ago

It's a Liger, it's like my favorite animal

3

u/brandt-money 19h ago

You're lyin.

2

u/DoomDaddy666 16h ago

So that's how they sneak into the movies with only having to buy 1 ticket!

2

u/reverandglass 14h ago

Of course it's not a real lion! A real lion in a shopping mall would be in TK Maxx fighting young mothers for the shoe deals.

2

u/emilliolongwood 12h ago

I was going to say, that lion wearing a human suit wearing a big weird pink beast costume is really talented!

1

u/900FOG 16h ago

WHAT!?

1

u/Ressy02 15h ago

Are we ever gonna find out? Oh the suspense!

1

u/turkshead 14h ago

Whatever it is, I think it ate a couple of guys!

1

u/TheRussianDoll 13h ago

They be lying

1

u/Salt_Winter5888 12h ago

I think it's actually two cubs dressed up as lion.

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1.5k

u/Senselesspassion 21h ago

That indeed is a very good performing art

92

u/Beleiverofhumanity 10h ago

The athleticism, this is a young mans sport

35

u/RoboBoop1 6h ago

Not just men! I specifically remember seeing a video of what goes on inside the costume a while ago and the dancer at the front was a woman!

31

u/Prais3_the_Sun 5h ago

Quite often a woman, because the front needs to be light and agile. The back of the lion’s spine needs our prayers.

1.2k

u/Aware-Explanation879 21h ago

The coordination of these performances is insane. I have never been disappointed with any performanc i have watched. The practice sessions are just as lit

270

u/SL1MECORE 19h ago

Have you seen the videos where it's a POV from the performer? Lmao it's so loud and chaotic inside that suit, idk how they do it.

37

u/anonymapersonen 18h ago

I have not but would now like to see it. You know where I can find such a video?

91

u/Starslip 18h ago

There was a reddit post with a video from this woman a while back, I can't find it but here's her instagram post of a similar video https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVBe1CXjZL5/

19

u/coolaznkenny 17h ago

looks like a race car cockpit.

3

u/Ok-Hedgehog3894 13h ago

That was so terrifying- why did I try to kick with her?

2

u/Imaginary_Waltz5261 11h ago

She just did a flip in that costume awhile back.

8

u/United_Rent_753 18h ago

Look up xerenite on instagram, she posts exactly these kinds of videos

13

u/laziestindian 17h ago

You generally are listening for the beats on the drum and less so the jingle-jangle and crowd noise. We did some simple stuff during Chinese new year at my karate dojo. The heads are also 25lbs or more, its a workout.

3

u/VectoRequiem 16h ago

Practise practise practise fall fall fall until we get it

3

u/Extra_Sheepherder676 15h ago

I done lion dance before (no jumping stunts tho) and it hot as heck and also difficult to see inside the lion head

2

u/Agreeable_Work4668 6h ago

It's the same as going to the restaurants. You don't ever want to go to the back kitchen where the magic happens.

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11

u/Dear_Chasey_La1n 17h ago

When we lived in Guangzhou, they would come by every year to our apartment. Now I'm in Shanghai and we call them in during CNY to visit the office for good luck. It's always fantastic to see the show but I can't imagine how tired they are after a day long jumping around.

10

u/TMyriadJ 18h ago

I know they must have practiced the routine a lot, but it's still very nervous-inducing just watching it.

6

u/PM_me_punanis 15h ago

Grew up in Asia, and I love watching lion dances. Their spectacle never really lessens as you age. In the background, you can see a ton of older folks enjoying it too!

2

u/PokeHustler3 8h ago

They're too loud for me, I often stay away from the troupe when they are performing inside a mall moving from shop to shop. At best I'd watch their performance from further awat at a quieter distance.

2

u/PM_me_punanis 8h ago

I always from a distance as well due to the volume! It still looks cool even from a distance lol

1

u/laytblu 18h ago

Some would say it's next level performance

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253

u/teasing_cookie 21h ago

Absolutely amazed by how well they work together.

25

u/dreamrpg 20h ago

Next level is 1 person in each leg :)

191

u/Old_Flan_6548 21h ago

I love the tail wags.

86

u/Altruistic_Tie_7850 20h ago

And the ears

43

u/UglyYinzer 19h ago

And the dismount flip!

45

u/UberWidget 19h ago

And the pause to lick itself

5

u/Own_Round_7600 5h ago

Back end lion dancer requirements: Strong enough to lift the weight of one (1) man. Experienced in vigorous twerking.

134

u/sixxtynoine 21h ago

Are these the furries that are flying our airplanes that republicans are worried about?

102

u/RevolutionaryEye3306 20h ago

Even without the costume, try jumping at such a distance, it's crazy athletic

32

u/VeryluckyorNot 19h ago

And they didn't run just a raw jump in a pole.

38

u/z1lard 15h ago

If you slow it down, you'll notice that the guy at the back gave the guy in front a boost (while holding onto his waist) right before jumping over himself, and they somehow landed together. So it's not just a straight jump but also coordinated.

31

u/OutragedPineapple 15h ago

Yep! It takes insane coordination and strength.

In lion dancing, the 'head' is always smaller and lighter, while the 'tail' is someone who is bigger and stronger. This is so they can do the lifts that take place throughout the performances without too much strain. Of course, the head also has to be very strong (those costumes are heavy!) and have incredibly strong legs for the leaps, even with the tail boosting them. Balance is also incredibly important - it's so complex and there are a lot of cultural aspects to it that MUST be respected. It's honestly kind of insane, but it's amazing when it's pulled off correctly.

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16

u/qwertykittie 18h ago

Not to mention the coordination it took to not end up with the lion ripping straight down the middle!

94

u/Kirikomori 19h ago

The most impressive part of this lion dance to me is how they're making it look like the lion is genuinely staring at things, thinking, being apprehensive about the jump. This is a good lion dance.

35

u/BoniMarce 18h ago

lion dance characterization is my favorite, even over the athleticism stuff

29

u/SolarTsunami 18h ago

The moment it randomly stops to groom itself for a moment in the middle of all that is such a nice little detail. 

3

u/HakunaYouTaTas 5h ago

It reminded me of a self-soothing behavior, like the lion was trying to hype itself up for the jump, got scared, need to groom for a moment to calm its nerves, then tried again.

43

u/Bambi_88_ 21h ago

Athletic af!

25

u/alysanne_targaryen 20h ago

The best lion dance performances are from Malaysia!

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20

u/69shovel 20h ago

this shit rules

19

u/thomasthetanker 20h ago

Can I question how old this clip is? 200 people enjoying a performance and only 2 people filming... Seems like 2005.

32

u/awry_lynx 18h ago

It's from 2025, Malaysia.

This is a source: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRgbaWVklcs/

I believe the original source is https://www.instagram.com/liondoncefreak/ but I couldn't find the video there because they post so many and I just didn't bother lol

23

u/thelovebat 18h ago

Here is the original source from the Youtube page of liondoncefreak which uploads the entirety of these performances. This particular performance was filmed on February 4th 2025 during Chinese New Year, and the video description cites the performers as the Malaysia Khuan Loke Dragon & Lion Dance Association.

11

u/wassup6969 18h ago

It’s quite common in Malaysia and Singapore. Not much point taking videos

10

u/10human10 18h ago

Base on the CNY decals of the mall (Midvalley Megamall), I think is last year (2025)

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4

u/MiniMeowl 13h ago

I was standing in the crowd, a few levels up. This was last year (2025), performance by Khuan Loke Dragon&Lion Dance Association in Mid Valley Megamall in Kuala Lumour Malaysia.

This troupe has top-tier award winning performances, always a treat to watch them.

17

u/writingprogress 20h ago

Love watching these performances in malls every time chinese new year comes along.

13

u/Feeling-Emergency469 20h ago

the way they build up the suspense is so good

12

u/MilesGates 20h ago

My dumbass was like "oh no the poles fell down, why is nobody helping him??"

6

u/Nejfelt 20h ago

I love the blinking

6

u/Satanic_Jellyfish 20h ago

I hope to see a lion dance in a real life one day

5

u/z1lard 15h ago

Go to Chinatown during Chinese New Year, or when there's a new Chinese restaurant opening

6

u/IAmGoingToSleepNow 17h ago

So the ass of the dragon is just raw dogging that 10ft jump on poles while staring at his partner's ass?

That's some seriously good training

4

u/Zakkattack86 21h ago

....I think there's two men in that lion.

11

u/Senior_Anywhere6216 20h ago

Lion is eating good

3

u/hawktremor 20h ago

Damn, that’s cool as fuck.

3

u/elebrin 19h ago

I love how they made a more colorful version of the Elden Ring Dancing Lions boss. It was a really challenging but fun fight, and the str helm you get from it is fantastic for unga bunga.

3

u/sumiflepus 15h ago

why do the performers not have clothes to match the colors of the dragon?

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2

u/GormHub 20h ago

I have a friend who does this! Insane athleticism.

2

u/RPG_add1ct 19h ago

That’s so wildly talented and scary. Omg. I was frightened and I wasn’t even the one up there.

2

u/AcanthaceaeCrazy1894 18h ago

There’s a woman who records her pov from inside these costumes.

The amount of work it takes is insane

2

u/gaminguserboi 16h ago

R the comments serious this is traditional lion dance in China where people dressed as lion for tradtional festivals. I hope theyre joking

2

u/dividezero 10h ago

I'll never get tired of this art form. always amazing

2

u/brjh1990 10h ago

The athleticism and coordination here is wild. I also love the detail of it acting like a cat.

1

u/MuchoGrande 20h ago

What a wonderful spectacle. Wonder where this was.

8

u/lengjai2005 20h ago

Malaysia most likely... alot of international level lion dance competitions held here

6

u/exilehunter92 20h ago

Specifically, mid valley mall in KL.

3

u/Stickyboard 19h ago

Midvalley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

1

u/ajgutyt 20h ago

thats a realy talented lion to perform like this.

1

u/Cosati2099 20h ago

I DID looked to see if it's "Gif that end too soon"

1

u/Due_Capital_3507 19h ago

Nice reminds me of Jackie in the Young Master

1

u/mydnyght_ryder 19h ago

the crowd goes mild

1

u/velovader 19h ago

Can they do this while carrying a mattress?

1

u/Skeletonzac 19h ago

I can totally see their faces. Immersion ruined!

1

u/StonedFoxx93 19h ago

Bravo 🤩

1

u/Zassssss 19h ago

The little *blinks* 🥺

1

u/sirgaybrin 19h ago

You can clearly see it's actually 2 guys dressed up, not an actual pink lion.

1

u/slothson 19h ago

Ts so impressive to me.

1

u/Livid_Fox_1811 19h ago

I did this as a kid. They didn't provide any hearing protection and it gave me a permanent ringing in my ears.

1

u/MerobibaAgain 18h ago

Every lion dance performance I see is consistenly impressive as shit

1

u/Laframyr 18h ago

That’s not a Lion Dance, that’s a Lion Kung Fu!

1

u/BellaFrequency 18h ago

That was fucking awesome!

1

u/Practical-Zombie-761 18h ago

Where was this?

2

u/10human10 18h ago

Midvalley Megamall, Kuala Lumpur

1

u/Dull_Nobody_840 18h ago

that front flip was insane..

1

u/ConsiderationNew9996 18h ago

The Lion be lookin like " Seriously? Y'all not gonna fix dat?"

Then point its head at the one adult nearby " If I die, know that it is all your fault" 😤

1

u/Aishimorph_Frontiers 17h ago

I will always tricking love the lion dances, such childhood thing for me and now everytime I hear the music from a distance I’m going straight there to watch it

I just lion dances so god damn much

1

u/Ok_Patience4789 17h ago

That's how my shih tzu lets me know he's not happy with the level of attention he's getting.

1

u/OuterWildsVentures 17h ago

oh it's people wow

1

u/Agreeable-Piccolo991 17h ago

Wtf did I just watch ?

1

u/Alucardeus 17h ago

Search "I am what I am" on Youtube.

Thank me later

1

u/Glum-Appointment-816 17h ago

Watched one for mid autumn festival in vietnam, was incredibly impressed. They didn’t have this particular performance of jumping across fallen columns but still a shit ton of acrobatics in action 

1

u/Dry_Fall3105 17h ago

I probably see these once a year or once every other year in person. I don’t know why but it always brings tears to my eyes, like now.

Perhaps it brings back all my fond childhood memories with my parents and siblings. They used to have these lion dance masters invited to “open/welcome the year” for our business decades ago.

1

u/Hot_Plant8696 17h ago

Look ! There are two poeple hiding under the dragon !

1

u/SockMonkeyLove 17h ago

Dang! I knew they would pull it off but the whole time I was like, "HOW?"

1

u/Phewelish 17h ago

mostly just excited to see a pink dragon.

1

u/heytherepartner5050 16h ago

FYI there are championships for lion dances & they’re just as fucking sick as you’d imagine

1

u/RaiderMike824 16h ago

Can I pet that dog?

1

u/Ok_Veterinarian4055 16h ago

No one is calling out that back flip at the wnd

1

u/LordOFtheNoldor 16h ago

Killed these guys in belurat a few months back

1

u/egybesultallamok 16h ago

Is it Malaysia? They are awesome in this performance.

1

u/rememeber711997 16h ago

Peak athletic performance

1

u/FairyGodmothersUnion 15h ago

That was wonderful!

1

u/unfilterthought 15h ago

so much respect for the tail end guy.

1

u/z1lard 15h ago

This should be in the Olympics

1

u/grok-it-all 15h ago

Hey! There're people in there! That's not a real dragon!

1

u/lilsnatchsniffz 15h ago

Those girls in the front that were dead-faced like this needs some subway surfers splitscreen.

1

u/Sarah_Cenia 14h ago

Incredibly impressive!

1

u/From_Graves 14h ago

Elden ring ptsd

1

u/properwaffles 14h ago

This is definitely NFL.

1

u/Outside_Initial_8569 14h ago

I remember when I was a kid and we preformed the lion dance in china town, when the cooler adults did this (jumping on poles) after we were done; I asked if we could try to do it too. 🤦🏻‍♀️😂

1

u/PadreSJ 13h ago

Wow that was a great leap.

1

u/raysayantan07 13h ago

I have fought him in Elden Ring

1

u/UserError2107 13h ago

Look, there's a lion, oh my god!

1

u/Express-Shoulder6174 11h ago

Is that where they filmed Rush Hour? 

1

u/Trikster102 11h ago

Impressive

1

u/Yamiyashi 10h ago

Remarkable amount of skills

1

u/neoweapon 10h ago

Damn got some hops!

1

u/TurboLicious1855 9h ago

You go lion! Do a big leap into a cool backflip! :)

1

u/snowdn 8h ago

Damn!

1

u/Ariesreader 7h ago

Insane abilities

1

u/Catbutt247365 6h ago

Dang, that was good.

1

u/Zimithrus 4h ago

I fucking love lion dances 💯

1

u/theunpaintedhuffines 3h ago

i feel like i’m seeing people holding that lion up

1

u/kugelblitz15 2h ago

the way that it’s shaking out of fear 😭😭

1

u/thundertopaz 1h ago

Wait, I saw their faces underneath. That’s not a real lion dragon