The dance team simulates the imagined movements of this mythological creature in a sinuous, undulating manner.

[1] The dragons are believed to possess qualities that include great power, dignity, fertility, wisdom and auspiciousness.

[3] According to the Han dynasty text Luxuriant Dew of the Spring and Autumn Annals by Dong Zhongshu, as part of a ritual to appeal for rain, clay figures of the dragons were made and children or adults may then perform a dance.

Figures similar to the dragon lantern (龍燈) used during Lantern Festival were described in the Song dynasty work Dreams of Splendor of the Eastern Capital, where figures of dragon mounted for display were constructed out of grass and cloth and inside which numerous candle lights may be placed.

[21] The head of the oldest surviving dragon, dating back to 1878 and named Moo Lung, is preserved and on display at the Bok Kai Temple in Marysville, California.

The dragon is assembled by joining the series of hoops on each section and attaching the ornamental head and tail pieces at the ends.

A small organization cannot afford to run a very long dragon because it requires considerable human power, great expense and special skills.

The normal length and size of the body recommended for the dragon is 34 metres (110 ft) and is divided into nine major sections.

The dragon dance is performed by a skilled team whose job is to bring the motionless puppet[33] body to life.

Whilst this swinging constitutes the basic movement of the dragon, executing more complex formations is only limited by a team's creativity.

The patterns and tricks that are performed generally involve running into spiraled formations to make the dragon body turn and twist on itself.

Other advanced manoeuvres include various corkscrew-like rotating tricks and more acrobatic moves where the performers stand on each other's legs and shoulders to increase the height of the dragon's movements.

Such dances involve large number of participants from various organizations, and are often only possible under the auspices of a regional or national government.

The dance was originally performed by Chinese residents who settled in Nagasaki, the only port said to be open for foreign trade in Japan during the Edo period.

[38][39] There is however a form that is unique to Japan – the Orochi (a great serpent or Japanese dragon) which may be found in a kagura performance.

Gregory Stephenson says the dragon "... represents 'the force and mystery of life,' the true sight that 'sees the spiritual everywhere translucent in the material world'".

[43] Arthur Ransome incorporates dragon dances in his children's book Missee Lee (1941), part of the Swallows and Amazons series, which is set in 1930s China.