Lunar New Year officially kicked off on February 17, and although we鈥檙e welcoming the Year of the Horse, it鈥檚 the lions who have caught our attention recently. The costumed creatures (along with dragons) dance and perform stunts to the beat of drums and cymbals at New Year celebrations. 鈥�
四虎影院's Alexsis Jones and I wanted to know more about the mythical creatures, so we paid a visit to in Garland, where we caught a practice session in action.
VIBRANT COLORS AND A FIERY PAST
Kody Tang, a JL Sports instructor, welcomed us inside the team鈥檚 warehouse space.
As we rounded the corner of the entryway, we came upon two members of the team straightening costumes from a recent performance. The duo was pulling the head part of the costume lion out of plastic bags and stacking them on a three-tiered shelf stand.
Seeing a wall of technicolored lion heads staring back at us was quite impressive and definitely a first. Kody explained that the colors of the costumes have different meanings.
鈥淲hite usually represents purity and red is very famous for good luck and good fortune,鈥� Kody said.
鈥淲hat is purple?鈥� I asked.
鈥淧urple is our team color,鈥� Kody replied. 鈥淎 lot of teams have lions that match their team colors.鈥�
The color of the lions can also have historical significance and can tell a story. Kody told us the green and white lion represents the warrior Zhao Yun, who was famous for riding through an army to rescue the emperor鈥檚 infant son.
The lion dance has ancient roots in many Asian countries, especially China. It is one of many traditions celebrated around the world during the Lunar New Year. The dance chases away evil spirits and bad luck and welcomes prosperity, fortune, and joy.鈥�
BRIDGING COMMUNITIES
The Jiu Long Lion Dance Troupe started in 2013 with just 8 members. Since then, it鈥檚 grown to more than 43 members.
Kody said the team was started by a group of former kung fu students who loved the artistry of the sport. 鈥疉nd although the sport is rooted in Asian culture, many of the members are not Asian.
鈥淪ome of the members are Hispanic, some of them come from African American cultures,鈥� Kody said. 鈥淲e do it out of love for the community and our mission is to actually bridge communities together.鈥�
The night we visited, the team was preparing for a very busy month of performances, including a half-time show at a Dallas Mavericks game.
The group practiced a high table routine, in which two lions jump onto an elevated platform that's more than three feet off the ground. They perform a series of tricks and lifts to the sound of pounding drums and crashing cymbals.
A LION WITH TWO PERSONALITIES
Each lion is actually a two-person team. The person in the head makes the eyes blink, the eyebrows go up and down, and the mouth opens and closes. The tail is the powerhouse of the operation. They lift their partner, who鈥檚 wearing a large costume head, into the air in a series of acrobatic maneuvers.鈥�
The goal is to make the lion come to life. 18-year-old Emily Chea, who is one of the team captains, says that even with the costume on, she can identify different members of her team by their unique eye and mouth movements.
鈥淭hey have different ways of expressing the lion,鈥� Emily said. 鈥淚t's really cute how the lion comes to life like that.鈥�
But the tail also has a personality as well.
鈥淭he tail can move to the beats on its own, too,鈥� Emily said. 鈥淭hey don't have to follow exactly what the head does. So, there are two sides to the personality of the lion.鈥�
As we left the practice, Kody pointed out a variety of colorful competition banners along the entryway ceiling. Each scroll represented a team they had met鈥攂oth domestically and internationally.
鈥淲e've established a lot of friendships overseas with a lot of different teams, because that's how big lion dance is,鈥� Kody said. 鈥淟ion dance is such a big part of not just Asian culture, but also just the youth nowadays. And that's why we love doing it, because we love to make sure that the younger generation stays connected with their heritage. And plus, people just love it. It's a great sport.鈥�
Details: The Jiu Long Lion Dance Troupe鈥痯erforms at Galleria Mall on Feb. 21 at 3 p.m., Grandscape on Feb. 22 at 4 p.m., and at鈥痶he Dallas Mavericks half-time show鈥痮n Feb.鈥�26 at American Airlines Center.
