"Drums and cymbals echo across Mingyue Lay temple's sun-baked concrete car park. Lion heads made out of papier-mache are dotted around the lot and pairs of kids are jumping on to poles, tables or each other's shoulders all while connected at the hip. It's a sticky night in Sydney's west, but the 33C heat doesn't faze these lion dancers, who are gearing up for their busiest period: lunar new year. The festivities continue well past the day itself, with more than 100 performances"
"On the eve of lunar new year, the studio will start their performance at the temple in Bonnyrigg at 9pm and finish well past midnight. Lunar new year is not only a big deal for the studio but for the city Sydney has one of the largest lunar new year celebrations in the southern hemisphere. It is also the year of the fire horse, a rare pairing that happens once every 60 years."
"Kelvin Tran, a co-founder of Qing Fong and team leader, yells directions over the thumping drum as the younger dancers move their bodies sharply to the rhythm. Tran's teaching approach? I tell my kids to be the lion and to feel the lion through themselves. This is coupled with intensive training. At Qing Fong, they train at least twice a week for three hours at a time."
A Sydney-based Qing Fong Dragon and Lion dance team rehearses outdoors and in a small air-conditioned hall to prepare for Lunar New Year. The team performs more than 100 times across three weeks, including late-night shows on New Year's Eve. The year is the rare Fire Horse, occurring once every 60 years. Training is intensive with at least two three-hour sessions per week, beginning with conditioning runs, dynamic stretching and circuit exercises. Students split into six-person groups with four percussionists and two lion dancers. Instructors emphasize embodiment, urging dancers to "be the lion."
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]