Roaring Roaring Lion Lion Dance Dance A
traditional aspect of Chinese New Year celebrations is the lion dance, a traditional dance in Chinese culture and other Asian countries in which performers mimic a lion’s movements in a lion costume. The lion dance is performed during the Chinese New Year, cultural and religious festivals, and important occasions such as business opening events, special celebrations or wedding ceremonies. Lion dance is gaining its reputation as an international sport with competitions in Macau, Malaysia, Singapore, and Colorado!
olorado Asian Cultural Heritage Center Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe is a non-profit organization made up of dedicated volunteers, friends, students and young professionals from different ethnicities. Dedicated to promoting and introducing the sport and art of dragon and lion dance, health, wellness, and the Asian culture, the troupe’s mission is to improve the quality and performance of dragon and lion dance through excellence in training, education, competition, and recognition. The group strives to pass on the skills and knowledge to support members with physical conditioning, balance, focus, coordination, health, respect, and confidence as an individual in the sport of dragon and lion dancing. For more information, visit: www.cachcdragonlion.org or www.facebook.com/cachcdragonlion. Upcoming performances: • Jan. 17: Lone Tree Arts Center (Lone Tree) • Jan. 30: Asian Market (Colorado Springs) • Feb. 5: Lulu’s Bistro (Fort Collins) and Canton Palace (Loveland) • Feb. 6: A-Mart Supermarket (Denver) • Feb. 6: Pho Boulevard (Denver), Ameristar Casino (Black Hawk) • Feb. 7: Kings Land Restaurant and Viet’s Restaurant (Denver)
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ine Province Kung Fu originally started in Pahrump, Nevada, a small town just outside of Las Vegas. The group relocated to Grand Junction over a year ago. The Nine Province Kung Fu School primarily teaches Chinese Martial Arts. “It’s been a challenge to get people interested in lion dance,” says Sifu Glenn Bullock. “This area of Colorado [Grand Junction] is nothing like Denver. In Nevada, almost the entire school was involved in lion dance; we had three adults and three children lions and everyone loved it.” Bullock shares that “we keep trying though; we have a solid team, one in training, and a handful of musicians.” Upcoming performances: • Jan. 29: Kung Fu Panda 3 at Carmike Theater (Grand Junction) • Feb. 9: Chinese New Year Demo at Hilltop (Grand Junction) • June 18: Chinese Martial Arts Tournament at Central High School (Aurora)
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Learn more about four lion dance troupes in Colorado and find out where you can catch a performance.
“The purpose of the dragon and lion dance team is to preserve the culture and traditions of the Asian community, and to teach young Asian-Americans about their heritage. It is also a terrific way for nonAsian Americans to get to know and understand Asian culture better.”
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January 2016 | Feature
– Becky Luu, Colorado Asian Cultural Heritage Center