Demo Prep

Some art goes right for the throat.  A movie begins with a gunfight.  A song starts with a guttural scream.  Other pieces build up slowly to the excitement.  A play opens with a pair of friends exchanging small talk.  The first ten panels of a graphic novel depict a fallen autumn leaf blowing across a sidewalk.

The lion dance can be presented both ways.  One option: the fireworks can be lit right at the start with the drums banging at full volume and the lion emerging from the smoke.  Another option: the drums roll in slow and low while a lone monk sets the stage for the lion to emerge from a cave.

Today we practiced the second option.  The monk ventures to the lions cave, sweeps the floor, lights some candles and opens the door.  During this whole time, two performers sit underneath the lion costume, waiting to leap forth, to dance for the crowd, to chase the monk, to chase off the lingering spirits of the old year and bring good luck to the new year.