VTMBH Article: Body
In Chinatown, its becoming more common for more and more Westerners to join in the traditional dragon and lion dancing teams and perform admirably in celebrations. Is it a cultural exchange or there is something more behind this trend? Many dragon and lion dancing coaches say that lack of interest among the anext Chinese-American generation is the major reason.
Dragon and lion dancing is a Chinese tradition that dates back thousands of years. It is ubiquitous during festivals and other celebrations. In New Yorks Chinatown, the Chinese Community Center, the oldest Chinese organization, always welcomes their guests with lion dancing. However, the traditional Chinese art upon emigrating to America, is inevitably Westernized. One example is the increase in Westerners joining the dancing teams. The dancing coaches say the young Chinese generation fears the grueling practice sessions. Their parents worry that dancing teams are controlled by gangs. Some young people think dragon and lion dancing is old-fashioned. All of these reasons contribute to the dancing teams lack of Chinese successors.
Wens and Yus lion dancing troupes are two of the oldest dancing teams in Chinatown. But the two have totally different opinions about admitting Western trainees. Wens team is one of the few lion dancing teams that trains only Chinese apprentices. Troupe founder Zhiming Wen said, This is the ancestors rule, and it cannot be changed by us. Its not enough to study lion dancing; to be a good lion dancer, one has to know some Chinese Kung Fu, Wen said. Thats why Wen requires his apprentices to begin practicing when they are kids, and to practice Kung Fu first. However, Wen admits that the Chinese only rule is harder to keep because fewer Chinese kids choose to spend time on the laborious training process.
You have to work very hard to study Kung Fu, especially at the beginning. Nowadays, kids are spoiled, and few are willing to experience any hardship, said Wen. Even those who study Kung Fu as kids stop practicing when they enroll in college, meet a girlfriend or get a job, Wen said.
Yus team was one of the first Chinatown dragon and lion dancing teams to commercialize. Among the dancers who attended the celebration of Taiwan National Day on Oct. 10, 90 percent are non-Chinese.
Other teams also must stirke a balance between East and West. Shirui Tian, the owner of two dancing teams, said the decrease of Chinese dragon and lion dancers is parallel to the decrease of Chinese Kung-Fu acolytes. Many kids now think Chinese Kung-Fu is old-fashioned. They would rather study skating or ballet.
Hollywood helped promote Chinese Kung-Fu in some recent movies, and a few kids have shown a little bit more interest in Kung Fu because of them. But dragon and lion dancing cannot be learned in short-term zeal. Thats why its still true that more dancers are Westerners who have practiced for years, Tian said.
According to Tian, the Westerners are always curious about Chinese Kung Fu. Some even start to learn Kung Fu in their 30s. So the Western trainees ages vary. Also, they dont mind of paying fees to learn. Some Chinese parents, even though they send their children to learn Kung Fu, they act as though they are doing you a favor. Its impossible to charge them anything, Tian said. Therefore, he noted, he was forced to admit Westerners to support the teams.
Another headache for the dragon and lion dancing teams is that Chinese people still believe the teams are controlled by gangs. Wen said, it is true that in early days, Chinatowns dragon and lion dancing teams were established and run by gangs. But it is different now. However, some Chinese parents who dont know Chinatowns development well still think that to learn dancing is to be a gangster. So they hesitate to send their kids to those teams.
All of this leaves the senior dragon and lion dancers a long-standing question: Must Chinese traditional art be succeeded by Westerners?
Dragon and lion dancing is a Chinese tradition that dates back thousands of years. It is ubiquitous during festivals and other celebrations. In New Yorks Chinatown, the Chinese Community Center, the oldest Chinese organization, always welcomes their guests with lion dancing. However, the traditional Chinese art upon emigrating to America, is inevitably Westernized. One example is the increase in Westerners joining the dancing teams. The dancing coaches say the young Chinese generation fears the grueling practice sessions. Their parents worry that dancing teams are controlled by gangs. Some young people think dragon and lion dancing is old-fashioned. All of these reasons contribute to the dancing teams lack of Chinese successors.
Wens and Yus lion dancing troupes are two of the oldest dancing teams in Chinatown. But the two have totally different opinions about admitting Western trainees. Wens team is one of the few lion dancing teams that trains only Chinese apprentices. Troupe founder Zhiming Wen said, This is the ancestors rule, and it cannot be changed by us. Its not enough to study lion dancing; to be a good lion dancer, one has to know some Chinese Kung Fu, Wen said. Thats why Wen requires his apprentices to begin practicing when they are kids, and to practice Kung Fu first. However, Wen admits that the Chinese only rule is harder to keep because fewer Chinese kids choose to spend time on the laborious training process.
You have to work very hard to study Kung Fu, especially at the beginning. Nowadays, kids are spoiled, and few are willing to experience any hardship, said Wen. Even those who study Kung Fu as kids stop practicing when they enroll in college, meet a girlfriend or get a job, Wen said.
Yus team was one of the first Chinatown dragon and lion dancing teams to commercialize. Among the dancers who attended the celebration of Taiwan National Day on Oct. 10, 90 percent are non-Chinese.
Other teams also must stirke a balance between East and West. Shirui Tian, the owner of two dancing teams, said the decrease of Chinese dragon and lion dancers is parallel to the decrease of Chinese Kung-Fu acolytes. Many kids now think Chinese Kung-Fu is old-fashioned. They would rather study skating or ballet.
Hollywood helped promote Chinese Kung-Fu in some recent movies, and a few kids have shown a little bit more interest in Kung Fu because of them. But dragon and lion dancing cannot be learned in short-term zeal. Thats why its still true that more dancers are Westerners who have practiced for years, Tian said.
According to Tian, the Westerners are always curious about Chinese Kung Fu. Some even start to learn Kung Fu in their 30s. So the Western trainees ages vary. Also, they dont mind of paying fees to learn. Some Chinese parents, even though they send their children to learn Kung Fu, they act as though they are doing you a favor. Its impossible to charge them anything, Tian said. Therefore, he noted, he was forced to admit Westerners to support the teams.
Another headache for the dragon and lion dancing teams is that Chinese people still believe the teams are controlled by gangs. Wen said, it is true that in early days, Chinatowns dragon and lion dancing teams were established and run by gangs. But it is different now. However, some Chinese parents who dont know Chinatowns development well still think that to learn dancing is to be a gangster. So they hesitate to send their kids to those teams.
All of this leaves the senior dragon and lion dancers a long-standing question: Must Chinese traditional art be succeeded by Westerners?