The Lion will be accompanied by a musical ensemble consisting of a large Chinese drum played with two wooden mallets, a gong, and one or more sets of cymbals. The lion’s dance is not choreographed to music; instead the musicians follow the lion’s movements. Each of the lion’s moods and moves has its own associated rhythm. Having attended the Chinese New Year performances of this Kung Fu school in Brooklyn and Manhattan for several years, we are confident that this display will be a wonderful treat for local residents of all ages. It will be a rare and wonderful opportunity for children to witness this spectacular event without braving the environs of a large city’s “Chinatown” neighborhood.
The climax of the Lion Dance features a “blessing” known as the Chio Cheng or “Picking the Green”. The green here refers to vegetable leaves that are tied to a piece of string which also has a red envelope attached containing a donation of money. The string is hung above the door of the house or business, and the lion “eats” both leaves and red envelope. The lion then “chews” the leaves while the musicians play a dramatic rolling crescendo. The lull is broken as the lion explodes back into activity while spitting out the leaves. This is a symbolic act of blessing by the lion, with the spitting out of the leaves signifying that there will be an abundance of everything in the coming year.
Our New Year celebration in Georgetown will take place in the Center's parking lot and will consist of the lion dance (from approximately 12:30 to 1:30 pm) as well as performances by our Demonstration Team and performance teams from several other area schools, including our sister school in Cheshire.
