Chinese Lion Dance: Transforming Communities and Traditions
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
setName: label: See more items in
content: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2017 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
label: See more items in
content: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2017 Smithsonian Folklife Festival / Series 4: On The Move / 4.3: Audio
physdesc: label: Extent
content: 1 Sound recording (digital audio file)
unitdate: label: Date
content: 2017 July 03
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
identifier: label: Identifier
content: CFCH.SFF.2017, Item SFF2017_0703_OTM_Story_Circle_0006
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials
label: Type
content: Sound recordings
altformavail: label: Existence and Location of Copies
content: Listening copies available
scopecontent: label: Scope and Contents
content: Mark Puryear (presenter); Raymond Wong and Wong People (TBD members) ;For centuries, pairs of martial artists have dressed as lions, prancing and leaping to the pounding beat of drums and clashing cymbals amid exploding firecrackers. The lions welcome the new year, and they launch new events and opening ceremonies; their ferocity and acrobatics drive away evil spirits and assure good fortune. The lion dance connects Chinese Americans to ancient traditions of martial arts and with Chinese communities throughout the world. Members of the D.C.-based Wong People Kung Fu Association demonstrate their traditional skills and discuss how they transform the tradition. This session is co-presented with the 1882 Foundation.