Saturday September 29, 2007
We know how to mark an entrance and draw a crowd. Or at least a couple of Chinese Lions and a drumming team knows how to draw a crowd and make an entrance.
We performed at Westland Market Mall in Spruce Grove today for Grove Travel who was hosting a travel event in the mall. We were there to promote China (of course!) and to introduce a speaker who represented travel to China. Anyway, we started at one end of the mall, and marched through it to a cozy spot outside of Grove Travel where we settled in on the hard floor to begin our dance. It must have been quite the sight to see, especially for people who have no idea what a Chinese Lion Dance looks like. Needless to say, there was a minor amount of confusion at the beginning since the Lions lay down to begin and the lettuce was still packed away. I can only imagine the suspense building as Master Brinker and Sifu Robertson went running for the lettuce while Zhan Fei and Hau Yuanjia were lying on the floor asleep. So anyway, where was I? Oh yes, we were spectacular if I do say so myself. Not that I could see anything being in the tail and all, but just how we approached this dance made it memorable.
The team of the day included Sifu Davies and Silhing Harrigan in Zhang, Sifu Clements and I in Hua Yuanjia, Master Brinker on drums, Sifu's Freitag and Dennis on Gong and Cymbals, and Sihing Dennis pulling the drum and taking the awesome pictures.
It was a perfect dance that just might be tough to beat, let alone duplicate. I can't wait to do something like this again!
Tania Wilson
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Run for Life 2007
Sunday September 16, 2007
Rotary Run for Life Lion Dance
Today I embarked on the coldest Lion Dance I have ever performed. However, it went quite well.
We - being Sifu’s Brinker, Freitag, Dennis, Robertson, Davies, Davies, Sihing Harrigan, and myself, arrived at about 8:30 am at Exhibition Park. Silent River Kung Fu performed there last year as well, so we were not going in blind, which was nice.
We drove in, having to dodge a wide assortment of runners - very dedicated people if you ask me. I am not sure that I could get myself motivated to run outside in the cold for anything, well maybe for a cause like this. Maybe. Once we had our gear stored inside the arena, we went to have a nice hot breakfast. Complete with hot coffee and hot chocolate. Mmmmm.
The dance started at 9:35 so we had considerable time to pass. Did I mention that it was cold? I did find however that wearing sequined pants over top of Kung Fu pants is actually quite warm, not to mention very fashionable. Once our time was near, it was time to be brave and discard the couple of sweaters I was wearing and bare my arms in my t-shirt. Okay, we all had to bare our arms...
The dance began and went quite well. The cold was actually not a factor in our performance, and perhaps made it better. The head stack with myself and Sifu Davies was perfect on our first attempt, and no one slipped on any stray lettuce. And from the crowd’s applause and Woo Woo’s, I would say it was a huge success.
While I am not a fan of the cold, this dance was one to remember. The dedication of the runners, who raised money for Mental Health, was inspiring and I am in awe of them. I hope to be a part of this cause for years to come as Mental Health is something that is highly overlooked, and under treated. I like to think that by doing something like a Lion Dance, even though it is a small something, I am making a difference.
Sihing Tania Wilson
Rotary Run for Life Lion Dance
Today I embarked on the coldest Lion Dance I have ever performed. However, it went quite well.
We - being Sifu’s Brinker, Freitag, Dennis, Robertson, Davies, Davies, Sihing Harrigan, and myself, arrived at about 8:30 am at Exhibition Park. Silent River Kung Fu performed there last year as well, so we were not going in blind, which was nice.
We drove in, having to dodge a wide assortment of runners - very dedicated people if you ask me. I am not sure that I could get myself motivated to run outside in the cold for anything, well maybe for a cause like this. Maybe. Once we had our gear stored inside the arena, we went to have a nice hot breakfast. Complete with hot coffee and hot chocolate. Mmmmm.
The dance started at 9:35 so we had considerable time to pass. Did I mention that it was cold? I did find however that wearing sequined pants over top of Kung Fu pants is actually quite warm, not to mention very fashionable. Once our time was near, it was time to be brave and discard the couple of sweaters I was wearing and bare my arms in my t-shirt. Okay, we all had to bare our arms...
The dance began and went quite well. The cold was actually not a factor in our performance, and perhaps made it better. The head stack with myself and Sifu Davies was perfect on our first attempt, and no one slipped on any stray lettuce. And from the crowd’s applause and Woo Woo’s, I would say it was a huge success.
While I am not a fan of the cold, this dance was one to remember. The dedication of the runners, who raised money for Mental Health, was inspiring and I am in awe of them. I hope to be a part of this cause for years to come as Mental Health is something that is highly overlooked, and under treated. I like to think that by doing something like a Lion Dance, even though it is a small something, I am making a difference.
Sihing Tania Wilson
Trade Show 2007
Right, so.
The dance and demo for the Tri-Municipal Trade Show (held at the Tri-Leisure Centre in Spruce Grove) is an annual event for us at Silent River Kung Fu, though it seemed this year it seemed as if circumstance was conspiring against us.
The Trade Show opened on Friday with a lion dance, so we all dutifully gathered at the school before leaving for the Tri-Leisure centre. However, it seemed the car I was driving had a flat tire. This particular car was my mother's, and she apparently drives around a jack. Right, not a problem--I did have a spare, and Sifu Frietag offered up her jack. Hers, however, was too small to lift the SUV to the necessary height. Ok, fine, no problem, we hopped in her car and drove to her house, where we procured the 'big jack'. My first reaction, as well as that of Sihing Harrigan's when we got back to the school, was: "that is a big jack". Tire succesfully changed, only to find that the spare had a slow leak in it. I could drive on it though, so that's all that mattered. The dance went well...especially that noone dying during it seemed good by comparison. Sihing Harrigan was in the head, with myself in the tail, Sifu Frietag on drums, and Sifu Dennis on lettuce duty.
On Saturday we all managed to get there in one piece, though it wasn't over yet. The lion dance, with Sifu Frietag again on drums and Sihing Harrigan and Ms. Kosterman in the head and tail, respectively, went excellent if you were looking at it from the front. However, the strings that connect the lion's head to it's body began to tear off, until Sihing Harrigan was completley exposed to one side. Fortunately , said side was only populated by us from the school, and we already know what he looks like.
Secondly was the children's demos, who all performed superbly--a payoff of all the hard work they had been doing in preperation. During the Little Lepords/Tiny Tigers demo, however, Sifu Frietag took a step too far back while preparing the tunnel and fell off the stage. It was a only a short drop though, and as she said, that's what breakfalls are for.
I was slated to perform a three sectional staff demo, and for about 20 seconds I was. To my suprise my weapon came apart, and I was forced to improvise a form involving an escrima stick in one hand and the world's largest pair of nunchuks in the other. Nevertheless, we were redeemed by Sifu Edge's Lao Gar and Sifu Player's ever dramatic spear form.
So for next year, I'm going in for new tires, crazy gluing the lion together, and begging my staff to not turn on me again during a demo.
-Sifu Robertson
The dance and demo for the Tri-Municipal Trade Show (held at the Tri-Leisure Centre in Spruce Grove) is an annual event for us at Silent River Kung Fu, though it seemed this year it seemed as if circumstance was conspiring against us.
The Trade Show opened on Friday with a lion dance, so we all dutifully gathered at the school before leaving for the Tri-Leisure centre. However, it seemed the car I was driving had a flat tire. This particular car was my mother's, and she apparently drives around a jack. Right, not a problem--I did have a spare, and Sifu Frietag offered up her jack. Hers, however, was too small to lift the SUV to the necessary height. Ok, fine, no problem, we hopped in her car and drove to her house, where we procured the 'big jack'. My first reaction, as well as that of Sihing Harrigan's when we got back to the school, was: "that is a big jack". Tire succesfully changed, only to find that the spare had a slow leak in it. I could drive on it though, so that's all that mattered. The dance went well...especially that noone dying during it seemed good by comparison. Sihing Harrigan was in the head, with myself in the tail, Sifu Frietag on drums, and Sifu Dennis on lettuce duty.
On Saturday we all managed to get there in one piece, though it wasn't over yet. The lion dance, with Sifu Frietag again on drums and Sihing Harrigan and Ms. Kosterman in the head and tail, respectively, went excellent if you were looking at it from the front. However, the strings that connect the lion's head to it's body began to tear off, until Sihing Harrigan was completley exposed to one side. Fortunately , said side was only populated by us from the school, and we already know what he looks like.
Secondly was the children's demos, who all performed superbly--a payoff of all the hard work they had been doing in preperation. During the Little Lepords/Tiny Tigers demo, however, Sifu Frietag took a step too far back while preparing the tunnel and fell off the stage. It was a only a short drop though, and as she said, that's what breakfalls are for.
I was slated to perform a three sectional staff demo, and for about 20 seconds I was. To my suprise my weapon came apart, and I was forced to improvise a form involving an escrima stick in one hand and the world's largest pair of nunchuks in the other. Nevertheless, we were redeemed by Sifu Edge's Lao Gar and Sifu Player's ever dramatic spear form.
So for next year, I'm going in for new tires, crazy gluing the lion together, and begging my staff to not turn on me again during a demo.
-Sifu Robertson
St. John's Lion Dance
Chinese New Year demonstration at St Johns Boys School
March 21
Lion dance team: Master Brinker, drum
Sifu Frietag, gong
Sifu Hayes, cymbals
Sifu Clements, head
Sifu Robertson, tail
Lion used: Kwan Kung
In honour of chinese new year, Silent River did a demonstration for the students at St Johns Boys School (Riverborn kwoon). The demonstration began with the drunken monkey form, preformed by Sifu Robertson. This was followed by an escrima/bokken fighting sequence by Sifu Playter and myself (Sifu Davies). The blackbelt candidates also preformed their musical demonstration (Sifu Turlock, Sifu Wetter, Sifu Davies and Mr Prince were involved). The demo ended with a Lion dance which went perfect! It even had a stacked roll!
There were, of course, a few gliches during the course of the evening. The demo was moved from the gym to the cafeteria at the last minute and all of the mats had to be hauled over. The drum sticks were also temporarily lost (I mean misplaced and it took a bit to get everything organized. Overall, however, the demo went really well and lots of pictures were taken so have a look!
-Sifu Tiffany Davies
March 21
Lion dance team: Master Brinker, drum
Sifu Frietag, gong
Sifu Hayes, cymbals
Sifu Clements, head
Sifu Robertson, tail
Lion used: Kwan Kung
In honour of chinese new year, Silent River did a demonstration for the students at St Johns Boys School (Riverborn kwoon). The demonstration began with the drunken monkey form, preformed by Sifu Robertson. This was followed by an escrima/bokken fighting sequence by Sifu Playter and myself (Sifu Davies). The blackbelt candidates also preformed their musical demonstration (Sifu Turlock, Sifu Wetter, Sifu Davies and Mr Prince were involved). The demo ended with a Lion dance which went perfect! It even had a stacked roll!
There were, of course, a few gliches during the course of the evening. The demo was moved from the gym to the cafeteria at the last minute and all of the mats had to be hauled over. The drum sticks were also temporarily lost (I mean misplaced and it took a bit to get everything organized. Overall, however, the demo went really well and lots of pictures were taken so have a look!
-Sifu Tiffany Davies
Rotary Run for Life
Well today, September 17, Silent River Kung Fu performed a Lion Dance at the Rotary Run for Life. Master Brinker, Sifu Freitag, and Sifu Dennis were on the drums, gong, and cymbals; Sifu Robertson was busy skipping around as the six-foot-something Little Buddha, and Sihing Davies and I were in Zhang Fei.
We arrived at the exhibition grounds at about 8:30'ish, in a tired state (performing a Lion Dance early in the morning is not fun... unless you are fueled by coffee, energy drinks, some other form of liquid fuel or courage, or just plain insanity), and carried our equipment into the building. From there, Sihing Davies and I (who were wearing the spiffy pants), were met with stares and the occasional inquiry about our pants. We then sat down to a breakfast, courtesy of Master Brinker.
As we waited, I began to notice one thing...ITS FREAKING COLD!!! Probably the bouts of shivering and puffs of crystalized breath clued me into this pretty quickly. Also, I learned that doing a dance barefoot on a concrete floor, when its cold out, isn't such a good mix. Random people fiddling around with expensive and fragile Lion Dance equipment also doesn't add well to the mix.
At about 9:30 or so, we finally began our dance. From my perspective, we did a pretty good dance (yet my perspective was from within the Lion). Although our feet (and hands) were relatively numb from the cold (which impaired our stepping patterns), we carried out the dance quite well, without any trips, slips, or other accidental bumblings.
Joe Harrigan
Long Whistle CRASH
We just celebrated Canada day at the multi-cultural center. A fun day, spears, lions, jugglers of questionable mental balance. It was even complete with a wipe out by your's truly on the first bow.
*Note to self: grass + untested, although stylish footwear = slippery hilarity in a downward direction
Myself and Joe Harrigan were in Zhang fe, sifu Edge did her spear form, sifu Robertson did Drunken monkey, sifu Playter did nunchaku, sifu Dennice did Tai chi, Mr. Hebert, Ms. Maitlyn , Mr. Jansen, and sifu Edge together did a four person demo complete with weapons, yelling, and good choreography.
All around it was a good day...minus my mishap of which there is unfortunatley no picture available.
Ben Davies
Farmer's Days 2006
Well today, June 3 2006, Silent River Kung Fu participated yet again in the Farmer’s Days parade. Among the Lion Dance crew (in no particular order), was Master Brinker, Sifu Freitag, Sifu Dennis, Sifu Playter, Sifu Davies, Sifu Edge and Sifu Robertson; along with Sihing Davies, Ms. Wilson, Ms. Kosterman, and I. Others aided us in the parade, which was a huge help (especially for those in the tail of the Lion). This parade was unique from other parades, in which we enjoyed sunny weather, although it was windy (which I’m sure frustrated those in the Lion, as it obscured the tail’s vision and pushed the Lion head around quite a bit), and we weren’t bombarded by water gun fire. Oh yeah, did I mention that Silent River won 2nd place for clubs & organizations in the parade? Allow me to say…BOO-YAH!
I have to say that the crew did exceptionally well, from my view at least (which was limited due to being in the lion). The crowd seemed to be quite energetic and delighted by the lions, the weapons, the Kung Fu, and of course, the candy. Of course, there was the occasional spectator that did not enjoy our performance (small children and pets seem to be quite intimidated by the lion).
After the parade, we packed the Lions into Sifu Gilbert’s truck and waited several minutes for Mr. Lietz’s ride. Eventually, we headed back to the studio with 2 hours to kill; with Mr. Lietz in tow (did I mention how fun it is to ride in the back of a truck?). Still waiting for Mr. Lietz’s ride, we went to Spiros for lunch, courtesy of Master Brinker (thanks again for lunch). After razzing Mr. Lietz about his plight, and the eventual arrival of his ride, we departed for the performance at the Multi.
Unfortunately, the Lion Dance crew arrived just as the Farmer’s Day event at the Multi was winding down. Before our presentation, there was an exceptionally talented musician performing, as well as a performance by Parkland Dance. We closed the event with a Lion Dance. With Master Brinker on the drum, Sifu Freitag on the gong, and Sifu Dennis on the cymbals, Sifu Davies as the Buddha, and Sihing Davies and I in Fu Hsing, we pulled off a good performance. The wind died down considerably although it got quite hot underneath that lion. The crowd seemed to enjoy the performance, yet I have to admit, they were impolite with the other performers during their performances.
It was during this performance that I discovered some of the perks of performing…free food. We were given a voucher for a free hotdog and pop. Also, the performers in the lion are obscured underneath the lion, and get to wear snazzy pants (although it causes us to be the brunt of several Liberace jokes).
All in all, we delivered several performances which entertained the audiences.
Joe Harrigan
Year of the Dog New Year Celebration
Tonight, along with family and friends, we celebrated the Year of the Dog. Of course, no Chinese New Year is successfully brought in without a Lion Dance. With Sifu’s Clements, Playter, Davies, and Robertson in Fu Hsing, and the new Zhang Fei, Master Brinker, Sifu Freitag, and Sifu Hayes to lead, and the two Milne girls as Bhudda’s, the night couldn’t have begun more perfectly. The puzzle and dance was absolutely phenomenal. I know the entire hall was blown away with the skill and talent of the team.
As a new member of the Lion Dance team, I am truly inspired by them. I never realized the strength, stamina, skill, and imagination that was required to accomplish a dance. They make it look so effortless up there. Not to mention the nerves it takes to perform in front of so many people. I know I was a nervous wreck before I got up there for my debut. Even though you are hidden behind these enormous heads/or tails, you know there are still a thousand eyes on you.
But all in all, us newbies did all right. We didn’t fall, or trip, or forget what we were doing, and we got through the dance and the crowd to collect the red packets. I am feeling more confident each time I practice, but I know I have a long way to go. I am truly inspired by the main Lion Dance team, and the amazing things they do during a performance. Shoulder rolls for instance.
I want to congratulate everyone for the awesome jobs they did that night. It wouldn’t have been so successful if it wasn’t for everyone’s hard work.
Tania Wilson
Our First Professional Gig
Well tonight saw us perform our first professional Lion Dance. The money will go to the Silent River Benevolent Foundation to help maintain our Lion Dance equipment and to help out local charities.
This performance was for the grand opening of Global TESOL College's new international office in Edmonton. Sifu's Playter and Robertson performed in Kwan Kung with Sifu Davies performing as the Laughing Buddha, and myself and Sifu's Freitag and Dennis performing the drum, gong, and cymbal. The College's pampering of their performers was first class. We were given a fairly private prep room before our performance with all the Perrier we could drink.
I have to say that this performance featured the most enthusiastic audience for which we have ever performed. They cheered throughout and were extremely excited to receive their "lucky greens". The logistics of performing with a nine foot ceiling were a little complicated but the guys pulled it off with only one ceiling tile collision occurring in the dance. After having some mishaps hamper our previous two performances, it was great to have this one go so well.
Sifu Jeff Brinker
This performance was for the grand opening of Global TESOL College's new international office in Edmonton. Sifu's Playter and Robertson performed in Kwan Kung with Sifu Davies performing as the Laughing Buddha, and myself and Sifu's Freitag and Dennis performing the drum, gong, and cymbal. The College's pampering of their performers was first class. We were given a fairly private prep room before our performance with all the Perrier we could drink.
I have to say that this performance featured the most enthusiastic audience for which we have ever performed. They cheered throughout and were extremely excited to receive their "lucky greens". The logistics of performing with a nine foot ceiling were a little complicated but the guys pulled it off with only one ceiling tile collision occurring in the dance. After having some mishaps hamper our previous two performances, it was great to have this one go so well.
Sifu Jeff Brinker
Now That's A Bright Moon...
The Chinese Moon festival is a time for gathering with friends and family, so the family of Silent River Kung Fu decided to have a small festival celebration at rotary park. It was a fun filled day of kite flying, lion dancing, and a few seminars as well. Despite it raining all week, the weather was perfect for this outdoor festival.
The team was the same one used at the Alberta Centennial celebration, that being Sifu Playter as head, myself (Sifu Robertson) as tail, Sifu Davies as the Laughing Buddha, and Sifu Brinker, Sifu Frietag, and Sifu Dennis as the musical team. The dance had a few hiccups, the most notable being the lion tripping during one of the first three bows. However, despite that first setback, the dance went fairly well after that.
Following the dance, many of the younger students or children of adult students got a lesson in lion dancing from Sifus Playter and Davies. Each child got a turn at either the head or tail, with support from one of the Sifus. A few of them even got to try drumming with the help of Sifu Frietag.
In addition to the lion dancing, Sifu Dennis and Sifu Olsevik respectivly held a Tai Chi and a Chi Kung seminar. Both were meant to give an introduction to Silent River's Tai Chi and newly started Chi Kung programs, and they seemed to generate quite a bit of interest.
All in all, it was an afternoon of fun and friendship, and here's hoping that next year's will go as well.
Holy Confusion and Fireworks Batman!
Today, we helped Stony Plain celebrate Alberta's Centennial Birthday. It was not to be our most organized event.
The confusion started early when the Town of Stony Plain contracted us to perform a Lion Dance at their Centennial Celebration for 7:30. We proceeded to hear through the grapevine that we were to be the closing performers before the fireworks scheduled at 9 PM. Further investigation had an organizer confirming that we would be performing at 8:45. This was followed up with an email calling for us to perform at 8:30. Needless to say, confusion was rampant, and so to be on the safe side our team consisting of Sifus Freitag (gong), Dennis (cymbals) , Playter (Kwan Kung head), Davies (Laughing Buddha), Robertson (Kwan Kung tail) and myself (drum) arrived at 7:15.
Never having performed in a rodeo ring before, we were somewhat nervous about the horse manure building throughout the day from all the previous performers' steeds. This, coupled with rain, cast some doubt as to whether our performance would be indoors or outdoors as originally scheduled. Lucky for us the weather settled down and Donna Smith from the Town was good enough to clean the ring out as much as possible to prevent any unfortunate stepping mishaps.
Two hours later, we still had not performed and were beginning to wonder if there would even be enough time before the fireworks for us to complete our dance. The organizers assured us that there would be a test firing to check for wind conditions ten minutes before the fireworks so we did not have to worry. Well, in the middle of the performance preceding our dance the test fire was shot off. The organizers quickly made a phone call to make sure the pyrotechnics crew was going to wait until after our performance. Less than one minute later the fireworks went off, cutting off the current performer.
After all was said and done, we ended up performing our Centennial Lion Dance after the official fireworks. Despite a chaotic evening, coupled with a total brain spasm causing our team to miss their first bow in their darkened, manure infested venue, the dance was completed and Alberta moved on to its second century as a province of Canada with Silent River Kung Fu's Kwan Kung bestowing his luck upon the land.
Sifu Jeff Brinker
A Double Serving of Canada Day
This year we were asked to perform at both the Spruce Grove and Stony Plain Canada Day festivities, so a busy day was assured for us. Sifu Clements was unavailable, so it was decided that an entire new team was going to be used. Kwan Kung was the lion again, and Sifu Davies performed as the head with Mr. Turlock as her tail and myself (Sifu Robertson) as the Buddha. Usually the title is ‘Little Buddha’, but at 5’10 I can hardly claim that, though I managed to avoid ‘Big Buddha’, mostly by deliberately slouching to an extreme degree. Master Brinker drummed his merry drum, with Sifu Frietag and Sifu Hayes accompanying on the gong and cymbals.
The team, while experienced lion dancers, were new to these positions of the Kwan Kung dance, so a lot of work had to be done over a short period of time. Fortunately it paid off with two lion dances going quite successfully. However, there were a few close calls. During the lift, only her small size and Mr. Turlock’s strength kept Sifu Davies from doing a faceplant, lion and all. In addition, I was a hair’s breath from losing my mask at one point, but managed to accelerate into it.
The Spruce Grove dance had the better location, with very nice grounds and sound system. However in Stony Plain, due to some organizational difficulties, we were forced to do the dance on a fairly extreme slope, which is hardly ideal. However adjustments were made on the fly, and it turned out well.
Following the dance was a four piece demo consisting of Sifu Dennis’ Tai Chi C’haun, Sifu Edge with butterfly knives, myself with the drunken monkey form, and Sifu Playter with his spear. Sifu Dennis, as always, performed the Tai Chi beautifully, and I was very impressed with how easily she adjusted to the uneven ground and Stony Plain. Sifu Edge has only being studying butterfly knives for a very short time, and she put in an incredible amount of effort over only a few weeks, and it certainly shined through. This was the debut, so to speak, of the drunken monkey form, and it (apparently) was successful, though I don’t really know. Sifu Playter’s spear hardly needs speaking about, since so much has been said already. Suffice to say it is like watching a symphony compressed into a man, and he performed as well as he always does.
-Sifu Robertson
ps- Here’s hoping the next lion dance won’t have clowns hanging around.
Thought's of a Lion Dancer
Well, I guess it's about time a write a thing or two here. Just remember, I'm not going to give away all my secrets. The first thought I have is thank all the people that I work with to make the Lion Dances take place. It is an honor to have such dedicated people to play with. When you think about the support we give each other,,, well, it really is amazing. And ya, we really do work hard. Not just for the up and coming show, but for next year also. Starting out with Sifu Playter was great. Learning to dance with others was interesting at first, but having a team of dancers turned out to be a lot better. Being the oldest and heaviest lion head (not to mention the guy with the van) means that I have a lot of reponsibilities. And I'm grateful cause it keeps my mind off of other things. So, you might wonder,,,,, what makes a good lion dancer???? I really don't know!!! I have only seen it a couple of times cause I'm always in the head. Nerves,,,, no not really cause you can't see anything. (Except that dam Lama at Onoway, boy it made me nervous) Self concious,,,, no,,, not really because nobody can see me!! If you make a mistake,, it doesn't matter. The only one who knows is thelion dance team. And sometimes, it's only me that knows. Those times when I seem to be taking a long time to get to the next part, that's right, I was lost. Didn't have a clue where I was going next or what to do!! WOW!! What a job!! You have heard the saying, I saw my life flash before my eyes,,, well that's what it's like being the lion head. You get stuck and you start the whole dance again in your head. The druming,,,, well what druming!! It's funny, cause you hear them, but you don't. I couldn't do the dance without it, and when there is someone else other than Master Brinker at the sticks,, it really does make a difference. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I do hear them and it really does make a difference cause the louder the better. Kids are great to perform for. Except my first group of kids, when they threw the lettuce back at me. I would rather dance for 20 kids at a school than 1000 people at the mall. All of the heads have there own style. It's not really something you can teach. You can show them the movements, but they have to achieve there own style. Watch other dancers, yes, but you can't copy them. It probably won't be your style. (except for the little head jesture I learn from another head last week) We are so priviledged to be able to perform this with Master Brinker. I can't believe that there are not more people who are interested in the Lion Dance. So, thanks again to my fellow partners for your patience and support. Let's have another great year and a fantastic Chinese Lion Dance 2006!!! (PS.Where in the heck is the spell check,,,, a little help please!!)
Thanks, Sifu Clements
Thanks, Sifu Clements
Farmers Day Parade 2005
Once again we have survived what is typically the most busy day of the year for the Lion Dance team. The day began with a frantic rehearsal at 8:30 before the Lil Leopards class. From there Sifus Clements, Davies, and Robertson headed off to Onoway with Kwan Kung for the Heritage Days parade for 10:00 am. Sifus Freitag, Dennis, Playter, Adams, Webb, Edge, Masterson, and myself were off to the Stony Plain Farmers Days Parade with Sihing Harrigan and Mr. Turlock to perform with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei.
What looked to be a potentially very wet day turned out to be incredibly muggy and hot. The parade was exhausting work for the lion dancers judging by the amount of sweat they were generating. Sifu Edge even took a turn as a tail to give everyone a much needed break. Once again being a "walking float" proved to be a challenge when it came to keeping up with the rest of the parade. Creative dancing interjected with all out sprints was the order of the day. Special recognition goes out to Sihing Ben Davies who pulled the drum rickshaw for the entire distance and Ms. Brenda Williams who ferried the candy to Liu Bei and Zhang Fei for the entire parade.
After the Stony Plain parade ended, the Stony Plain team loaded up to join the Onoway team for a demonstration at Heritage Days. Sifus Clements and Robertson performed with Kwan Kung with Sifu Davies performing as the Little Buddha. Myself and Sifus Freitag and Dennis provided the drums, gong, and cymbals. The performance went well with the only hitch being the final negotiation between Sifu Clements and myself to end the dance. Since we hadn't worked together for a while it took us a while to communicate our intentions at the end of the dance. The audience didn't notice a thing while we successfully reached an agreement and finished off the performance. We were lucky to have had our performance take place in the "eye of the storm" - blue sky above us while totally surrounded by massive storm clouds. The Chinese Lion Dance truly brings good luck.
Sifu Jeff Brinker
Behind the Performances
I would like to open with how proud I am of all our lion dancers. Everyone works very hard and the results (in spite of what may be thought from our stories) have been very successful.
We have a very good team who are at times a little over confident. They take after me in this regard. One of my greatest flaws is the inability to recognize when I should ask for help or have that little extra practice. More guts than brains I always say.
However, this is not always a weakness. Our team is always coming up with new ideas and more complicated steps to our dance. They overcome their fears (fear of heights being one of them) and accomplish great things.
The practices are always an adventure as this is where we try to get all our mistakes out of the way. This is usually the case and is always good for a laugh. (not to mention a good dose of stress) It is amazing how you can know something so well and yet still make a total mess of it.
I guess that is half the fun, finding out what else could go wrong.
It is also the time when we really try to instill the history and culture of the dance. Many times people forget just how much goes into the creation of performing arts. It helps to keep a person humble by remembering just how much we don't know having not been raised in this culture.
It would surprise many just how much is going on under that lion. The head itself is a complicated piece of equipment and the tail spends the entire time bent over at the waist. A very strong back is required for this.
I really hope more people decide to take part in the lion dancing. It is a lot of fun and well worth the rewards.
Sifu Freitag
We have a very good team who are at times a little over confident. They take after me in this regard. One of my greatest flaws is the inability to recognize when I should ask for help or have that little extra practice. More guts than brains I always say.
However, this is not always a weakness. Our team is always coming up with new ideas and more complicated steps to our dance. They overcome their fears (fear of heights being one of them) and accomplish great things.
The practices are always an adventure as this is where we try to get all our mistakes out of the way. This is usually the case and is always good for a laugh. (not to mention a good dose of stress) It is amazing how you can know something so well and yet still make a total mess of it.
I guess that is half the fun, finding out what else could go wrong.
It is also the time when we really try to instill the history and culture of the dance. Many times people forget just how much goes into the creation of performing arts. It helps to keep a person humble by remembering just how much we don't know having not been raised in this culture.
It would surprise many just how much is going on under that lion. The head itself is a complicated piece of equipment and the tail spends the entire time bent over at the waist. A very strong back is required for this.
I really hope more people decide to take part in the lion dancing. It is a lot of fun and well worth the rewards.
Sifu Freitag
May 21, 2005
So another lion dance went along its merry way, and quite successfully. Of course 'successful' for a lion dance means the mistakes we made were not noticed by the auidience, but that is really not important. Anyways, the dance was held at the Exhibition Park, home to the annual Farmer’s Day Festival. However, that’s not until June 4th, this was the opening of the Country Market, a kind of farmer’s market. The team this time consisted of Sifu Playter in the head, myself in the tail, and Sifu Davies Buddhing, as the phrase goes. Master Brinker manned the drums, with Sifu Frietag on the gongs, and Sifu Dennis clinking the cymbals away. Kwan Kung was the lion of choice, as is the norm nowadays.
This was Sifu Playter’s first dance as the head, and considering how short a time in which he learned and practiced it, it couldn’t have gone better. I am a poor judge of my own performance, as I am the one performing, if that makes sense. However, I didn’t fall during the lift, and I didn’t set the lion on fire (this hall has very low lamps, you see). It was extremely useful working with Sifu Playter, as he is the most experienced tail, both with and without Kwan Kung, so he gave me some great tips.
Poor Sifu Davies, the stage we were performing on had defiantly seen better days (like the last time we were on it). As a result, if she had performed in bare feet as usual, she would have had feet full of slivers. Unfortunately, due to her…statuary inequalities (she’s short) everyone else’s shoes were too big. She therefore had to make due with the flimsy flip-flops (is there a hyphen there? I suppose it doesn’t matter) she brought. She danced right out of one, but managed to recover it before I stepped on it.
The Mayor of Stony Plain finally saw our dance, and the women who coordinates many events for the town was apparently pleased, so high hopes for the future and such. Finally I would like to bring to light the incredibly tiny size of the sausages served at this opening breakfast. If I had paid for them (on a side note: Thanks for breakfast Master Brinker) I would have been slightly put out, but I still would’ve ate them.
Next dance is on June 4th at the Farmer’s Day Festival, we’ll be doing a dance at the breakfast (it’s at Exhibition Park) and we’re in the parade. If you live in Onoway we are in that parade and are doing a demonstration afterwards. I’m not sure where in Onoway it is, but hey, it’s Onoway, I’m positive you can find us. Until then, stay tuned lion dance fans.
-Sifu Robertson
Welcome to Silent River Kung Fu's Lion Dance Blog
Welcome to Silent River Kung Fu's Lion Dance Team Blog! Today I started the Silent River Kung Fu Weblog for our lion dance team. This blog will archive the Silent River Kung Fu lion dance team's personal insights and experiences gathered from our performances. We're hoping that everyone finds it useful and entertaining and perhaps it may even motivate and inspire more of our students to aspire to learn this traditional Chinese art form.
Sifu Jeff Brinker
Sifu Jeff Brinker
Trade Show - Spruce Grove
Kwan Kung
Sifu Clements-head
Sifu Robertson-tail
Sifu Davies-Buddha
We opened the trade show today. The dance went well, it was getting to the show that took some work. We got everything loaded up (including the dancers) and started on our way when we realized that we had forgotten out banner and the all-important Buddha Broom. So we had to turn around and come back. Good thing we left early! Then we had to lug everything to the stage after roaming the parking lot and fighting for a space (Sifu Playter ended up parking a few blocks away and walking), dodging cars, signs and trade show goers. The dance itself went alright accept when the little Buddha (that would be me) forgot about the second roll and almost ran into the lion. And Sifu Robertson popped right out of the lion when they did the roll -thank goodness for that buckle that held his tail on. When he popped up, everything righted itself again. Hopefully tomorrow's show goes well too!
When we left, we had to dodge a mob of little ballerinas in pink tutus, more signs (we knocked one over) and lots more people. But as we were leaving, a nice Remax mascot (a giant air balloon) stopped me and gave me some balloons as a souvenir
Sifu Playter preformed his spear form flawlessly and Sifus Webb, Robertson and Edge did a self defence sequence and forms. They all did awesome!
-Sifu Davies
Alexis School
Kwan Kung
Sifu Clements-head
Sifu Robertson-tail
Sifu Davies-Buddha
Today we went and did our show at Alexis school out by Gunn. Luckily, Sifu Robertson was able to make it, so this time we had a tail. The show went pretty flawlessly, even though there was a minor collision between Sifu Robertson and Sifu Clements while they did the exchange, but no one (not even me) noticed. I got to use the Buddha Broom for the first time in a real show (Onaway was practice). It went fairly well. After the show, all the kids came up and shook our hands and thanked us. They even gave us cards that they had made and little calculators. The kids and staff were so friendly!
My Mom (she teaches there) took pictures of us and gave us a tour of their school. It's beautiful! There is artwork everywhere and it is laid out in one big circle.
We went for breakfast after (Sifus Robertson, Clements, Frietag and myself). After, Sifu Robertson and I decided to decorate the broom, so we went to Walmart and got some tassel and electrical tape and decorated it. It's so pretty now! It would make any Buddha proud
It was a good day - good dance, good food and a good broom too!
-Sifu Davies
I was trying to keep a journal recording what happened at all of our lion dances. Here's one of the entries I have so far....some are pretty funny (at least according to my twisted humour
March 17, 2005
Kwan kung
Onoway
Last night we went and did a demo for Onoway. We have a preformance tomorrow at Alexis school, so we needed the practice. Man! What and unlucky day! First, Sifu Robertson got the flu (he's the tail this time) so he couldn't come. Funny thing is that we found this out about 1 hour before we were supposed to be in Onoway. We tried phoning Sifu Playter, but he had forgotten his phone, so we couldn't get ahold of him. Sifu Webb couldn't make it, nor could anyone else. So we were stuck.
So, without the tail, we did what any good lion dance team would do....
We went anyways, hoping to get ahold of Sifu Playter, or recruit a tail from Onaway. We loaded everything up in the van, stopped at Safeway for some lettuce, and headed out to Onoway. We were fashionably late We got there, unloaded everything and still there was no Sifu Playter.
Luckily for us, Sifu LaRocque was willing to be our tail. So while Master Brinker explained the dance to the students, Sifu Clements and I (Sifu Davies) took her out into the hallway and gave her a ten minute crash course . We tried our best to prepare her and then went out to preform.
Oh was it funny! Sifu Clements was the head, Sifu LaRocque the tail, I was the Buddah and Master Brinker was drumming. The dance started out pretty well. Sifu LaRocks tail got stuck, so her butt was sticking out. The cloth had gotten hooked on her tail and she didn't know, so when the dance started, I had to skip over and unhook her Then Sifu Clements did the wave too soon. It was pretty funny, because Sifu LaRocque had unbuckled herself because she had thought it was the exchange, so right after, when Sifu Clements went to do the roll, out popped Sifu LaRockSifu Clements didn't know, so he went right on rolling without her, leaving her behind. She had to run and scramble back under the tail.
The lettuce toss was pretty funny too. Sifu LaRocque didn't know about shredding the lettuce for the first toss, so Sifu Clements ended up trying to tear it up with his mouth inside the head. He gave up and just chucked it and the whole hunk pelted a kid in the chest. The other two tosses went well though. Then I had to go out with the broom. I hadn't used it before, so I was pretty bad at it. I almost hit myself with it while I was swinging it around. It was hard trying to sweep around Sifu Clements feet-he moves alot
It was oh so funny!
Congrats to Sifu LaRocque for her first ever lion dance. She did so awsome! She's what you call gifted I'm still laughing though....Sifu Larocque lost a shoe during the preformance too- they were too big for her
I also found out after, when we got back to the training hall, that the broom head screws off. I was playing with it and it just flew off. Luckily, it didn't fly off at Onoway. It would be no good if I'd smacked someone in the face with it-it's heavy!
Lion Dancer's Luck!
-Sifu Davies
March 17, 2005
Kwan kung
Onoway
Last night we went and did a demo for Onoway. We have a preformance tomorrow at Alexis school, so we needed the practice. Man! What and unlucky day! First, Sifu Robertson got the flu (he's the tail this time) so he couldn't come. Funny thing is that we found this out about 1 hour before we were supposed to be in Onoway. We tried phoning Sifu Playter, but he had forgotten his phone, so we couldn't get ahold of him. Sifu Webb couldn't make it, nor could anyone else. So we were stuck.
So, without the tail, we did what any good lion dance team would do....
We went anyways, hoping to get ahold of Sifu Playter, or recruit a tail from Onaway. We loaded everything up in the van, stopped at Safeway for some lettuce, and headed out to Onoway. We were fashionably late We got there, unloaded everything and still there was no Sifu Playter.
Luckily for us, Sifu LaRocque was willing to be our tail. So while Master Brinker explained the dance to the students, Sifu Clements and I (Sifu Davies) took her out into the hallway and gave her a ten minute crash course . We tried our best to prepare her and then went out to preform.
Oh was it funny! Sifu Clements was the head, Sifu LaRocque the tail, I was the Buddah and Master Brinker was drumming. The dance started out pretty well. Sifu LaRocks tail got stuck, so her butt was sticking out. The cloth had gotten hooked on her tail and she didn't know, so when the dance started, I had to skip over and unhook her Then Sifu Clements did the wave too soon. It was pretty funny, because Sifu LaRocque had unbuckled herself because she had thought it was the exchange, so right after, when Sifu Clements went to do the roll, out popped Sifu LaRockSifu Clements didn't know, so he went right on rolling without her, leaving her behind. She had to run and scramble back under the tail.
The lettuce toss was pretty funny too. Sifu LaRocque didn't know about shredding the lettuce for the first toss, so Sifu Clements ended up trying to tear it up with his mouth inside the head. He gave up and just chucked it and the whole hunk pelted a kid in the chest. The other two tosses went well though. Then I had to go out with the broom. I hadn't used it before, so I was pretty bad at it. I almost hit myself with it while I was swinging it around. It was hard trying to sweep around Sifu Clements feet-he moves alot
It was oh so funny!
Congrats to Sifu LaRocque for her first ever lion dance. She did so awsome! She's what you call gifted I'm still laughing though....Sifu Larocque lost a shoe during the preformance too- they were too big for her
I also found out after, when we got back to the training hall, that the broom head screws off. I was playing with it and it just flew off. Luckily, it didn't fly off at Onoway. It would be no good if I'd smacked someone in the face with it-it's heavy!
Lion Dancer's Luck!
-Sifu Davies
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