Document text
Getting their lion legs Jacelyn Pham, 16, of Vietnam, works on her lion dance at St. Mary's Saturday. Mail Tribune / Jamie Lusch Saturday Feb 4, 2017 at 5:38 PM Feb 4, 2017 at 5:38 PM Nick Morgan Mail Tribune @mtcrimebeat As the drums resonated through the St. Mary's gymnasium, Taylor Rose Tavares nearly forgot about her arms holding a lion head as she applied new steps in colorful costume.  "Keep your head up, you look like a sad lion," coach Alexey Wang joked. Tavares, a freshman at St. Mary's High School, was one of more than a dozen students from five countries and three schools who spent their Saturday learning the Lion Dance and getting ready for the Southern Oregon Chinese Cultural Association's upcoming Chinese New Year parade. It is her second year participating. "I was already planning on going to the Chinese New Year parade, but now I get to be in it — that's pretty cool," Tavares said. It is the third year of the youth clinic, according to SOCCA board member Jeresa Hren, which she described as the organization's "succession planning." For the past 15 years, a northern California troupe has participated in the parade, but leaders are now in their mid-50s, Hren said. The crouching movements involved are taxing on the body, according to Hren, particularly the back for the dancer in the rear of the four-legged lion. Equally concerned was Joey Ngan, of SOCCA, who called the dance a "vanishing skill." "We can't keep shipping them up from California," Ngan said. "It's going to be a lost art." Local students from Ashland High School and St. Mary's mixed with students from China, Taiwan, Vietnam and Korea to learn the steps. Hren said learning the dance helps students understand Chinese culture in a different way. "Most of the time you can't see, so you really have to feel it," Hren said. In Chinese culture, the dance is meant to chase away bad luck at the start of auspicious events, such as a new year or a business opening, according to Wang, a University of Washington student SOCCA flew down. Fireworks and noisemakers are also used during the celebration, while specific drum rhythms guide the dancers steps. Wang, whose mother lives in China and father lives in Russia, was an international student for three years at St. Mary's before graduating in 2016. Wang said he has grown to appreciate different cultures and activities after living in China, Russia and the United States. As examples, Wang said he learned skiing in Russia, Kung Fu in China and football in the United States.  He said he feels compelled to share his culture with others. "I have to teach more people," Wang said. "I just feel really proud." Of the two major styles of lion dancing, Wang said he prefers the southern Chinese style that originated from the Guangdong Province. He said the movements are more fluid, while northern movements are starker because they draw more influence from martial arts. "I feel like the south style is more focused on the behavior of a lion," Wang said. "I can feel the spirit of a lion." — Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @MTCrimeBeat.