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Thursday February 20, 2003 If you're one of those who keeps up with this website, you now understand what we mean about Chinese New Year being crazy for us kung fu fanatics. We are booked solid for wushu, lion dance, kung fu and dragon dancing -- and the overflow of those venues we don't have openings for during the fifteen day Chinese New Year celebration usually extends throughout the month. Well, this year was no different, so here is a chronicle of yet another February kung fu, wushu, lion and dragon dance event, this one for the Highland Senior Center. This show is a personal favorite. The seniors and staff are so nice and such great fun. Also, they feed us afterward -- Yum! Yum! We wushu folk are always hungry! |
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This being a weekday performance, we had a much
smaller group than usual. In fact, only three of the wushu and kung fu
performers could make the show. Still, the wushu crew was up to the task, with the present team members adding last minute routines to their repertoire.
(right) Junior Instructor's Aide Danielle Stender, one of the wushu crew, with the rare wind and fire wheels. |
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Jonah Donnarumma (left) was another of our three performers. Jonah pulled off a number of extra sets, including this wushu routine, Shenyu Changquan or Oracle Long Fist. |
| National Champion and Martial Artistry Assistant Instructor Chris Baca (right) was our third musketeer. He's shown here with the double axes, or shuang fu. |
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Even Sifu put in a rare appearance in the Drunken Lion Dance. She's getting pretty aged, and apparently, her eyesight is not so good. She looked here for that lion . . . |
| . . . she looked there for that lion . . . |
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. . . and pretty much couldn't find him until he
was right on top of her! Those are James "Sparky" Esparza and Diana Ma playing Li, the lion. The lion dancers actually outnumbered the wushu crew at this show -- with three and 1/2 members to the wushu crew's three (drummer Kyra Gryphon only counts for half, since she forgot us and arrived late. Evil Kyra!). A very relieved Dominique Dexter rounded out the lion dance team -- I say very relieved, since, it looked for a while like our most junior member might have to play the head in all three lion dances! |
| (right) Junior Instructors Aide Danielle Stender displays her skill with the kung fu war fan. |
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(left) Martial Artistry
Instructor's Aide (and Reserve State Champion) Jonah Donnarumma takes to the
air in a butterfly kick over his own whirling sabre in Dao Yi, a
beginner's wushu broadsword form. This routine was yet another extra Jonah pulled out of the hat to round off the show. |
| (left) Here newbie Dominique Dexter shows off her skills in the lion welcome with a stack atop Martial Artistry Instructor's Aide James "Sparky" Esparza. |
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(left) Junior Instructor's Aide Danielle Stender punches in gong bu (bow or forward stance) during the Shantung Shaolin routine Xiao Hu Yan, or Little Tiger Swallow. Danielle added this traditional kung fu form to fill out the show. |
| (right) Jonah Donnarumma drops low and blocks with the staff in his trademark monkey staff routine. This is a perfect example of monkey kung fu -- deceptive, athletic, always doing the unexpected. |
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(left) The ever photogenic Li prances on to the stage. This is a lion with 'tude. Except for when Piao Liang is around. When big Mama Lion is about, it's amazing how quickly Li remembers his place in the family! |
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(right) "I'm not going to trip her! She's old and cranky." "Well, I'm sure as heck not going to sit on her -- she's all bony and I bruise easily. Besides, I test next month, and I want to pass." "It's settled then, Sifu can't play the monk for the Choy Ching." "I know! Let's get Jonah!" "Cool! I like hurting Jonah!" "Me, too! Everybody likes to make Jonah suffer!" Poor, unsuspecting Jonah . . . So young . . . So blond . . . So much fun to stomp on! |
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(left) Oh, that's gonna work, Jonah. Like a lion understands a tap out . . . |
| (right) Sifu drowns her hurt feelings over not being asked to play the monk in the Choy Ching . . . |
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(left) Jonah spins atop the wushu monkey staff. He makes two full revolutions look easy. I'll just hang up here - call me when lunch is ready . . . |
| (right) Danielle Stender blocks with the war fan in crane position in a kung fu fan routine. |
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(left) Li presents the lucky scroll at the end of the Choy Ching. |
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(right) "Don't look now,
Honey, but there's a gigantic Chinese Lion nibbling your ear..."
"Lucky money" was given to each of the seniors before the show, and after the final bow, Li passed through the audience so the seniors could feed him for good luck |
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Senior #1: "Mildred . . . Maybe you shouldn't get so close . . ." Senior #2: "Nonsense, Eugenia! He's not a real lion. There's somebody inside him . . ." Li: *CHOMP* "Yeah -- YOU! Mmmmm . . . I love eating my lunch with chopsticks -- heh! heh!" |
| (right) Hoody-hoo! We are havin' fun -- look at those grins! |
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(left) "Hey -- over here!
Yoo-hoo! Lion! Oh, lion! I have money . . ."
Questions? Comments?
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