Martial Artistry: Shaolin kung fu, wushu, tai chi, Chinese lion and dragon dancing and weapons in Albuquerque, NM: Making a Chinese Lion; Eye-Opening Ceremony for Southern Lion

AUGUST 31 - SEPTEMBER 7, 2002 Saturday, August 31, 2002 was a sad day for the school, and most especially the lion dance team. On that day (unless my date is wrong - wouldn't be the first time - little help, guys!), our beloved senior lion, Fu, had a "fatal" accident when his players lost their balance during the performance of a difficult shoulder stack. The top part of his head became almost totally separated from the lower support structure, making him unusable -- and all just one week before our performances at the New Mexico State Fair! It must be noted that dear Fu had been getting on in years. He'd endured some six years of hard abuse, going from "Fu Van Gogh, the One-Eared Lion" to "No Ears Fu", as all the while his beard grew more scant, his eyes more dull and his skin became punctured, cracked and torn. The time for retirement had been long overdue, but our kung fu, wushu, lion and dragon dance exhibition schedule had been so jam-packed, it just seemed that there was very little time to work on his replacement, Piao Liang. Not that we'd been totally idle. Piao Liang had already been stripped of her deely-boppers, rabbit fur and pom-poms and was past the halfway mark in receiving her 100 coats of lacquer, but we hadn't even begun her body or her legs. But, now, we had no choice. Piao Liang had to be finished and she had to be finished in one short week. Under the able leadership of Dorothy Stender (lion dance team leader Diana Ma's mother), we plunged into the seemingly impossible task. A corner of the school was set aside as "Lion Central", and we had as many as four sewing machines cranking away all at once. Sifu even excused herself from teaching classes that week (since her cantankerous machine wouldn't work for anyone else), and the shopping, stitching, measuring, cutting, pinning, gluing and ironing continued non-stop from morning through the night. Below is a photo of "Lion Central", with (from left to right) Sifu, Ree McSween and Dorothy Stender manning the sewing machines.

An early picture of our work in progress. Danielle and Dorothy Stender line up the "scales" along the base. Sifu designed the body, but Dorothy got stuck with the real hard work -- making it into reality.
Lion Central in a frenzy of activity. Well, except for the two instructors who look like they are engaged in some sort of Old West-type showdown. From left to right are "Mean Mike" Johnson, Kyra Gryphon, Diana Ma, Danielle Stender, Ree McSween, Jonah Donnarumma, Dorothy Stender and Amir "The Sheik" Shirkhorshidian. We hear Amir fared better than he did in his last showdown at the Martial Artistry Wet & Wild Picnic.

	Diana Ma pins the completed rows of scales on Piao Liang's back. We grossly underestimated how many rows of scales would be needed for this project, which sent us scampering all over the Albuquerque area for more supplies. You can also get an idea from this photo as to how extensively we embellished Piao Liang's already pretty head with tens of thousands of sequins and mirrors of all sizes and shapes.
This is the reward for being uncooperative about allowing your photo to be taken. Apparently, someone had to frighten Dorothy to get her to look at the camera. In the foreground is another one of our helpers, Ms. Donnarumma, Instructor Aide Jonah Donnarumma's mother. Here, they're shown sewing the "fur" along the edges of the scales. Sifu couldn't bear the thought of using real rabbit pelts, so we used fake fur as a very functional and attractive substitute on both Piao's tail and her legs.
	In the end, we'd have *never* been able to pull this off without the addition of one particular person. Ree McSween was often the first at the school, coming in early in the morning and working straight through until classes started in the afternoons. Although not even a member of Martial Artistry, she devoted a tremendous amount of time and effort, and was fascinating to get to know.
Looking good! Dorothy Stender pins on the last rows of the mane in preparation for sewing the whole tail together.
	James "Sparky" Esparza shows us his best side as he models the pants we made for Piao. These pants are constructed from a *very* sturdy cotton blend, which will (we hope) not only make them longer-lasting, but have already proved to be much easier to "stack" on than the satiny stuff one usually gets with a lion. Why am I reminded of a certain scene in "Ace Ventura, Pet Detective"?
"Just say 'ahhh!', Piao!" Lion dancers Michael Panto and Diana Ma work on the springs for Piao's mouth.
At last, our beautiful Piao Liang is done . . . late at night, scant hours before her eye-opening ceremony and, a few hours after that, her first show!
Questions? Comments? Email Martial Artistry

Saturday September 7, 2002 At 10:00am, only a few hours after her completion, we held the eye-opening ceremony for the newest addition to our lion dance team: Piao Liang. A multitude of thanks to Lillie Vosa's mother and Michael Panto's mother for the photos of the ceremony, which, due in large part to lack of sleep on the part of the video-meister, we forgot to tape. Oops. *(below)* Piao Liang awaits her awakening. Gee, she looks so innocent and sweet ... when she's asleep!

What follows is an excerpt from the introduction to the ceremony. 'Lion dancing is said to be thousands of years old. Though legends abound as to its origins, its true beginning is hidden in the mists of antiquity. The lion dance is essential to a kung fu school that respects its ancient roots. The vitality, strength and legitimacy of a wushuguan is often measured by the skill of its lion dancers.' 'The actions of the lion incorporate many kung fu movements. Often, when the martial arts were forbidden and any transgressors put to death, the lion dance was the only way that wushu could be practiced: hidden and yet in the open. The lion dance was even used to pass secret messages between the kung fu schools, that the Chinese people could organize attacks against their oppressors.' 'In this ceremony, we symbolically “bring to life” our lion, that she may act for our kung fu family as a guardian against evil. During the ceremony, the lion will be dotted with a mixture that contains cinnabar, which is associated in Chinese myth with longevity, and sprinkled with hibiscus tea, which symbolizes fame and splendor. A red ribbon will be tied around her horn, in remembrance of a tale from Chinese mythology. In this story, during a fit of rage, the Jade Emperor killed the Lion King by chopping off his head. Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, tied the lion king’s head to a long colorful ribbon and brought him back to life. The Lion King was so grateful, he promised to rescue those in need. Guan Yin, impressed by his sincerity, gave him a horn to fight with and a reflective nose to scare off demons. Thus, the ribbon reminds the lion of the promise to do only good.' 'To show respect to those of our kung fu family who have gone before us, the lion will bow three times. The Chinese do not worship their ancestors, but rather respect and remember them. It reminds us to be humble, for what we have achieved so often has been built upon the foundation laid by those who came before us.'

*(above)* Sifu dots the sleeping lion with the red mixture. It is a great honor to be asked to dot the lion, and Dorothy Stender and Mildred Voll dotted the lion's eyes and nostrils. Ree McSween was also asked to dot the lion, but, alas, was unable to attend. The lion's mirror, eyes, nostrils, tongue, ears, horn and back are dotted, and each area has its own special symbolism. At the completion of the dotting, the lion is awakened. *(below)* Now awake, the lion comes forward to be sprinkled with tea and to receive her name. Piao Liang means pretty, remarkable and beautiful, and is composed of the Chinese characters (hanzi) for floating and shining.

*(right)* Piao Liang performs her first dance. Questions? Comments? Email Martial Artistry