...went very well. We finished at about 4:30, well before sundown, which was nice for a change. A huge turnout from the New England Wah Lum schools really helped, sifus brought lots of students.
I didn't bring a camera this year because things were too busy and I was afraid of dropping it. But several other people took photos, so I will try to post a few or post a link. Plus, one kung fu sister has videotaped a lot of this year's activities and hopefully will put something together.
My entire upper body is aching, but my lower back is not. So the training routine I did for the lower back/abs really helped. The upper body will just take more time. Also, next year I'm going to buy about 50 heads of lettuce and just practice shredding them the "proper" way -- 10 seconds or less and the heart remains on the plate. And maybe shredding a few oranges in 5 seconds or less. It's like a whole skill set that only gets used once a year. "Dude, what's your kung fu skill?" "I can totally shred an orange with 1 hand, that's what!"
Monday, February 26, 2007
Monday, February 19, 2007
Travel Day
Yesterday was the school's travel day for Chinese New Year, meaning we went out beyond the city limits to do lion dancing for restaurants that had scheduled them. It's a little more relaxed than the big Chinatown celebration, the team is smaller so sifu has fewer people to manage. For us students who are new to lion dancing, it's a good day to get experience because it's much less hectic and there's time to plan who is under the lions and what we will do at each location.
This was the first year I actually did the "eating" part at a couple locations. Eating is very ritualized so it has to be done correctly; we practice it at training sessions even if we're not yet ready to do the performances. There are two items that are the most important, the oranges and the greens (or chang). Always eat the oranges first and the greens last. Under the greens (usually lettuce) is the lucky red envelope. In between these items can be a host of other things. For example, at one supermarket our lions "ate" oranges, cookies, candies, grapefruit, a six-pack of soda, and finally celery and lettuce. Last year the seafood department of a store fed the lion a fish. And I recall one restaurant in Orlando that puts either a live lobster or live crab over the red envelope.
The lion dancing personal gear that I listed below came in handy at the last location we did. I was just grabbing the greens when the restaurant owner lit the firecrackers and threw them right on top of my boot. So, firecrackers going off everywhere. And I couldn't just go "aaahhhh" and kick the strand back into the restaurant, or drop the head of lettuce, I had to shred it and spread the lettuce out and keep dancing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwqa321Fmew&NR
I found this video on YouTube of the Wah Lum Temple demo team (Orlando) lion dancing last year at China Garden. (I lived in the apartments right behind China Garden back when I started studying kung fu, so -- whatever.) It's a good illustration of doing the lion dancing inside restaurants. You can see the guides for each team making sure the lions don't hit the tables or customers, and helping the lions back out of the restaurant.
Things always get a bit confusing which is why every position on the team is important, even if it's just banging the cymbals together.
Happy Year of the Pig!
This was the first year I actually did the "eating" part at a couple locations. Eating is very ritualized so it has to be done correctly; we practice it at training sessions even if we're not yet ready to do the performances. There are two items that are the most important, the oranges and the greens (or chang). Always eat the oranges first and the greens last. Under the greens (usually lettuce) is the lucky red envelope. In between these items can be a host of other things. For example, at one supermarket our lions "ate" oranges, cookies, candies, grapefruit, a six-pack of soda, and finally celery and lettuce. Last year the seafood department of a store fed the lion a fish. And I recall one restaurant in Orlando that puts either a live lobster or live crab over the red envelope.
The lion dancing personal gear that I listed below came in handy at the last location we did. I was just grabbing the greens when the restaurant owner lit the firecrackers and threw them right on top of my boot. So, firecrackers going off everywhere. And I couldn't just go "aaahhhh" and kick the strand back into the restaurant, or drop the head of lettuce, I had to shred it and spread the lettuce out and keep dancing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iwqa321Fmew&NR
I found this video on YouTube of the Wah Lum Temple demo team (Orlando) lion dancing last year at China Garden. (I lived in the apartments right behind China Garden back when I started studying kung fu, so -- whatever.) It's a good illustration of doing the lion dancing inside restaurants. You can see the guides for each team making sure the lions don't hit the tables or customers, and helping the lions back out of the restaurant.
Things always get a bit confusing which is why every position on the team is important, even if it's just banging the cymbals together.
Happy Year of the Pig!
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Teaching Tips
From FightingArts.com, I found this link to a site for martial arts instructors. 4kicks has a nice collection of teaching tips for different types of classes and levels.
It's difficult sometimes to come up with engaging activities for kids that also teach the fundamental skills of the style. There's also a fairly wide spectrum of ages in a relatively small class. The way the skills are taught to each age group, and the way the kids relate to each other, is different and takes a bit of juggling to make sure everyone is learning effectively.
One positive thing we do is make sure the older students encourage the younger ones and remind them that they set the example for the younger students to follow. This really helps the younger students, who emulate the older ones and so pay better attention. And it builds self-esteem on both sides of the transaction.
It's difficult sometimes to come up with engaging activities for kids that also teach the fundamental skills of the style. There's also a fairly wide spectrum of ages in a relatively small class. The way the skills are taught to each age group, and the way the kids relate to each other, is different and takes a bit of juggling to make sure everyone is learning effectively.
One positive thing we do is make sure the older students encourage the younger ones and remind them that they set the example for the younger students to follow. This really helps the younger students, who emulate the older ones and so pay better attention. And it builds self-esteem on both sides of the transaction.
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Year of the Pig
Or the Boar, if you're insulted by the word pig for some reason. Very intelligent creatures, you know.
Anyway, the first day of the new year begins February 18. This coincides with the new moon (actually begins on Feb. 17, 8:14 pm). A lot of families will go out for a meal or get together at home for dinner on Saturday or Sunday. If you go into Chinatown you may hear drums and cymbals inside some of the restaurants as lion dancers perform.
If you go to a restaurant in mid-February you may get to see a lion dance performance. The lion(s) will weave through the tables all around the restaurant. Some restaurant owners have the lions go through in a prearranged pattern, sometimes this is for luck, sometimes it's to keep from breaking stuff. Anyway, often the lion will approach tables and act all cute. Feel free to say hello and maybe gently pat the lion's nose (it's fake fur & papier mache so definitely be gentle). If customers at a table hold out a red envelope the lion will definitely go over there. The envelope has money inside. (Of course, if you don't have an envelope and feel like giving a small tip, cash is absolutely fine. And you also don't have to tip at all. But if you do, hold it out and the lion will "eat" it.)
How to get your picture taken with the lions
During Boston's official CNY celebration on Feb. 25, several lion teams will be out in the streets going from store to store.
Lion teams are approachable between performances, but when they're doing the actual dancing, stand back out of the way. The guys inside the lion can't see very well and may run into you. They're also surrounded by handlers in public places, who guide the performers around.
When the performance is finished, tap one of the handlers on the shoulder and ask if you or your kids can pose with the lion. The request is rarely refused but, if the lion is being rushed to the next store you may be asked to wait for a minute. It's worth it because then the handler can arrange for the lion to pose and you will get some great photos.
BTW there is no need to tip the performers for photos.
Anyway, the first day of the new year begins February 18. This coincides with the new moon (actually begins on Feb. 17, 8:14 pm). A lot of families will go out for a meal or get together at home for dinner on Saturday or Sunday. If you go into Chinatown you may hear drums and cymbals inside some of the restaurants as lion dancers perform.
If you go to a restaurant in mid-February you may get to see a lion dance performance. The lion(s) will weave through the tables all around the restaurant. Some restaurant owners have the lions go through in a prearranged pattern, sometimes this is for luck, sometimes it's to keep from breaking stuff. Anyway, often the lion will approach tables and act all cute. Feel free to say hello and maybe gently pat the lion's nose (it's fake fur & papier mache so definitely be gentle). If customers at a table hold out a red envelope the lion will definitely go over there. The envelope has money inside. (Of course, if you don't have an envelope and feel like giving a small tip, cash is absolutely fine. And you also don't have to tip at all. But if you do, hold it out and the lion will "eat" it.)
How to get your picture taken with the lions
During Boston's official CNY celebration on Feb. 25, several lion teams will be out in the streets going from store to store.
Lion teams are approachable between performances, but when they're doing the actual dancing, stand back out of the way. The guys inside the lion can't see very well and may run into you. They're also surrounded by handlers in public places, who guide the performers around.
When the performance is finished, tap one of the handlers on the shoulder and ask if you or your kids can pose with the lion. The request is rarely refused but, if the lion is being rushed to the next store you may be asked to wait for a minute. It's worth it because then the handler can arrange for the lion to pose and you will get some great photos.
BTW there is no need to tip the performers for photos.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
Descartes in the classroom
Younger kids in the kung fu class will sometimes do just about anything to not do kung fu. The big one is "my shoe's untied." Anytime the group is touching its toes for whatever reason, little hands dart over shoe tops and next thing you know those hands are shooting up in the air. "Si jye, my shoe's untied. I'm gonna tie it so I don't trip." Then, because they're young enough that shoe tying is still a bit convoluted, they get three or five minutes' break from exercises while they loop the laces around. Maybe we should have everyone double-tie their laces at the start of class.
Mopsy is such an expert at the art of cute-fu that one feels guilty timing her out. Another youngster is getting too familiar with the time-out corner. Both are really intelligent for their age. Last week Mopsy, parking herself on the weight bench and refusing to move, debated the use of forms as a teaching tool. "Why do you call it a form?" she asked -- she's got a Cindy Brady sort of voice so it was like, "Why do yoo cuall it a fworm?"
"It's a form because it's a pattern of moves. You learn the form to learn how to do the moves," I said.
"But, that's not a pattorwn," said Mopsy. "A pattorwn is the same things wepeated. I'm not wepeating the same things in the fworm so it's not a pattorwn."
I honestly haven't dealt with the definition of patterns since maybe grade school, and I hadn't had any coffee yet, so I had to pause and think about that for a minute.
"Wow," I finally replied, "You're pretty smart. In fact, that was so smart that I know you're smart enough to learn this form properly." It's hard to argue with flattery I guess, so Mopsy got up and learned the form.
The week before that a youngster got timed out for 5 minutes and then refused to come out because he wanted to do his own thing. "You have to do things as a group," the instructor told him. "You can't just do what you want."
"Oh yeah?" the boy asked. "What about free will? What about my rights as a human being? I get to choose what I want!"
So there was a little talk with him and his mom after class about the rights of man vs. the dangers of a little kid running around wild when the older kids are swinging broadswords and spears.
He's been better lately.
Mopsy is such an expert at the art of cute-fu that one feels guilty timing her out. Another youngster is getting too familiar with the time-out corner. Both are really intelligent for their age. Last week Mopsy, parking herself on the weight bench and refusing to move, debated the use of forms as a teaching tool. "Why do you call it a form?" she asked -- she's got a Cindy Brady sort of voice so it was like, "Why do yoo cuall it a fworm?"
"It's a form because it's a pattern of moves. You learn the form to learn how to do the moves," I said.
"But, that's not a pattorwn," said Mopsy. "A pattorwn is the same things wepeated. I'm not wepeating the same things in the fworm so it's not a pattorwn."
I honestly haven't dealt with the definition of patterns since maybe grade school, and I hadn't had any coffee yet, so I had to pause and think about that for a minute.
"Wow," I finally replied, "You're pretty smart. In fact, that was so smart that I know you're smart enough to learn this form properly." It's hard to argue with flattery I guess, so Mopsy got up and learned the form.
The week before that a youngster got timed out for 5 minutes and then refused to come out because he wanted to do his own thing. "You have to do things as a group," the instructor told him. "You can't just do what you want."
"Oh yeah?" the boy asked. "What about free will? What about my rights as a human being? I get to choose what I want!"
So there was a little talk with him and his mom after class about the rights of man vs. the dangers of a little kid running around wild when the older kids are swinging broadswords and spears.
He's been better lately.
Sunday, January 28, 2007
New Year Season
We're training under the lions now, as Chinese New Year approaches. February 18 is the official start of the lunar new year, but the celebrations go on all month. So we are preparing for the Boston Chinatown celebration on February 25 (a really fun day for the family, if you're looking for something unusual to do), and a Travel Day maybe a weekend or two after, when we caravan out to businesses in the Greater Boston area to do lion dancing for them.
The street dancing that we do is usually rougher and faster than traditional dances done for weddings or for competitions. There are a little under 200 businesses in Boston Chinatown, less than 10 kung fu schools that do lion dancing (maybe as few as 5), and just one day to visit them all. So we only have time to do a short dance, usually the 3-star pattern, and eat the greens and bow and then quickly move to the next store and so on.
As you can see, there are a whole lot of people involved for a simple street dance. A drummer, cymbal players, guides for the lion dancers (who cannot see very well), crowd control, and a team leader (our sifu in this case) who moves teams from store to store and schedules breaks etc. Unseen is the advance scout who goes well ahead of the team to confirm with stores who reserved dances in advance or to check with unscheduled stores to see if they need a lion dance, negotiates prices, even brings and sets up the "green" if needed.
A lot of advance planning takes place for Boston Chinatown's new year event. To keep conflict from breaking out, the area kung fu schools agree upon routes for their teams so that schools don't cross paths too often and end up competing for the same stores.
Everyone on the lion dance team has to gear up properly for the event. We spend 8-12 hours outside in New England winter weather. Last year it was mercifully warm, a nice 40 degrees. But the year before it was 15, wind chill around zero, so we have to guard against frostbite & hypothermia in those conditions. The lion dancers are at risk of strained muscles -- they spell each other off so no one gets exhausted, which means one team is sweating under the lions while the other team shivers in the cold. There's also firecrackers going off underfoot, vehicle traffic on some streets, etc.
One of our sister schools brings a pickup truck every year. Their drum is loaded into the back and there is enough room to pile in coolers and thermoses and extra gear. Someone also hooks up a propane-fueled heat lamp to the tailgate. That's the most popular spot in the entourage, save for being the lion head.
A short gear list for CNY lion dancing:
Earplugs
Dust mask
Goggles/sunglasses secured with head strap
Wooly hat
Thin leather gloves (e.g. batting gloves)
Mittens or ski gloves
Long johns
Hoodie sweatshirt
Red team jacket (a size larger to accommodate layers)
Snow boots or sturdy waterproof shoes
Energy bars or gorp
Hot Hands handwarmers
The earplugs are essential because firecrackers, drums and cymbals will be clanging right next to your ears all day. The dust mask filters out smoke and residue. The sunglasses protect against exploding firecrackers (and the sun too). The hoodie is pulled up over the wooly hat to keep you warm and prevent hot firecracker pieces from falling down the back of your shirt. The boots keep your feet from freezing and from being blown up. The thin gloves keep your hands from being shredded on the bamboo and wire inside the lion head.
The energy bars are because you probably won't eat all day, and the expense of energy even if you're not dancing makes you vulnerable to cold injury. The handwarmers should be slipped inside your boots and zipped into your ski gloves.
So, right now we are training with a mind towards a couple of very long days. At the end of February we'll all be exhausted.
The street dancing that we do is usually rougher and faster than traditional dances done for weddings or for competitions. There are a little under 200 businesses in Boston Chinatown, less than 10 kung fu schools that do lion dancing (maybe as few as 5), and just one day to visit them all. So we only have time to do a short dance, usually the 3-star pattern, and eat the greens and bow and then quickly move to the next store and so on.
As you can see, there are a whole lot of people involved for a simple street dance. A drummer, cymbal players, guides for the lion dancers (who cannot see very well), crowd control, and a team leader (our sifu in this case) who moves teams from store to store and schedules breaks etc. Unseen is the advance scout who goes well ahead of the team to confirm with stores who reserved dances in advance or to check with unscheduled stores to see if they need a lion dance, negotiates prices, even brings and sets up the "green" if needed.
A lot of advance planning takes place for Boston Chinatown's new year event. To keep conflict from breaking out, the area kung fu schools agree upon routes for their teams so that schools don't cross paths too often and end up competing for the same stores.
Everyone on the lion dance team has to gear up properly for the event. We spend 8-12 hours outside in New England winter weather. Last year it was mercifully warm, a nice 40 degrees. But the year before it was 15, wind chill around zero, so we have to guard against frostbite & hypothermia in those conditions. The lion dancers are at risk of strained muscles -- they spell each other off so no one gets exhausted, which means one team is sweating under the lions while the other team shivers in the cold. There's also firecrackers going off underfoot, vehicle traffic on some streets, etc.
One of our sister schools brings a pickup truck every year. Their drum is loaded into the back and there is enough room to pile in coolers and thermoses and extra gear. Someone also hooks up a propane-fueled heat lamp to the tailgate. That's the most popular spot in the entourage, save for being the lion head.
A short gear list for CNY lion dancing:
Earplugs
Dust mask
Goggles/sunglasses secured with head strap
Wooly hat
Thin leather gloves (e.g. batting gloves)
Mittens or ski gloves
Long johns
Hoodie sweatshirt
Red team jacket (a size larger to accommodate layers)
Snow boots or sturdy waterproof shoes
Energy bars or gorp
Hot Hands handwarmers
The earplugs are essential because firecrackers, drums and cymbals will be clanging right next to your ears all day. The dust mask filters out smoke and residue. The sunglasses protect against exploding firecrackers (and the sun too). The hoodie is pulled up over the wooly hat to keep you warm and prevent hot firecracker pieces from falling down the back of your shirt. The boots keep your feet from freezing and from being blown up. The thin gloves keep your hands from being shredded on the bamboo and wire inside the lion head.
The energy bars are because you probably won't eat all day, and the expense of energy even if you're not dancing makes you vulnerable to cold injury. The handwarmers should be slipped inside your boots and zipped into your ski gloves.
So, right now we are training with a mind towards a couple of very long days. At the end of February we'll all be exhausted.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Practice test
I am learning so much about teaching martial arts. Here's the scenario yesterday:
Me: Okay kids, practice test. Here's the first question. What's the name of the first form that you learn and what does it teach you?
Cute, Mopsy Kid: I don't know.
Me: Didn't you study your test questions like sifu told you last week?
Mopsy (throwing arms to the sky): But I can't read yet!
Sigh.
Me: Okay kids, practice test. Here's the first question. What's the name of the first form that you learn and what does it teach you?
Cute, Mopsy Kid: I don't know.
Me: Didn't you study your test questions like sifu told you last week?
Mopsy (throwing arms to the sky): But I can't read yet!
Sigh.
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