VOA常速英语:舞狮有助于美籍华人保护中华传统

In Chinese-American communities throughout the United States, the Chinese New Year Parade is a highly anticipated event.One of the staples of any parade is the lion dance, an ancient tradition that has roots and sources and one tool,using mythical figures like this fierce lion to ward off people’s spirits.

The D.C.-based Chinese Youth Club plays a key role in preserving this tradition at the annual parade in Washington’s Chinatown.Every Friday night all year long, adults and children members of the club diligently prepare for the yearly performance.The New Year falls on Saturday, January twenty-eighth this year, the parade is the following day.

“I (will go) to the parade.” (The parade? Why is that?)“Because there’re a lot of people watching.”“A place where all people go, where there is a lot of people to help them.”The lion dance has been documented since the Tang Dynasty in the seventh century as a performance enriched by foreign influences because lions are animated to China.Later, the tradition spread to other places like Japan, Korea and Vietnam.

The Chinese Youth Club was founded in 1939 and has been actively engaging the communities around Washington through various cultural programs including its famed lion dance.Now the third generation performs this dance.Exceedingly young members is intrigued to calligraphy and meaning.Parents like I-Hsin Lee McConnell are enthusiastic about the club, her daughter joined the troupe a month ago.“Since she is born in America, I think it’s important for her to connect with the ancient culture that I grew up with.This is something that she doesn’t get much exposure to, so this is a way to get back to her roots, her ancient roots.”

It might look easy, but the lion dance requires tough physical condition and superb acrobatics skills.The hardest move-trainer Steven Lee is to jump and stand on his partner’s shoulders.Sometimes, even he can’t avoid accidents.

“Last (time when) we are practicing, I sat on someone’s head and we are attempting to do the short stand,so I started to stand and I swayed back and I fell back where is in... it’s... I’m okay now.It’s maybe like two years ago.”

Fellow trainer Jason Lee has been lion dancing since he was six.He says this is an important tradition in his family and he believes that learning and preserving it has a reach to his identity.“I want to pass on what I’ve learned to other, not necessarily Chinese members, but other people in the community.It doesn’t matter what ethnicity it is, they just need to get this exposure, it’s like learning a new dance.If you’re learning a new dance in another culture, kind of you wanna see like what they do, how did they do this dance.It’s the same for me, I want to step out the community, more about it out reach, far more about it out reach for me.”

That’s a common goal, “I think I would hope she continues with this cause this is part of her culture.And you now, even though I’m Asian, I was born in Taiwan, I was never given the chance to participate in a lion dance.And as a kid, I was always very envious of other children, other adults who got to dance.So now she gets to participate, and I hope she keeps up with it.”

Even thousands of kilometers away from their homeland, Chinese communities are finding that this ancient dance will help younger generations embrace their cultural roots.

From Gaithersburg Maryland, Rivan Dwiastono, VOA News.