Liang Luomin and his beloved lion head.
On the occasion of the Chinese New year celebration, more than 20 dances of the southern lion and the north will be the pride of the whole city of Sydney. In the huge lion dance lineup, Liang Luomin, who is engaged in graphic design, is a community leader beloved by local Chinese. He has been practicing his dance skills without hindrance for more than 20 years.
From February 16 to March 4, during the Chinese Lunar New year celebrations, lion dancers, dressed in scales and flexing together, will appear in Sydney to dance among the crowd and broadcast happiness to the audience. The celebration is expected to attract millions of tourists to visit the city centre.
Liang Luomin will lead the Lion Troupe to attend the opening ceremony on the first day of the New year, showing up at the Sydney Opera House. At the same time, Xiangling Lion Dance will also appear at the Dragon Boat Race on Feb. 24, which will help the many events in Chinatown.
"since I started practicing lion dancing, I naturally took on the role of a lion's head. Since then, the lion's head step has become my specialty. " Liang Luomin said, "the pace of lion dance is complicated, it takes long practice to grasp the essence of the lion, incisively and vividly convey the lion's demeanor." The dancer from (Five Dock), Sydney's West Wharf area, is just 32 years old. He introduced that his Heshan Lion Dance, as its name suggests, is famous in the Heshan region of Guangdong Province, China, which integrates classical martial arts and dance, imitating the lion's god through modern interpretation. Special dance methods include the scissors step and the insertion step, that is, the lion claw intersects, telling the audience the image of the lion realistically.
The lion's head is made of bamboo, coagulated and molded, and painted in gorgeous colors. The lion's mouth is equipped with latches and pulleys so that dancers can control the movements of the lion's eyes and ears. A lion needs two people to dance together, so seamless coordination and instinctive tacit understanding between dancers are essential to the success of the lion dance. As leader and dance teacher of (Dixon Street) Australian overseas Chinese Youth Society in Sydney Chinatown, Liang Luomin's daily work is also focused on the spirit of lion dance. "I like to create graphic designs with Chinese characteristics, especially influenced by lion dance elements, so I like to paint the lion image very much."
Sydney Mayor Moya (Clover Moore) said the lion dance will allow citizens and tourists to enjoy the rich festival atmosphere of the Chinese Lunar New year celebration in a lively performance. "the traditional and wonderful lion-awakening is a classic element in Chinese New year celebrations, and it is also a popular scene for the New year." "the lion dance team will travel through the streets and streets of Sydney," said Moya. "the lion dance team will show up in gorgeous and colorful forms and the strong drums of the gongs, accompanied by many festive and auspicious activities to usher in a new year for the people."
Born in Sydney, Liang graduated from the University of West Sydney with a major in information technology before becoming an outstanding lion dragon dancer. "I teach dragon and lion dance skills at the overseas Chinese Youth Club. Compared to the independent shape of lion dance, dragon dance needs more teamwork.
It is understood that the overseas Chinese Youth Society was founded in 1939 as a Chinese immigrant community club, providing a place to spend time with Chinese living in Australia, and bringing the entire local Chinese community together. The club currently has about 100 members, 20 of whom are children. Courses include lion dance, dragon dance, drama, table tennis, martial arts, jungle walking skills, etc.
On weekends, Liang runs lion and dragon dance classes at the overseas Chinese Youth Club. "it is a pleasure for me to watch the children come to our club to improve their quality and thrive." Liang Luomin said.
During the Lunar New year celebrations, the Sydney City Government will launch firecrackers and lion-awakening performances in a number of locations. The schedule is as follows:.
I, time: 16, 23 February and 2 March, 6 p.m. and 06:30
Venue: Chinatown
Performance group: (Chinese Masonic Society), Hong Mun public hall, Australia
II. Time: 17, 24 February and 3 March, 6 p.m. and 06:30
Venue: Chinatown
Performance group: overseas Australian youth association
III. Time: 18, 25 February and 4 March, 6 p.m. and 06:30
Venue: Chinatown
Performance group: Australian Grand Boxing Club (Da Hong Lion Dance and Kung Fu Club)
4. Time: 9: 00 a.m., 24 February
Venue: (Darling Harbour) Haifan Bay (Cockle Bay) Dragon Boat Race, Darling Port, Sydney
Performance group: overseas Australian youth association
Fifth, the (Dixon Street Chinese Committee) of the Tak Shun Street Chinese Committee will also hold a number of lion dance performances on February 3, 4, 10, 11, 18, 25, 12:00 to 4 pm. The 2018 Chinese Lunar New year celebration in Sydney will open on Feb. 16 and close on March 4.
For more information about the celebration, please visit sydneychinesenewyear.com.