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The dragon, a talisman in the Chinese mythology, is widely
worshipped in Asia. In the western world it is often regarded
as an evil and dangerous creature, but for the Chinese the
dragon is just the contrary.
In both cases the dragon symbolizes ‘Supernatural’
and ‘Power’ and especially the Chinese dragon stands
for ‘Might’ and ‘Inner Strength’. The
dragon is regarded by many Asian authors, artists, craftsmen
and the public as the ‘King of Nature’.
For the past 1000 years the continuation and development of
the dragon dance have followed a tortuous route.
The dragon dance is performed on Chinese New Year, grand
business openings, taoistic festivals and on other ceremonial
events. It brings luck, health and prosperity.
The dragon is usually made of light wooden frames in segments
and covered with cloth, mirrors and embroidery depicting the
scales of the dragon.
The head is made of bamboo frames and covered with layer of
silk or cloth. It has a large mouth with a flexible lower
jaw. The whole dragon is moved by kung fu students with the
help of poles which are fixed on the segments.
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The dragon dance shows the dragon’s effort to get the pearl
of wisdom. The dragon chases the pearl which is also carried
by a martial artist. Characteristic drum and cymbal music underlines
and supports the choreography of the dance.
Chief Instructor for dragon dance at the Singapore Nia Kwang
Pugilistic Association Germany e.V. is Master Ek Eng Guan, who
is also a Shi Xiong of Master Seet Chor Thong. Due to his many
successes with several teams, Master Ek is a very sought-after
coach in Asia. He teaches famous and successful dragon dance
teams mainly in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong and also in Europe.
In July 2005 he set up his own school in Singapore, the Shao
Lin Dragon Art Association. |
The Singapore Nia Kwang Pugilistic Association Germany e.V.
is since July 17th 2005 a member of this association in Singapore.
The dragon dance style taught there is called ‘Luminous
Dragon Dance’ which means that instead of fluorescent lamp,
ultra violet light is used to brighten the dragon. Due to dark
clothing, the players would not be displayed so that only the
dragon can be seen floating through the air.
The instructors in Siegen are Peter Mayer, Max Wagner and
Dennis Seet. Together with their team, they are looking forward
to show up its skills in near future.
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