UCLA ACA Lion Dance

2/6/2020 - Saturday morning practice: Every Saturday from the LD team gets up in the morning to practice stunts and rountines on top of Parking Lot 8. This clip features Midas (Yixin and Sicheng) and Shadow (Kristina and Marie) practicing Wedding Malay ! Video creds: Skye Hoffman

Apollo: Lion of the week Awoken in Fall 2001, Apollo is the oldest in our pride, famously holding the nickname of Grandpa. He is also the heaviest lion in the pride, eleven pounds and a bite to match. His long tail is decorated with silver bells that jingle with every move. But due to his old age, he only participated during practice nowadays!

2/8/20 - Hsi Lai Temple: One of the most important performances of the year takes place in one of the largest Buddhist temples in the United States, the Hsi Lai temple in Hacienda Heights. Every year, the team is invited to participate as a part of the temple's lunar new years celebration where they hold the team to the highest standards to not only be entertaining, but to demonstrate the strength and pride of their culture. PC: @engelespar

1 - Head and Tail: Two people, one lion 2 - Trust is the glue that holds the lion together. After all, it's not easy coordinating two vastly different performers to move like a single creature. This becomes critical during stuntsThe tail needs to trust the head's decisons and abilities, and the head needs to rely on the tail for safety and support. Both performers must be able to predict how the other will move, or else the stunt fails. 3 - Heads: Up in front This role ...is the more visible of the pair and often the stars of the show. In addition to controlling the head of the lion, they are also responsible for leading the lion's movements since they have slightly better visibility than the tail. During a stunt, heads are lifted into the air; therefore, those who perform head are usually very light or great jumpers (or both)! 4 - Tails: From the back Arguably the underrated role of the duo, although they do not get as much recognition from the audience, they are essential in keeping the lion steady and lively. Tails follow the movements of the head because they cannot see what's in front of them. While stunting, they are responsible for lifting the head up into the air and bracing them on the way down, maintaining control througout. See more

Parts of a Lion: Mirror: The mirror located on the lion's forehead is meant to scare away evil spirits. Horn: The horn of the lion is for fighting evil. Ribbon: The red ribbon tied around the horn shows that the lion has been blessed and awaked to pay respect to the gods.

7/12/2014- CACN. A throwback to six years ago's CACN performance as our team's very own Budhha directs the two lions, both of which are now enjoying retirement from the spotlight. The Budhha is another important part of the performance routine, not only serving a cultural role, but one of a human companion and friend of the lions on stage. PC Yin Seo

Saturday February 29, 2020 - ACA Lion Dance performs at the annual Cultural Heritage Festival (CHF) ! CHF is an annual field day and competition held by five different Chinese American clubs at five different schools: UCLA, UCSD, USC, UCI, and UCR.

1 - Alumni Gens 2 - Caroline Chen: Rooster Gen - she/her/hers - I'm Caroline, and I graduated in 2019 as a Biology major. I was part of lion dance for three years, and my favorite part about it was planningout performances and then doing the peerformances with the team! Fun fact: In the year I was coodinator of the tea (Boar year), I was the tallest of the three coordds 3 - Brian Le: Rooster Gen - He/Him/His, I was a part of ACA Lion Dannce for 2 years, during which I had b...ecome fond of playing the music and performing stunts. I was an Electrical Engineering major at UCLA for 3 1/2 years before decing to drop out and now am currently working full time on my startup, Duffl, which aims to empower students to better serve each other, strating with providig ultra fast and convienient delivery. Aside from work I enjoy photography and being outdoors! 4 - Q: Rooster Gen - He/Him/His, My name is !, and I graduated from UCLA last June with a BS in Civil Engineering. My favorite part of LD is being able to travel with my friends to so many different areas across LA to perform. When I'm not spending time doing LD, I'm busy trying to capture the perfect photos in my DSLR and never posting any of them due to laziness (shamless plug @definitelynotq) One fun fact: I've had two concussions in my life so far, but only one of them was an accident. 5 - Alexis Wong: Dog Gen, She/Her/Hers - I'm a UCLA Alum in Animation and I've been lion dancing for about 7-8 years. my favorite part about LD is the puppetry and acting. I especially like interacting with the audience. I like animals, playing video games/board games, and binging cartoons when I'm not drawing. Fun fact: I have screws in my left knee. 5 - Matthew Pereira Yee: Dog Gen - He/Him/His, Matt, Alumni, Chemical Engineering and Applied Developmental Psychology minor, 3 years, Definitely stunts was the most fun part, but the things that kept me coming was the people and the commiunity. Rock climbing, video games, cooking. Fun fact: My car broke down in San Bernadino National Forest and my friend and I hiked to a lake in pitch darkness and went kayaking See more

Wednesday Night Practice: Today we feature last year's cubbies and newbies practicing Malay battle sequence! Our oldest lions Shadow (Marie Chu) and Midas (Jayson Shinn) may be retired from performance, but they help train the next generation of LD. Join us for our ZOOM practice Wednesdays 9pm-10:30pm PST and Saturday 11am-12:30pm PST!

1 - Origins of Lion Dance: Southern Chinese Canton Style 2 - There are two popular myths associated with the origin of the Southern Lion. However, being a folk art, no one knows for sure where lion dance came from. Nevertheless, its murky beginnings only add to its mysticism and intrigue, and elevates its status as a culturally significant tradition. 3 - Story of Nian: A folklore staple According to Chinese legend, every year a ferocious beast by the name of Nian () would ...descend upon a nearby village and devour the food, livestock, and people. He especially liked to eat children. One year the townsmen devised a plan. They realized Nian was afraid of the color red and loud noises, so they gathered gongs, cymbals, drums, and firecrackers and made their own fearful model of Nian using bamboo, paper and cloths to drive away the monster. 4 - Emperor's dream: Tang Xuanzong and his vision During the Tang Dynasty, Emperor Xuanzong dreamt of a pilgrimage of an auspicious animal in colorful hair during his inspection tour South of the Yangtze River. When the emperor returned to Beijing, he ordered his men to recreate the image of the auspicious being that appeared in his dreams. From then on Xuanzong ordered the partaking of lions in festivals and cermonies to bring good luck and prosperity. See more