Daniel Xu practices Chinese dragon

illustration by | DANIELLE ZHANG

DANCING DRAGONS

Junior Daniel Xu connects to his culture through dragon dancing

ALLEN YOU continued to dragon dance at the SLMCS because it imstaff writer merses him in his cultural traditions. “I was with a lot of my peers in the Chinese communi-

At any Chinese festival, it is not hard to spot the ty,” Xu said. “When we were going out to all these parades, colorful 100-foot dragon moving in a fluid motion we went to the Botanical Garden and saw all these crowds with the beats of the accompanying drum. ... it was very fulfilling to be a part of the Chinese cul-

Dragon dancing is an art form that originated in the ture in St. Louis. It made me feel very integrated within Han dynasty and has found a home in Chinese communi- the Chinese culture because we were representing the ties globally. Australia, for example, is home to the longest SLMCS.” dragon still in use, named Sun Loong, which measures 330 Sophomore Max Yang, who performs alongside Xu, feet. Brilliant dragon performances are put on every Lunar shares a similar view with him. To Yang, dragon dancing is New Year in the streets of Seattle. The dragon, repre- a different cultural experience from speaking Chinese or senting fertility and prosperity, is a recognized Chinese celebrating Chinese holidays. symbol everywhere. “I feel like there’s just that deeper connection than if

Since kindergarten, junior Daniel Xu has been per- you were just learning Chinese off a textbook,” Yang said. forming for the St. Louis Modern Chinese School as both “You get more hands on and more involved. It’s a pretty a dragon dancer and drummer. He’s performed at festivals fun activity … and it’s a good way to get immersed with such as the Missouri Botanical Garden’s Chinese Culture Chinese culture.” Day and the St. Louis Independence Day Parade. Dragon dancing has a long history, and dragons are still

“I first started doing dragon dancing designed similar to the ones used a and drumming in elementary school,” century ago. For sophomore David Ju, Xu said. “I just remember my mom dragon dancing allows him to connect signed me up for it because she thought it’d be interesting, and I just did it. I thought it was really fun, so I just kept doing it.” Much like other types of dance, there are specific moves that are learned. Simply bobbing and weaving requires timing and focus from each member. But some moves are more complex and “ I did [dragon dancing] because I thought it would be a fun way to experience Chinese culture. DAVID JU | SOPHOMORE with his community. “I did [dragon dancing] because I thought it would be a fun way to experience Chinese culture,” sophomore David Ju said. “Dancing is a Chinese tradition that’s been passed on for a long time and by performing dragon dances I feel rooted in my ancestry.” Chinese culture has become more require another level of cooperation and movement. and more prominent in areas outside of China’s borders,

“There’s this one thing that we’ve always done and especially in diverse melting pots like St. Louis. For that it’s at the climax of our show,” Xu said. “The [drummers] reason, Xu recommends dragon dancing for all, even would start drumming a very steady sound and then the non-Chinese people, as a way to support Chinese culture dragon would start coiling up so it formed a spiral with the and to celebrate Chinese holidays. tail being at the bottom and the head being at the top. And “If it’s possible to do it, you should definitely do it, then after the spiral is formed, the drum hits three big because it’s very exciting,” Xu said. “It’s a good way to just beats, then the dragon’s head bows … a few times.” show your appreciation for Chinese culture in general. [It]

Dragon dancing comes with added benefits besides just just feels like excitement; excitement to just be there and team building and exercise. Xu, a Chinese-American, has dance around.” p