Brandeis once again hosted the second annual East Coast Intercollegiate Lion Dance Showcase last Saturday as part of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month (APAHM) festivities. A small but enthusiastic crowd in the Schwartz auditorium enjoyed performances from the Brandeis Lion Dance Troupe (BLT) as well as the Columbia University Lion Dance Troupe (CULT). Princeton Lion Dance also was scheduled to exhibit, but as showcase hosts and BLT alumni Andy Law '01 and Matt Lu '03 joked, the group backed out when they heard Columbia was coming.Audience members snacked on tasty Chinese food provided by BLT while waiting half an hour for the showcase to begin. Law and Lu apologized for the delay, offering lion dance lessons at the end of the exhibition as compensation. The show opened with a lion dance musical demonstration where the two groups performed using a drum and cymbals. The display though quickly turned into a rather comical drum showdown as BLT and CULT tried to out do each other in terms of loudness and intensity.

Providing some background for the showcase, Law and Lu explained that lion dance originated in China to scare away evil spirits during the traditional New Year's celebration. Today, lion dance is performed at all varieties of festive occasions to commemorate the richness of Chinese culture. BLT, for instance, has performed in showcases all around the New England region, traveling from Boston College to Brown.

The 16 members of CULT began the night's performances in a dance that utilized three brightly colored contrasting dragons. The dragons jumped off the Schwartz stage and proceeded to loom over the audiences' faces in a comically frightening manner, eliciting large laughs and squeals all around. CULT members made the lions' eyelids flutter and nostrils flare as their animals fought and reared through the dance.
The lions also "ate" a grapefruit and a head of lettuce during the performance, keeping with traditional aspects of the cultural dance. The lion who consumed the grapefruit spat the fruit back out in the shape of an open flower, symbolizing good luck, while the lettuce leaves were thrown into the audience as a metaphor for spreading good fortune. CULT's performance ended with members standing completely vertical on each another's shoulders to allow the lions to hold Chinese New Year's banners in their mouths. The group's sharp, skilled movements and carefully calculated choreography in its performance testified to the amount of hard work and practice that went into their preparation for this showcase.

The eight members of BLT, the first collegiate-sponsored lion dance troupe in New England, took the stage next. While the BLT's performance included customary elements such as the cabbage eating, the group had two dancers dressed as renegade monks, also known as little Buddhas, instead of a third lion. The two masked performers skipped around the auditorium to wake lions and direct the dance.

BLT's performance elicited strong support from the Brandeis home crowd. However, BLT's movements were not as crisp or in sync as the Columbia group, as dancers had trouble getting up on their partners knees and shoulders throughout the routine. However, BLT compensated with their creative choreography, ending their performance with a "shoulder stack spin" where one dancer would spin completely horizontal by wrapping their legs around their partner. One has to admire both groups for the incredible athleticism and grace that is required for lion dance.

The night ended with a best trick contest, where the lion dance pairs showed off their best skills. Moves ranged from BLT's notorious shoulder stack spin to CULT's dancers walking around the auditorium carrying their partner fully upright on their shoulders. Even the showcase hosts got in on the action despite their long hiatus from lion dancing, as Law jumped off the stage with Lu standing on his knees all while wearing the animal costume. Law and Lu declared all participants in the best trick contest winners, claiming the only real losers were the Princeton team who failed to show up.

Despite the low turnout of exhibition groups and audience members, the second annual East Coast Intercollegiate Lion Dance Showcase was a great addition to the APAHM celebration. The Brandeis Lion Troupe is a very talented dance ensemble that infuses every event they perform at with a unique cultural flavor and genuine energy. APAHM events continue this month with the popular SKIN fashion show and closing ceremonies.