China Dragon and Lion Open, this village-level dragon and lion team from Zhaoqing (Deqing County) won the gold medal

China Dragon and Lion Open, this village-level dragon and lion team from Zhaoqing (Deqing County) won the gold medal

Colorful Zhaoqing 2024-06-20 19:11 Guangdong, China

"It was really unexpected to win the gold medal and rank first this time."

Recently, the Ding'an Dragon and Lion Group of the Deqing County Dragon and Lion Association scored 9.02 points at the just-concluded 2024 China Dragon and Lion Open. The dragon and lion group was 0.93 points higher than the second place and won the first place with an absolute advantage.

It is reported that this event was held in Anxiang County, Changde City, Hunan Province, attracting 17 teams and more than 200 athletes from Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi and other places.

The competition is divided into three major events: dragon dance free routines, southern lion high-pile free items, and northern lion free routines. The Ding'an Dragon and Lion Group of the Deqing County Dragon and Lion Association participated in the southern lion high-pile free items. Competing in the same venue were six teams, including Nanhai Shunxiong Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe of Foshan Dragon and Lion Dance Sports Association, Hetou Qilin Lion Dance Troupe of Suixi County, Zhanjiang City, Gaoming Wushu Dragon and Lion Dance Sports Association, and Longya Lion Dance Troupe of Hezhou City.

Liang Jinhuang told reporters that they were the last to play on the day of the competition. The first five teams scored higher and made no mistakes, and the players felt a lot of pressure.

But as soon as they came on the stage, they quickly got into the state. Following the exciting drums and music, the lion head and the lion tail cooperated tacitly, rolling, turning, flipping, spinning, jumping, jumping, jumping, and jumping in the air, changing dance postures, opening their mouths and shaking their tails, jumping crouching, flipping in the air, looking at the stars and the moon, scratching their ears and cheeks... The expressions of joy, anger, sorrow, happiness, movement, stillness, surprise, and doubt were fully displayed, conquering all the judges on the scene.

In order to participate in the competition, the team members conducted targeted high-difficulty action training. The dragon and lion dance troupe trains 6 days a week, with intensive training arranged every morning and afternoon.

"The dragon and lion dance troupe has more than 30 members, 10 of whom are professional lion dancers aged between 18 and 23. We will also recruit and train students who are interested in dragon and lion dance. The youngest is currently 13 years old." Liang Jinhuang said.

△ Ding'an Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe of Deqing County Dragon and Lion Dance Association. Photo provided by the interviewed unit

The Ding'an Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe of Deqing County Dragon and Lion Dance Association was officially established in 2009. Ding'an Village is a village under the jurisdiction of Guanxu Town, Deqing County. Ding'an Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe is the only dragon and lion dance team named after the village in Deqing County. Liang Jinhuang told reporters that the village has a long history of dragon and lion dance. His father used to dance dragon and lion dance and was a gong player. The older generation of dragon and lion dance teams often participated in folk performances and competitions. Under the influence of his father, he fell in love with dragon and lion dance. He has participated in every role of dragon and lion dance. It is precisely because the village has a tradition of lion dance and is well-known locally that Liang Jinhuang decided to set up a standardized dragon and lion team named after the village in 2009.

At the beginning of its establishment, Ding'an Dragon and Lion Troupe mainly performed traditional lion dance and participated in performance activities.

In 2012, in order to make the dragon and lion troupe go further, the team began to focus on high-pole lion dances that are more ornamental and more difficult. They innovated lion dance movements and added difficult movements such as vacating, diving, front flips, and picking green.

"Learning dragon and lion dance requires persistence, continuous training, physical fitness and training skills. Sometimes, in order to stably master a difficult movement, team members often need to train 20 to 30 times. It is really 'one minute on stage, ten years of hard work off stage'." Liang Jinhuang said.

Hard work pays off. In 2013, the dragon and lion dance troupe won the first place in the Deqing County Lion Dance Elite Competition, and won the first place in the competition for five consecutive years.

High-pole lion dance has become the strength of the dragon and lion dance troupe and has entered the international stage. In addition, in recent years, the dragon and lion dance troupe has also won the bronze medal of the "Huang Feihong Cup" 9th National North-South Lion King Competition Water Flying Lion, the first prize of the Guangdong Traditional Dragon and Lion Qilin Championship, the "Huang Feihong Cup" National North-South Lion King Competition and Water Double Lion Challenge Championship, the fourth place in the Singapore Chinatown International Lion King Competition, and the silver medal of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Dragon and Lion Open High-pole Lion.

△ "Huang Feihong Cup" National North-South Lion King Competition and Water Double Lion Challenge Championship Champion. 

"The team members are full of love for dragon and lion dances and are committed to inheriting and promoting Chinese traditional culture." Liang Jinhuang said,

In order to spread the dragon and lion culture and discover outstanding talents, the Ding'an Dragon and Lion Dance Troupe of the Deqing County Dragon and Lion Dance Association conducts "Dragon and Lion Dance into Campus" activities from time to time, and is committed to letting students know, like and inherit dragon and lion dances.