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Lion Dances for Amma
26 September 2003
Once again, two lions danced for Amma. Even though treated
to a preview of the Malaysian performance at Amritapuri last
week, it did not prepare devotees for the beauty, acrobatic
skill, and expressive nature of the art that was shown tonight.
The Wong Low Shen Shee Chee How Temple Troupe gave two presentations
of their skills this evening.
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In the first, Lion Dance, a little Buddha
(Chinese monk) teased the lions. The lions chased the
monk in a manner that combined acrobatics, dance and
pantomime. The lion is considered a holy animal and
it plays a central role in Chinese mythology. The lion
chases away evil and safeguards the people. When performed
well, the Lion Dance is believed to bring good luck
and happiness. |
The lions certainly performed well this night for Amma, and
so, hopefully, we can expect good luck for the future harmony
of the world.
In the second performance,
steel stilts were placed on the ground in front of Amma
a calculated distance apart from each other. The 11
stilts had a small steel plate on top of each, and were
of varying heights and distances apart. One of the lions
came up to the stilts and considered his moves very
carefully. |
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From his expressions, he obviously wanted
to get to the topmost set of stilts but was very cautious
and nervous about making the necessary first leap. Finally,
the lion head jumped to the lowest stilt. From there,
he had to jump to the second set of stilts so that his
tail end could follow. The continuing quest to the highest
stilts was full of humour as the lion expressed fear,
diffidence and, ultimately, the power of success in
his very expressive face and body gestures. Everyone
delighted in this performance. |
The origins of the Lion Dance can be traced back to China
in 205 B.C. when it was performed during religious festivals.
It is always an intrinsic part of important festivals such
as the New Year celebrations and other grand events.
The Wong Low Shen Shee Temple
of Malaysia was established in 1967 to honour three
deities of different faiths: Wong Low Shen Shee (Buddhist),
Song Lau Koon (Taoist) and Hanuman (Hindu). Wong Low
Shen See was an extremely generous, fair, compassionate
and loving emperor who lived in China about 5,000 years
ago. Temples are still built to honour him, and to carry
on his life’s work of helping the poor. |
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--Triguna Besse
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