In the fading afternoon sun, An Bien commune stadium is bustling with the sound of drums "tung...ch! ch! ch!... tung...". People here are familiar with this bustling sound, just by hearing it, they know that the Kim Ngan lion - unicorn - dragon club is practicing. The club was established in 2017 with more than 30 members, mostly young people in An Bien commune, including children only 13 - 14 years old, some of whom are girls.
The club's president is Mr. Tran Minh Tien, a resident of An Bien commune, who has been involved in lion dance for more than 15 years. Mr. Tien said that when he was a student, every time there was a Mid-Autumn Festival or Lunar New Year, he was fascinated by every jump and spin of the lion and dragon, and was fascinated by the pounding, bustling drum beats. From that passion, he learned about lion dance on the Internet and learned from experienced seniors in the profession. According to Mr. Tien, lion dance is not just a beautiful performance, but must have soul, sometimes joyful, sometimes fierce, and sometimes sacred. To have good performances, everyone must practice very hard.
From 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. every day, An Bien Commune Stadium is bustling with the sound of drums mixed with the steady shouts of the team members. Those who know how to teach the new ones, each basic movement is passed on to each other. From beating the big drum, cymbals, and playing the drums to physical techniques such as: climbing on the thighs, climbing on the shoulders, climbing on the head, sitting on the lion, standing on the lion pole... requiring close coordination, health, balance and flexibility. In addition, members also learn how to express their spirit through each movement such as "hi lan" simulating joy and mischief; "ha lan" when the lion opens its mouth to greet the person giving the gift...
Members of the Kim Ngan Lion - Dragon - Unicorn Club practice drumming
The serious and enthusiastic training atmosphere of the club members attracts many young people to the lion - dragon - unicorn dance. Dinh Minh Sang, 15 years old, a student at An Bien Secondary School, is one of the potential "lion leaders" of the team. Sang said: "After the Lunar New Year 2024, I applied to join the team. I started practicing the techniques of climbing on my thighs and shaking the lion's head, feeling both nervous and excited. I love it so much, when I hear the drum, I want to go out on the field immediately."
Nguyen Huynh Ngoc Tram, an 8th grader at Thu Ba 2 Secondary School, is one of the few female members of the team. “I learned about the team after watching a performance at school, so I asked to join. With the enthusiastic guidance of the seniors, I found it interesting and loved lion dancing more. After more than 5 months of working together, I have become familiar with the basic techniques and am learning to exaggerate. Thanks to lion dancing, I feel more courageous, more flexible and understand more about the folk culture of the nation,” Tram recalled.
On every major festival occasion such as the full moon of January, Mid-Autumn Festival, Lunar New Year or other traditional local festivals, the Kim Ngan lion-unicorn-dragon team is invited to perform. Thanks to their skillful techniques and enthusiastic performances, the team not only serves in the district, but is also invited to perform in many places in neighboring provinces such as Ca Mau, Bac Lieu ... Mr. Tien said: "The team is often invited to perform lion dances on opening ceremonies, school openings, groundbreaking ceremonies, weddings, ceremonies, and Tet. Some days, we have to wake up at 2am to prepare drums, lion heads, costumes, and then move in time for the performance."
The salary for each performance is called “loc”. The team uses this money to buy tools, costumes, and maintain drums and lion heads; the rest is divided equally among the members. “We stick with lion - unicorn - dragon not to get rich, but because of passion, joy, team spirit and most of all, love for folk culture” - Mr. Tien said.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/tieng-trong-lan-vang-vong-tinh-yeu-van-hoa-dan-gian-a423901.html
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