I AM the Lion ('s butt)

I didn't realize that blogs shouldn't just be about personal epiphanies, but also memories to track milestones and progress.  But that makes sense.

So, today we did a lion dance and dragon dance for the Cultural Campfires, where "storytellers share stories from an array of cultural backgrounds around the campfire. It is a place where culture can be shared, understanding can be built, and connections can be nourished."

(source: https://www.stonyplain.com/en/play/cultural-campfires.aspx)

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I felt honoured that Sifu Brinker asked me to be the back of Sidai N Csillag's Lion.  It was a great community representation opportunity, and a great opportunity to delve more into the practice of lion dancing. 

The crowd was really into it!  They asked questions and were genuinely curious about the art of it.  I could see them looking at Noa and I as Sifu Brinker was talking, they'd obviously figured out that the 2 people in the bright, fuzzy orange pants were the headline event and not just going to an interesting rave.

(although, really, I might just start wearing those pants when I go out.  (I don't go out very often anymore...))

I find the actual performance very hard, my back starts to complain pretty quickly, and it's very hot.  Trying to watch the legs of the head is difficult without raising my head.  During the performance I actually mapped out a device you could wear around your neck with a convex mirror, so that you could watch the legs in front of you without "Casper-ing".  It would take a bit of getting used to (patent pending).  

But I did notice there was significant improvement (at least in my impression) between this performance and the practice yesterday, and over the quick demo after the Farmer's Days Parade.  Perhaps with more practice, and a lot of back strengthening exercises, I might improve my stamina.

There's only 1 way to find out!

I'd also like to thank Noa, Aviva, and Sifu Brinker for helping me, taking it easy on me, literally watching my butt, and inspiring me.  You guys rock!

Also, it was really cool getting to watch the dragon dance from the sidelines.  You guys looked freaking awesome!

Song of the day: I like to Move It by Reel 2 Real feat the Mad Stuntman

https://open.spotify.com/track/6dHTkQYY3zdR9i9Nj0IGVW?si=d04a6d2508894ef8

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