Dragon dances fire up enthusiasm

Birth from lotus flowers

At the main venue of the Dancing with the Chinese Dragons parade hosted in Huizhou city, South China's Guangdong province, on the recent Lantern Festival, which fell on Feb 24, the Baiye dragon dance stood out among 50 such performances of various styles from around the country.

The Baiye dragon performance, which first emerged in Changxing county, Huzhou, Zhejiang province, was a refreshing sight for the audience with the swinging of props resembling lotus leaves, blooming flowers, and the fluttering of colorful butterflies. Just as the audience was wondering the whereabouts of the dragon, it emerged from the lotus flowers.

The 10-second assembly and entrance of a long dragon from the petals and leaves is the result of folk wisdom that has been passed down for over 200 years, says Gu Yue, deputy head of the Baiye dragon troupe.

It usually takes a month to create such a dragon, with over 130 processes, involving more than 80 different materials.

The lotus flowers are usually divided into nine sections and connected with iron hooks. During the performance, meticulous staging and rapid assembly are required to achieve the clever transformation from lotus flowers to the long dragon.

It usually takes years of practice for a performer to get the whole thing down to such a fine art, from playing supporting roles, such as lotus flowers and leaves, to leading as the dragon body, tail, and head, according to Gu, who has performed the dance for more than two decades.

"You might master the basics in two months, but to grasp the essence needs at least two years," Gu says, adding that the dragon head alone weighs 5 kilograms and controlling it is a demanding task for the performer.