Asian American Mythology The Dragon Dance And The Lion...

In all cultures dance is a form we use to express our feelings, tell our past, and show our hopes for the future. Dancing is when you move your body to the beat of the music, many use dancing as a form to communicate with others and it is something anyone can do. For the final group project, my group decided to focus on Asian American mythology. Mythology deals with storytelling and myths of a cultures history or traditions. Each culture has their own myths and they all use different forms to pass down these myths and stories from generation to generation. Chinese Americans have many stories they tell in the form of dance, two of which are the Dragon Dance and the Lion Dance. The Dragon Dance is a Chinese American folk dance that is†¦show more content†¦Not only is the dance performed during Chinese New Year, many perform this dance during business openings or wedding ceremonies all to bring positivity to the festivities. â€Å"Social interaction, action, knowledge, power, virtue and interdependent things and much are based on the supreme spiritual power of the Dragon† (Ranjan). The dragon is an important symbol for the Chinese and it is part of the reason why the Dragon Dance is so important to perform during great festivities. The Lion Dance is another dance that is greatly known within the Chinese community as well as the American community. The folktale that comes with the Lion Dance dates all the way back to the Han and Tang Dynasty were lions were not yet native in China. That was until the rulers of what is today Iran and Afghanistan sent these lions to Chinese emperors as a gift so that they would be able to trade with the Silk Road merchants. The legend goes that one day a strange creature named â€Å"Nien† came to China and terrorized all its men and beasts. The Nien was so powerful that the Chinese decided to turn to the lion for help; luckily the lion was able to scare the Nien away, but the Nien left screaming, â€Å"Beware! I will return to take my revenge!† it was true that the Nien would return, he returned a year later, but by then the lion had gotten extremely busy taking care of the Chinese emperor so that was when the people ofShow MoreRelatedSummary Article Nikes Dispute with the University of Oregon9247 Words   |  37 PagesSports by Bill Bowerman Bill Bowerman William J. Bill Bowerman was an American track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. He was a very successful track coach, training 31 Olympic athletes, 51 All-Americans, 12 American record-holders, 24 NCAA champions, and 16 sub-4 minute milers... and Philip Knight, and officially became Nike, Inc. in 1978. The company takes its name from Nike Nike (mythology) In Greek mythology, Nike , was a goddess who personified triumph throughout the ages ofRead Morepreschool Essay46149 Words   |  185 Pagesreport, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) calls for early educators to make play a regular part of the daily curriculum and be responsive to the needs of each student. In addition, a recent report from the American Academy of Pediatrics concludes that play is vitally important for healthy brain development. These reports, as well as many others, make clear that preschool children’s play and integrated learning are vital components of high-quality preschool