Summer Road Trip- An Article by Mr Russell Suthern, Chief Instructor WCMA
We have been in need of a new Lion Dance costume for a while. Our existing Lions have been working extremely hard, as have our Lion Dance Team, at Schools, Weddings and many other events. Since Brexit, postage costs have sky-rocketed to a prohibitive level and it has not been possible to order on line and wait for a delivery.
We decided to travel to France to Dragon Sports to purchase our new Lion. After contacting the team in France, they set aside our Red and Gold Lion for collection. We set off on our road trip through the Netherlands, Belgium and into France.
Dragon Sports are located in Southern France on the South Coast, and to get there we drove through beautiful countryside enjoying local cuisine at small restaurants and bistros in tucked away towns and villages. The views were breath taking and food for the soul.
Dragon Sports HQ are located in an industrial estate. We expected a fairly standard office and warehouse. We were amazed and delighted to see the set up. There were two stone Chinese Temple Lions guarding the entrance. As we entered the building there was beautiful calligraphy, furniture and ornaments all around us. The staff were very pleased to see us and ushered us into the shop whilst we waited for our Lion.
Both Shaf and I found ourselves in Aladin’s cave. We entered a room with Martial Arts costumes, sparring equipment, weapons of all description, Chinese fans, ornaments, hanging scrolls and screens and much, much more. We knew that we would be coming home with more than the Lion costume. We spent hours looking around and deciding what we needed! In our basket we had an ornate two-handed straight sword, two beautifully painted cherry blossom fans for the double fan form, a dragon sword stand and a stunning Chess set. Shaf and I enjoy playing Chess regularly and this set has added a new dimension to our epic battles.
The Lion was brought to us for approval and I have to say it was love at first site. It was as though we were collecting a long awaited pet. We placed out Lion very carefully in the car, covered under a velvet cloth and headed back to the UK.
We cannot use this magnificent creature until it has been blessed and awakened via an eye dotting ceremony. This is a very rare event in the West and so this ceremony will be open to students, friends and families to experience this ritual. The event also includes a Chinese Lion dance and Martial Arts demonstrations. The date will be Sunday 15th September and we will be very pleased to see you and to celebrate this event with you.
Mr Russell Suthern
Chief Instructor WCMA