VOLUME 1 MantisQuarterly ISSUE 1 elcome to the first issue of Mantis Quarterly. We hope that this publica- W tion will provide a forum for Praying Mantis practitioners to discuss, debate and disseminate information on the histo- ry, technical aspects and practice of this art that we all love. It has been a long time in coming (due mostly to my own lack of diligence), but now that it has begun, we hope that momentum from the mantis community keeps it going. There has never been a time of community and an exchange of information among the world’s Praying Mantis practitioners as there is today. Nearly all of this new communication owes its origin to the Internet and to those who, having envisioned the possibility of such things, created forums that made this exchange possible. Beginning in the 1990s, my students and I were one of the first groups to offer an international mailing list online with the art of Praying Mantis as its sole topic. It and other online groups slowly overcame partisan politics and generations-old The statue of Wang Lang as warrior looking out over differences to share information about different Mount Laoshan near the Huayan Si memorial site. approaches to the art. As more online forums and lists arose and proliferated, what began as a present but are so marginalized and are in such a small group grew into a thriving community of comparative minority as to be insignificant. voices. Where a scant decade ago there were only When I again quietly proposed the idea of individuals exchanging videos of sets or having Mantis Quarterly last year, practitioners around occasional visits, now schools frequently meet the world immediately contributed articles. Some and exchange ideas freely and openly, improving submitted informative pieces detailing practices the practice of the art for all. and techniques of training. Others sent articles In recent months, during the time when we chronicling the spread of the art in a particular were already busy preparing this newsletter, many country or region of the world. The quickness of in the online community have said that it is time response and the quality of the work presented for a publication dedicated to Praying Mantis. clearly indicated the timeliness of this present Nearly ten years ago we attempted to provide undertaking. such a publication, but found that the voices The Quarterly as it appears today is as small actively against the project and the exchange of a beginning as those online venues were several information it would facilitate greatly outnum- years ago. It is a solid beginning nonetheless. It bered those in favor. After a year of attempting to is, for now, not extensive in size or scope but can gather writers to publish regular issues in the face be maintained indefinitely, allowing for slow and of this resistance, the project was shelved. certain development. All that is needed is for the However, I will now admit that I have secretly community to continue to express its desire to held the URL www.mantisquarterly.com for share information. Considering the present atti- more than five years waiting for this day. tude of practitioners of Praying Mantis around Now things have changed; the Praying the globe, this will not be difficult. Mantis community has expressed overwhelming The focus of the Quarterly will be topics dis- desire to discuss and research the art and to doc- cussed at the level of the advanced student or ument that research for present and future gener- instructor. It is hoped that the Quarterly will ations. Those detractors of a decade ago are still become a place for many voices, from all the different branches of Praying Mantis, offering There were more submissions in response to informed opinions on the art and technique that the Quarterly’s initial request than could be placed most instructors and senior students simply do in the first issue. One technical article from not have the opportunity to address in detail Taiwan and one historical article from Australia during classes. In were selected for this first publication and England addition, there will be and the Philippines have been chosen for historical opinion pieces, such accounts on the growth of the art in those coun- as a student’s or tries. In future issues we will include regular fea- instructor’s forum, tures, such as web site reviews and opinion pieces, where experience, of and we will highlight additional regions, branches both those new to the of the art and countries, ensuring a diverse gather- art and of seasoned ing of opinions and perspectives. practitioners, will be The Quarterly needs support while in its presented for consid- infancy. This support can be submissions on the eration. When appro- technical, historical or Chinese cultural aspects of priate, dissenting Praying Mantis; opinion pieces; or stories of opinions will also be interest to the community at large. Submissions presented. Finally, do not have to be in English; the Quarterly there will be a guide already has translators that can handle most The entrance to Wang to the Internet, the mother of this community, major languages. Individual and school subscrip- Lang's memorial located on where sites around the world will be reviewed. tions to the Quarterly will help tremendously for Mount Laoshan near the For the next four issues the Quarterly will financial support and will help determine the Buddhist temple where he served as abbot. hold to the present format and length. As subscrip- growth of the publication. In short, this under- tions and submissions allow, it will expand in size taking, set aside so many years ago, is begun and scope. There are plans to have the Quarterly again. The staff of Mantis Quarterly looks for- eventually translated into other languages. The lan- ward to this shared adventure exploring the fasci- guages made available will be subject to the nating art of Praying Mantis! demand from different regions of the world. —Steve Cottrell History Lion Dance: Its origins and place in the traditional Kung Fu school About the Author Origins The dance has been continually performed since Matt Young has been a stu- It is almost certain that lion dancing is not a these early times and has continued to evolve and dent of Tsui Wing Sing Chinese invention. There are no lions and never take on meaning. The fact that lion dancing has (Jimmy Tsui) in Perth Western have been any lions native to China — yet still survived to the current day despite the changing Australia since 1996. He has the dance is at the core of the traditional Chinese face of China and its principles is testament to its also trained in praying man- culture. It is possible the lion dance was intro- importance to both those who perform it and tis both in Hong Kong and in duced as early 200BC, when traders from the silk Chinese people in general. Unfortunately, it is mainland China. route sent lions to the Han emperors as gifts. unlikely there will ever to be a definitive answer One belief is that lion dancing developed around to the question: Where did Chinese lion dancing this time. During the same period, traders and come from? merchants performed dances similar to what we now know as lion dances, and the Chinese may Types of Lion Dance have adopted these dances. The fact that similar There are two major types of lion dance — the dances are still performed in India, the Middle more common southern lion and the northern East and many Southern Asiatic countries lends lion. credence to that theory. The southern lion is a colorful and power- We do know that during the Tang Dynasty, ful-looking lion. Traditionally each lion repre- around 800 AD, lion dancing was an important sents a historical Chinese figure. For example, part of Chinese culture in all levels of society. the red lion is the lion of Guan Gung (the 2 MantisQuarterly FALL 2002 patron saint of martial arts and business), and end of the lion dance, the lion bows to those the yellow is the lion of Liu Pei. Each lion has responsible for organizing the lion dance to show its own personality, which reflects both the char- respect and as a final blessing to them. At this acter to which it is dedicated and the school of stage the lion will often present them with a ban- its origin. A tanglang lion, for instance, will ner — a lasting talisman for good luck. exhibit a predilection for tanglang footwork as Thus, the lion scares away evil spirits and taught in that school. Indeed, some experienced brings luck and wealth. Lion dancing is most lion dancers can identify other schools simply often seen around Chinese New Year to bring from the footwork, cymbal pattern or behavior luck for a prosperous and healthy new year. Lion of their lions. dances may also be performed at any major cele- The northern lion dance is most instantly bration, including business openings, weddings, recognizable by its golden, shaggy lion. The anniversaries and the like. northern lion tends to have a longer tail and tra- ditionally is more acrobatic. This is the lion often Lion Dance and Kung Fu Schools depicted in the Chinese Circus, although both The southern lion is the one most often associat- types are often represented. The motions of the ed with kung fu schools. Schools with a southern northern lion are also more playful than those of tradition, even those teaching northern styles, are the southern lion. far more likely to have a lion dancing tradition than those from an entirely northern back- The Meanings of Lion Dance ground.