MANILA, Philippines - It was a moment of triumph for the Philippine dragon and lion dance team when it won the much coveted, first-ever gold medal (Luminous Dragon Dance category) at the 2010 Asian Dragon and Lion Dance Competition held in Miaoli County, Taiwan, on March 4 to 8. This Asian competition was participated in by nine teams from China, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Macau, Hong Kong, host Taiwan, and the Philippines.
There’s more to this ancient dance/sports of China that is well-liked by people all over the world beyond the Chinese New Year celebration that Filipinos are so familiar with. Composed mostly of young volunteers, it takes teamwork, discipline, grace and agility to train for this rigorous art form. The dragon and lion dance competition was composed of three categories — standard routine, freestyle routine, and the most visually exciting and difficult, the luminous dragon routine.
The 10-minute luminous act was performed in the darkened arena with ultraviolet spotlight to highlight the glow-in-the-dark spectacle of the dragons, with team members dressed in black. The Philippine team simply thrilled the audience with their artistry and daring yet precise movements.
The Philippine delegation was headed by Johnny Lee, president of the Philippine Ling Nam Athletic Federation, and chief instructor William Soon. Team members included Jobie Kaneesha Ko, Richard Ng, Rolando Villamora, Tyrone King, Oliver Ngo, Jeremy Ong, Luigi Bondoc, Jeff Kendrick Ko, Lyndon Yu, Rosendo Sayson and Carlos Faa Jr. The musicians were Napoleon Ngo, Kaho James Wong, Ravi Jiandani, Robertson Fadrigar and Nina Felichi Fabros.
Founded 54 years ago, the Philippine Ling Nam Athletic Federation has been actively promoting these twin sports and art forms in the country, and has led 13 other dragon and lion dance teams to form the Philippine Dragon and Lion Dance Sports Association with Francisco Peng San as chairman.