THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 3, 1995 TAG: 9502020140
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Over Easy
SOURCE: Jo-Ann Clegg
LENGTH: Medium: 91 lines
I don't know about you, but I've never given a whole lot of thought to lion dancers.
What I do know is that they show up around the Chinese New Year and crawl under a big sheet that has a lion's head at one end and tail at the other. Then they squiggle down the street scaring the bejeebers out of little kids and startling elderly ladies who yell something like ``Good grief, Mildred, what's that lion doing in front of the place where we get moo shoo pork and plum wine?''
I got a little more education on the subject of lion dancing recently when I stopped by the Artists at Work Gallery that's up over the Bamboo Hut restaurant at 24th and Pacific.
``There's a whole lot more to the tradition than you think there is,'' Connie Fahey, the gallery's director, said. ``Trust me, I've become an expert lately.''
The reason for Fahey's expertise on the subject has to do with a little shindig that she and fellow artists at the gallery are planning.
``It's the middle of the winter and things are a little dull out here, so we decided to celebrate Chinese New Year,'' she explained. ``We figured we'd put together a show and call it `Miniature Treasures.' We're all going to show some of our smaller works, the ones with small prices as well.''
``Like what?'' I asked.
``Like $75 and under, some way under,'' Fahey told me. Good original art in that price range is definitely a bargain.
``Are we talking Chinese art here?'' I asked.
``No,'' Fahey said. ``There'll be some with a Chinese motif, but the most part it's what we have most of here - seascapes, flowers, animals, that sort of thing.''
``But where do the Chinese New Year thing and the lion dancers come in?'' I asked.
Fahey thought for a minute.
``It just kind of seemed to fit,'' she told me. ``Especially with the Chinese restaurant downstairs. That's where we got the idea for the lion dancers - from Joe Dai at the Bamboo Hut. He put us in touch with Mr. Hoy K. Lee.''
``Is he the lion tamer?'' I asked.
``I don't think they call him that, but he is the expert on the subject and he's the one who's going to make sure we have a lion,'' she told me.
``On Chinese New Year's Eve?'' I asked.
``Oh no, Mr. Lee says that it's bad luck to have a lion dance on New Year's Eve. Besides, the lion has a very busy schedule,'' Fahey explained, ``so he-or it-or they-are coming on Saturday afternoon instead. That's when we'll have the open house at the gallery. He also told me some other things about the lion.''
``Like what?'' I asked.
``Like you have to feed him lettuce at the end of a bamboo stick and give him money in a red envelope,'' Fahey said.
``So that means I have to bring lettuce, a bamboo stick, money and a red envelope with me?'' I asked.
`You supply the money and the lettuce, we'll provide the bamboo pole and the red envelopes,'' she told me.
``Boy, you think of everything,'' I told her.
``Oh, there's lots more,'' she said. ``One of our artists, Shaw-Mei Shen, will demonstrate Chinese calligraphy and we'll have some wonderful Wan-fu wine and Chinese delicacies in the gallery.
``What's really great is that the other merchants on this block are going to participate, too. Harpoon Larry's is offering 25 percent off on its seafood menu that night. Bamboo Hut has a $2.99 full meal carry-out special and the Corner 24 Surf Shop is giving free tickets for one hour of inline skate rental,'' she explained.
``Are you charging admission for all of this?'' I asked.
``Oh no,'' Fahey told me. ``The lion dance is going to be out front on the sidewalk so everyone can enjoy it and of course the gallery reception is free. We do a good business when the tourists are in town but we figure that the locals are the ones who really support us so we like to have parties during the winter to pay them back for that.
``Just tell everybody to come out between 4 and 7 on Saturday the 4th. We'll be here the whole time. If they want to see the lion, though, they have to come between 4:30 and 5.
``And, by the way, she added, ``Mr. Lee says that it's very important to feed the lion if you want good luck in the new year. So you might want to make sure you bring something to feed him with.''
``Like lettuce leaves and dollar bills?'' I asked.
``Exactly,'' Fahey said. ``Mr. Lee says it's a very old tradition.'' MEMO: The Artists at Work Gallery is at 2407 Pacific Ave. Call 425-6671 for
more information about Saturday's festivities.
by CNB