Hello Lion Dance Enthusiasts,

My name is Greg Chuck and I've been a part of the Marin Chinese Cultural Group's lion dance team for the past 17 years. We are based in Marin County (not San Mateo) and we perform the southern lion dance. We have performed at many events, including the usual school assemblies, restaurants, grand openings, and weddings. But we have also been seen on such unusual sites as ferry boats and CD-ROM software.

For all of you looking for more information on lion dancing, a book on lion dancing was published last year by Dr. William Hu. It's called Lion Dance Explained and it's the most complete single piece of documentation on lion dancing that I've ever seen. It's a hard-bound book in English that sells for about US$60. It goes into a lot of the history and background of lion dancing. It covers things like music, instruments, the different styles of lion dancing, the different types of performances, competition rules, etc. I'm not sure how widely available this book is, but it is definitely something that a lion dance enthusiast should read. In San Francisco, the book can be found at the East Wind Book Store on Vallejo St. Let me know if you want more information. If you can't find the book in your area, I can also try sending you the book. It might take me a while to get the book to you because I've been awfully busy (well, I'm sure we're all busy). In my other life, I'm a programmer/analyst at Wells Fargo Bank. (For you Californians, the merger with First Interstate is not going to make my life any easier.)

Oh, the book is not really an instructional book. Dr. Hu is supposedly coming out with a Lion Dance Performed book in the future, but when I spoke with him last year, he wasn't sure exactly when that book would be out.

Well, that 's about it for now. Let me know if any of you know of any other lion dance publications out there.

Greg