Youth breathe new life into ancient art form(2)

Inspired by a legend

Cai's enthusiasm and unremitting efforts to promote the art were sparked by a dragon-dance legend.

He was first introduced to the art in 1994, when he was among only three students of Tongliang's Pingtan Middle School invited to perform with the Tongliang Dragon Dance Troupe, the precursor to the national team, by Huang Tingyan.

Huang, born in Tongliang's Anju township in 1941, became a dragon dance choreographer in 1965. A renowned Sichuan opera performer, he started blending different art forms such as Sichuan opera, martial arts and other dragon dances, ultimately creating the Tongliang dragon dance in 1988.

Huang became one of the most talented dragon dance artists of his time and was honored as the national inheritor of the Tongliang dragon dance in 2008.

Under Huang's coaching, Cai's team, which consisted of three middle school students and members from a Sichuan opera troupe, won its first national dragon dance competition in May 1995.

With his passion for the art ignited, Cai used all his spare time training and honing his performance skills with an aim to be as good as professional dancers.

Cai remembered learning a dance move in which he imitated a dragon jumping on water. He had to hold the heavy dragon in position with his limbs and head as he moved. Continuous practice of the move led one of his legs to be covered in bruises and caused a bald spot on his head.

Cai's hard work paid off when he was appointed "second hand" of the national troupe.

There are several "hands" in a dragon dance troupe that are tasked with controlling key parts of the dragon and guiding its movements. Cai said the second hand — which stands behind the dancer in the lead position, known as the first hand — plays a crucial role in ensuring the dragon's head and body move in unison.

"The ultimate goal in a dragon dance is to achieve perfect harmony between human and dragon — even by imagining oneself as a dragon."

To imbue the art form with a modern vibe, Cai, with his superb artistry and profound insights in the form, has reinvigorated both Tongliang dragon dance and the art of dragon-making.

For example, he has infused street dance movements in the Dance of the Dragon, a dynamic competitive dragon dance show. Moreover, he has replaced the dragon's scales, formerly made of satin, yarn or mesh, with sequins.

Cai is now the deputy director of the Chinese Dragon and Lion Dance Sports Association and has served as a judge and coach at multiple international competitions.