PRESS RELEASE
FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
3rd
December 2012
City of Glasgow College student is a roaring
success in China
A
City of Glasgow College student is hoping to get Scotland hooked on a
traditional Chinese sport after taking part in an international competition.
Nicky
Chan, from Ayr, has just returned home from Hong Kong, where his team competed
in the International Lion Dance Championship. The ancient sport involves performers dressed
in elaborate lion costumes mimicking the movements of the animal. Group
displays take place regularly around the country, especially around the Chinese
New Year. However, until now, there have no professional competitive teams.
23
year old Nicky, from Ayr, said: “A lot of people may have seen Lion Dancing
being performed but very few people in Europe realise that it’s actually a
sport in Asia and is taken as seriously as football is here in Scotland. As a
child, I’d seen it performed on TV and in films and was always really intrigued
by it. I decided to join a group after I was told a teacher from Hong Kong was
planning to set one up and it’s been a bit of an adventure ever since!
“We
knew that the International Lion Dance Championship was a huge event with some
of the world’s best teams but we decided to just go for it and applied to
enter. When we arrived in Hong Kong, we really attracted a lot of attention
from the media and fans. They were quite excited that a European team was
taking part.”
The
team competed against national champions from various countries including
China, Taiwan, Thailand and Japan, finishing 10th out of 15. Fuelled
by the reaction they received in Asia, the group is now looking to spread the
word and encourage other people to set up professional teams.
Nicky
added: “In Asia, Lion Dancing is actually part of most school curriculums. I
realise we might be some way away from that, but I’m hoping that other people
might look at our success and take up the sport. Ultimately, we would like to
see a national Lion Dance championship and make Scotland an international
leader in Lion Dancing.”
-ENDS-
Image 1: Nicky Chan (left) and a team
mate pose with their trophies.
Image
2: Nicky Chan in action during one of his team’s performances.
Image
3: Nicky Chan and his team mates fly the flag for Great Britain in Hong
Kong. Image 4: Competing teams from around
the world pose for the cameras
For more information, contact: Brian O’Neill, Halogen
Communications, (T) 0131 202 0120 (F)
0131 225 3757 (E) brian@halogencom.com
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