China's Sanlin team won the gold, but Indonesia's Daya Bersama, which means "glory together," proved to be a tough competitor at the dragon and lion dancing championship. (Jiang Xiaowei)
Dragon and lion dances are most commonly associated with China, where its popularity has dimmed somewhat among the young generation, but the traditional kung fu martial arts underpinning the performances have captivated enthusiasts beyond China's borders.
That global ardor was on display last weekend at an international dragon and lion dancing championship held at Yuanshen Stadium in the Pudong town of Sanlin.
Participants from some 15 countries were among the 35 teams competing in what is described as the "Olympics of dragon and lion dances."
The United Kingdom, France, Italy, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Argentina, Indonesia and Chile are among the countries fielding teams in this year's contest.
China is represented by a team from Sanlin, which recently won a gold medal in the 13th National Games in the northern port city of Tianjin.
Though the host Sanlin dragon dance team finally won the gold medal on standard style during the final competition on Sunday, the Indonesian team was among the tough competitors.
"We came here to win gold," said Excel Van Harlen, 19, who takes the No. 3 spot, or the "neck" of the dragon. "Dragon and lion dances are a very important part of the culture of Indonesia."
A dragon dance team normally has 10 players, including a leader who holds the "dragon ball" in front to guide the movement. Harlen said the "neck" is crucial to the success of a performance because it creates the agility and liveliness of the whole dragon body.
Harlen, who is somewhat shy when out of the dragon motif, is a sophomore at the Buddhi Dharma University in Banten, which is named after the founder of Zen Buddhism and martial arts master of Shaolin Temple. He becomes animated when the subject turns to kung fu and the dragon dance.
The Indonesian team is called Daya Bersama, which means "glory together." Most of its members have been practicing dragon dancing for more than a decade. In Shanghai, they were at the stadium at 7am every day to prepare for the competition.
"We are a family, and we believe we can win," Harlan said. His team failed to win a medal in the end, which saw fierce final competition with teams from Sanlin, Taipei, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.
From the other side of the world, a team from Canada harbors victory dreams of its own. The team won the gold medal among non-Asian teams during the dragon dance standard and race contests. Half of the team comprises young Chinese Canadians.
The team leader is a 30-year-old carpenter named Jason Ryder. He takes the No. 8 position near the dragon's tail and is considered the strongest member of the team.
It's the third time the team has entered championships on behalf of Canada. In 2013, the team won bronze. This year, the eye is on gold.
"I first saw dragon and lion dances on TV and was immediately taken by the sport," Ryder said.
