Dec 17, 2006 By Angie Oravec 6 min read

Cymbals clashing and the heavy beat of drums heats up the air as the dragon rears its head, stretches, jumps and ascends to a height almost reaching the ceiling. Its mouth flapping and jaws opening wide, the dragon leaps off empty seats under darkened auditorium lights, stretching its flashing, gold-sequined neck above the heads of those watching.

The Tai Yim Kung Fu Dragon Dancing Team performed recently at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, as part of the branch university’s Asian Diversity Series, which also welcomed Chinese artist Li Xiaoheng.

Controlled by two team members from beneath, the flashing dragon startled the crowd as it leaped off the stage into the audience, swinging its round neck above the heads of the young and old seated in the Swimmer Hall auditorium.

The team, lead by James Whitley, gave a lively performance that saw very few empty seats for the show.

The crowd erupted into applause when one man beneath the costume leaped onto the other’s shoulders, the dragon ascending nearly to ceiling height.

The performers emerged from beneath the costumes and joined others in a demonstration of fighting techniques, popularized by such movies as the “Kill Bill” volumes and “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.”

The techniques develop endurance, while the idea behind learning them can be used in anything you do – from cooking to digging a ditch, said Whitley, who trained at the Tai Yim Kung Fu School in Maryland for 11 years. “It’s all based on hard work,” he said.

The accomplished feats result from the hard work and dedication needed for success. One move uses weight to attack a person, while another strikes vital points, devastating one’s opponent.

The method of kung fu he studied began in China and Hong Kong, although it has flourished in the United States with popular movie actors Jet Li, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan and through television shows and anime or Japanese cartoons.

Those who began teaching kung fu saw “how other animals defended themselves and applied it to the human body,” said Whitley. “Animals are born to defend themselves.”

The fighting techniques train people to incorporate the strengths of animals – their tactics of protecting and attacking. Tumbling, punching and kicking define the moves characterized by uppercuts and elbows.

Whitley began martial arts training at the age of 14 because of his struggle with obesity. He was a teenage boy, living in Washington, D.C. He was teased in school. He suffered from depression.

But he decided to do something positive about it.

Now, at the age of 25, visible muscles enhanced by the sheen of sweat on the skin of his light-brown arms, Whitley said his kung fu training not only enabled him to conquer his struggle with weight gain, but the artform also taught him discipline.

The positive environment he found in martial arts school helped him break out of his depression to begin feeling good about himself. It also helped him lose the weight.

His advice to others who struggle with the same problem? Exercise and positive surroundings mean a lot, he said. He recommends finding something you like to do and to go for it.

“Don’t be too shy and let that prevent you from finding something you’re good at,” he said. “If you desire to improve, don’t let anyone stop you.”

Benefits of his years of martial arts training, he noted, are becoming better disciplined, physically fit and being able to show others how the training has positively affected him. He also was able to learn about Asian culture, particularly China, where martial arts have a long, rich history, its beginnings having been traced back to 12th century B.C.

“Martial arts is something you can do all your life,” Whitley said. “If you have a desire to get in shape, you can do this rather than go to the gym.”

Since everything is done voluntarily, including sometimes drawing blood when working with weapons, it takes a dedicated person with a love for the art to master, said Whitley.

Whitley demonstrated the use of a large, glinting “horse-cutting blade.” The steel blade was used to cut the legs off live horses so the attacker could get to their enemy.

Steps with the sharp weapons could lead to blood letting. The reason for the end of weapons being wrapped in cloth is to absorb blood, said Whitley.

Clanging symbols and pounding drums accompanied the demonstrations, setting the scene for the fluid arm and leg movements of demonstrators, who were quick to hit a space point-blank in the air.

The martial artists also demonstrated tai chi, a softer, slower-paced form of martial arts with graceful moves that aid in relaxation.

“Tai chi is great to practice in the morning or every evening before bed,” said Whitley. “The moves are more serene rather than kung fu, which is a lot more aggressive.”

The moves provide for exercises in strengthening, overall longevity and stress relief, said Whitley, adding that the martial artists are not condoning the violence associated with the fighting techniques.

Performers were Whitley, Nathan Ipanag, Kevin O’Malley, Cole Howell and Tim Boyle. The school where they train enrolls 600 students, ranging from 3 to 80 years old, noted Whitley.

Following the show, audience member Zyteira Collins said she enjoyed bringing her children to the performance so they could see a glimpse of a different culture. Her baby also enjoyed the show as he bounced on his mother’s knee, clapping to the beat of the resounding music.

“It’s good for them to learn new things,” she said.

And the reason for the local campus’ Diversity Series is just for that reason: so local people have the opportunity to learn more about another culture, according to Chad Long, co-coordinator of the Diversity Series.

“We want to teach them a little bit about everyone’s culture so they’re able to take that into the working world,” said Long.

In another part of the evening, dragon dance attendees reviewed the colorful artwork of Chinese artist Li Xiaoheng in Penn State’s Williams Building Cultural Center. Xiaoheng presented the talk “A Chinese Perspective on American Culture” as part of the fall colloquia schedule and an art show featuring his work in the J.L. Williams Cultural Center.

His images portrayed scenes from Asia, the area of the world where he is from.

Although he has toured numerous states throughout the U.S. and his daughter attends Florida State University, Xiaoheng’s roots are in China, where he was born and raised. He gained fame in the country because of his traditional Chinese paintings.

Xiaoheng said his experience locally was a good one in which he has met many people interested in his artwork.

Winners of the campus’ “Glimpses of Asia” art contest were: first place, the Connellsville Area High School group project “A Glimpse of Asia”; second place, Albert Gallatin Area High School student Adomas Poviliansks’ “Silent Massacre… Pre Eruption”; third place, Albert Gallatin Area High School student Sarah Honsaker’s “Seasons.”

To support the Cultural Center at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, send tax-deductible donations to Penn State Fayette, Student Affairs, P.O. Box 519, Uniontown, Pa., 15401 and specify in the check memo line that the donation is for the Cultural Center.