Our mission is based on four values: knowledge, mannerism, healthy lifestyle and humanitarian. The first value focuses on strengthening and developing strong communication skills among team members. Furthermore, we require our members to be an all-rounded individual both in school and society. Therefore, all members must maintain a specific grade point average in order to perform during special ev
ents. If an individual cannot meet this particular requirement, he/she is suspended from performance until he/she can provide some evidences of improvement in school. Members must demonstrate appropriate behaviors and language during practice and performance. We believe mannerism is an important factor in teaching our players to resolve all issues in a professional manner. Furthermore, mannerism plays a major role in educating our players about living in harmony with other people regardless of their cultural and personal values. Finally, the last two values (healthy lifestyle and humanitarian) share a reciprocal relationship. Our team wants to promote a healthy lifestyle among all age groups. Weekly practices include both aerobatic skills and physical endurance training. In addition, meditation and breathing exercise help relieve stresses and maintain a steady flow in body circulation. These skills are very important during public performances. Public performances are the main financial resource of the lion dance team. We use the money to purchase and repair all equipment and supplies. Furthermore, we perform to help fundraise money for people who live poverty-stricken areas of Vietnam. Since this team is a nonprofit organization, we do not have a certain rate for a particular performance. All performance is based upon donations from our sponsors and providers. Nevertheless, we are very selective in choosing whom and where to perform. All performances must be approved by all team leaders and managers beforehand. Furthermore, our lion dance team does not discriminate anyone based on gender, race, or age. However, we prefer that all players must be a member of Chánh Pháp Buddhist Youth Association. By doing so, we can maintain a safe and productive environment for all our players. As previously mentioned, this lion dance team is not a private organization! Therefore, anyone who joins the team has read and agrees to all the terms and rules of the team. In addition, the team does not pay our members for any particular reason. All members are volunteers who share a strong passion for the art of lion dance and want to contribute their time and effort in preserving the team’s mission.
