Lunar New Year At Hillsdale

Year Of The Rabbit: Usually there are at least two different Lunar New Year celebrations in San Mateo, one at each end of the county. The celebration would be followed by another on the main drag in Millbrae. Historically both had been presented out of doors, but with the weather being as atypical as it was, Hillsdale chose an indoor venue. Unfortunately for me the Millbrae event was scheduled on the following Sunday, and I missed it completely.

My Third Choice

The presentation opened with some acrobatic lion dances performed by Lion Dance Me. From where I sat on the mall's floor, I could easily include the red Happy New Year banners to reinforce the context. I purposely avoided the typical Lion Dances, since I've used them too many times in the past. This mini-dragon dance was a suitable changeup, as it included the banners, lots of participants, and background separation for the dragon. In cases like this, all you can do is shoot, shoot, shoot, and keep the shots that best highlight the main subject.

My Second Choice

Next were performances by the Shaolin Culture Center. Unicycles were used in many of the performances. Here we can see one of the "pairs" maneuvers, and I was lucky enough to get this shot. 

My First Choice

When I left the show, I thought this would be the "money shot". The unicycle, the spinning plate, and the child's intense concentration adds to the appeal, but the lack of context detracts from its usefulness. I did submit it, but I suspect that one the previous two images will be published.

Also Rans: After an hour of shooting, I went home with over a dozen usable images, although photos at this second tier are lacking in a variety of qualities: Dynamic Composition,  and Visual Context, among other issues. This image captured a static moment, with no indication of subject movement.

The performers for Lion Dance Me set up a ridged steel structure with metal platforms. Performers jumped from platform to platform, going to great physical lengths to create the illusion of an actual animal in motion. While an accurate representation of the two-person costume, it doesn't convey anything more.

This photo was meant to show the level of concentration these performers must maintain for the movements of the dragon to be fluid and graceful.  Again, a photo that doesn't include much context, but one that might serve as a supplementary photo to one show the entire dragon team.

Post Mortem: The Pairs Unicycle Riders, my second choice, was printed in the Monday, February 6 edition. It had pride of place, appearing on Page One, above the fold.