ME = Moderately Easy
M = Medium
MD = Moderately Difficult
D = Difficult
Dragon Dance (E. Alexander)
SA, piano - SEA-001-01 - $1.00/copy2 minutes - E Recipient of Top Honors in the "International Waging Peace through Singing Project"
I put this song under "Children's Choirs," because it's children who most often sing it, but adults enjoy it, too! (It was originally composed for a whole church congregation to sing while a Chinese dragon danced up and down the aisles.) Its engaging jazz harmonies, colorful piano accompaniment, and easy-to-learn countermelody make it a memorable selection for both singers and audiences. The clever lyrics of this lighthearted song describe a single dragon with many different feet --- a wholehearted affirmation of diversity in our communities.
Technical Details: The chorus of this song is easy to teach an audience, and in fact seems to call out for it. Part of the piece is in "swing time" and part in "straight time," but other than that, the piano part is quite easy. I've enjoyed performing it with just piano, or with the addition of a bass guitarist and a drummer. Range: c'-d"
Dragon Dance - ScoreBehold the Chinese dragon, the toast of New Year's Day,
With legs of nearly every shape and size.
They dance in all directions, and in such disarray,
I fear he'll fall apart before my eyes!
The head goes left and the tail goes right,
The feet go fast and the body goes slow,
The front end pushes and the back end pulls
and there seems to be no plan--
But hey, no matter!
The dragon stays together.
Some feet are wearing sandals, or moccasins, or pumps,
Or boots with laces trailing on the ground.
The dragon bends and stretches, its body sags and humps,
But somehow that old reptile gets around.
The head goes left and the tail goes right,
The feet go fast and the body goes slow,
The front end pushes and the back end pulls
and there seems to be no plan--
But hey, no matter!
The dragon stays together.
I marvel at this dragon cavorting in the street,
This multi-ped made up of such extremes.
I wonder how he functions with all those different feet?
What keeps the beast from splitting at the seams?
The head goes left and the tail goes right,
The feet go fast and the body goes slow,
The front end pushes and the back end pulls
and there seems to be no plan--
But hey, no matter!
The dragon stays together.
Copyright 1990 by Elizabeth Alexander. Reprinted by permission.
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